UsabilityTesting

My current contract is setting up a User Experience testing group in the QA department of a company which provides financial services over the internet to users in a growing number of countries. The first part of the contract is to determine the test strategy for usability testing and internationalization. The strategy might be to set up an ongoing group, to set up a group that works through the initial project, then is absorbed into other testing groups, to hire an outside company or whatever seems most appropriate.

Usability testing is defined in this context as bringing in users in a comfortable setting, having them run scenarios (or possibly asking them to see what they can do), while we watch and make notes, or use a test tool to record their actions, or record on video. The users may or may not have experience. We may sit beside them or set up a lab with cameras or whatever seems like the best idea.

There is an internationalization component to this as well, but the international sites do not have to be handled the same way as the North American ones. That too will be part of the strategy.

The rest of the contract varies depending on the strategy. I have a pretty free hand to make recommendations; there is no guarantee that they will be implemented.

I have a really steep learning curve on this, as I have no experience with this type of testing, which the client knows. I am having a lot of fun and learning as fast as I can. I am hoping some of you have experience with something like this. I would really appreciate suggestions of books, web sites, companies who do this type of thing, lessons learned when doing it yourself (especially those), ideas, ....

If you are reading this and do not have write access to the WIKI (or don't want to post something you want to say), I can be reached at first initial last name at telusplanet dot net.

SherryHeinze 2005.05.13

I got a lot of interesting ideas on usability in general (though not usability testing per se) from Alan Cooper's "The Inmates Are Running the Asylum" and from "About Face", which is now in a second edition. I didn't always agree with him, but I found his points stimulated a lot of thought.

If you haven't looked at the Neilsen-Norman design group's stuff you might enjoy that and find it helpful too. Jakob Neilsen's site is http://www.useit.com/. And you might also like to check out Tog on design at http://www.asktog.com/.

You may not find a lot on testing at those places (though you will find some), but you should certainly be able to get enough ideas to inform some good strategies. Especially for the NEXT release.

MichaelBolton 2005.05.17

Thanks, Michael. I am still spending more time on understanding what the usability expects recommend than how to test it. I do need to understand what we are trying to accomplish first.

SherryHeinze 2005.05.17

Updated: Tuesday, May 17, 2005