An Introduction to Usability Testing

Bill Killam
Contact bkillam@user-centereddesign.com for more information

This is an introductory tutorial on the topic of usability testing so we will be discussing what usability testing is (and isn't), what makes a product usable, the origins of usability testing, the relationship of usability testing to the broader area of Human Factors Engineering. We will also discuss the different protocols that can be used for performing a usability test (both user-based and non-user-based) and what data can be obtained using the different protocols. We will discuss the timing of usability testing, how to plan for them in the design and development process, and what ROI there is for usability testing. Finally, we'll be discussing the steps required for conducting a usability test - planning a test, determining the test tasks, test length, participant selection and recruiting, and data collection. Finally, we will be discussing testing with special populations such as accessibility testing, testing with older populations, testing with kids. The audience for this tutorial is usually a mixture of practitioners (designers, content writers, information architects, etc.), novice usability practitioners looking to expand their skills, and management staff that may be considering incorporating more formal usability into their organization.