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Warning: This web at
toLearn.net/marketing/ is two years old, it's unattended, and the
links are rotting. However, in June 2000, the
server recorded over 10,000 page requests during more than 3,000 visitor sessions from dozens of
countries. Thus, I'm reluctant to take it down completely. Ricci Street | MBA 604 | marketing |
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What is the productivity paradox? Introducing computers into an organization does not always produce immediate productivity gains.
Why do developers test usability? As the software industry continues to evolve, so do the interfaces and designs. It's one thing to develop software with lots of kewl features. All the features in the world are useless if people can't figure out how to use them. Also, the legion of non-geek computer users demands software that has all the whistles and bells they want and that is easy to use. The usability testing process has the power to turn a good, feature-rich software product into a great product.
What are some of the success stories? In a mature market where all the big companies emphasize usability testing, the success of many well-known products like Quicken and Microsoft Office can be attributed to it. That is, when software faces direct competition that provides the same features and functions, one package's slight edge in user-friendliness, gained through usability testing, sometimes makes it a market leader. Netscape's browser is another terrific example. As Jeffrey Veen, the interface director for Wired Digital, and the author of HotWired Style: Principles for Designing Smart Web Sites says in a recent Hotwired, "Sitting users down in front of your designs and watching them use your site will uncover the countless mistakes you overlooked while putting your pages together. And, rest assured, you made them." He goes on to give an example:
Is usability testing cost effective? In organizations, users are demanding that the software at work be as easy as the software at home. Studies show that every hour spent with users on design saves an IS department about five hours of coding. Usability testing during the development of a software application results in savings in excess of $1000 per user over five years. Improving the ease of use and the ease of learning:
What is the usability testing process? Usability testing requires a lot more than a test subject and a facility. Testers must:
Note that for the classroom exercise, I am asking you to help with the second and third to last steps in the process above. After I analyze the results, I'll make some changes and ask for your opinion again. The classic lab has two large offices or classrooms separated by a one-way mirror.
The video control and observation room has monitors, a video recorder with special-effects switching, a two-way audio system, remote camera controls, a PC for test log purposes, and sometimes a telephone for use as a help desk. In the observation room, the testers watch as the users work and can see and hear everything that causes them to be confused. The testers get a good picture:
Market Research in a Digital Environment Designing a consistent, easy-to-use interface is a simple matter of respect for those who have chosen to visit your page. How?
It's a good idea to at least review the jargon-laden disciplines of cognitive psychology and behaviorism. While they offer hard, scientific methodologies for understanding how people comprehend and process information and tools, you can go a long way on common sense. thinking aloud Ask users to speak their thoughts aloud as they click through the pages.
Distinctions to make expert vs novice users liking vs evaluating Expectations are much more valuable than opinions.
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Users must be trained
The test room in
each lab is equipped with multiple video cameras, audio equipment, and everything a user
needs to operate the software. In the test room are real users -- recruited from the
target market -- who perform a specific set of tasks with the software.
