What is Usability?
On this page:
Usability Testing
Purpose of Testing
Usability Testing is Not...
When to test
Prepare for a test
Usability @ MIT
A usable web site, application, product, or process works the way the user expects it to work. A person of average ability can use such a product or process for its intended purpose without getting hopelessly frustrated.
Usability Testing
Usability testing is what happens when a person tries to use something you made. Everything gets usability tested either before it leaves the shop or after. In the long run, testing while you are building will save you time and money.
Usability testing before a product release is a process of watching how a variety of people use the product to accomplish a variety of tasks appropriate to the product. Testing uncovers problems that can be fixed before the product is released.
Purpose of Testing
- Primary focus is on usability.
- Real users participate.
- Participants do tasks that probe the usability of the product.
- Participants think out loud as they work.
- Stakeholders and developers observe. Usability staff observes and records tester behavior and preferences.
- Usability problems are diagnosed and improvements are recommended.
Usability Testing is Not...
- A usability test is not a research study. For example, the sample size is typically much smaller.
- A usability test is not a Q/A test. Although the test might surface system bugs, this is not the primary purpose of the test.
- A usability test is not a focus group, although focus groups are an important part of designing user-centered products.
When to Test
Test early and often. Usability testing is an iterative process. You should plan to test your product At several points during the development process, starting as early as the earliest paper sketches are available.
Prepare for a Test
- Early in your development schedule, contact the usability team at: usability-team@mit.edu. A representative from the team will help you to:
- Determine the points in your development schedule where testing could occur and the type of test that would be appropriate at each point.
- Set up profiles of each major user group. For each group, create personas and scenarios: what is the user like and what will she be trying to do with your product?
- Create a set of tasks that you believe your user might try to accomplishwith your product. Have people called your office asking for help using a similar product or an earlier version? Turn their problems into test tasks.
- Recruit testers or work with the development team representative to identify testers that the usability representative will then recruit.
- Ensure that developers and stakeholders are available to observe, if not all, at least some of the tests.
