Use Usability Testing and Enhance your Documentation with Feedback © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Hello! Dave Bachmann Mandy Morgan © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Agenda The rationale History of usability testing Getting started The usability test process at kCura What we learned © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Documentation at kCura  We conduct usability testing on our own documentation set.  Live documentation site, not behind a firewall.  HTML5 output  MadCap Flare

Rationale for usability testing © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

A brief history © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Implementing Why did we bring usability testing in-house at kCura? © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Getting started Kicked off a site-wide redesign Closer to the client experience Support tickets © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

The usability test Where do you begin? © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Looking to sources Don't Make Me Think!: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability Handbook of usability testing Documentation usability - Tom Johnson Rocket Surgery Made Easy © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Determining tests Navigation Comprehensibility Color-scheme Organization © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Writing usability tests Goal + scenario + task © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Writing a goal © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Writing a scenario © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Writing the usability test © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Gaining buy-in Costs Time Conducting tests © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Insight Feedback Dedication Standards Gaining buy-in © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Audience analysis Creating personas Not enough time Not valuable Receiving push back © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Other teams Internal stakeholders Volunteers Gathering internal participants © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Customer portal Online community Customer service Sales Friends/family Gathering external participants © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Reaching out What to expect Length of test Preparation, if any Availability © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Budgeting time for testing Release cycles Agile Industry © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Conducting the test Participant User or internal stakeholder who runs through scenarios and has some understanding of the content. Facilitator The main participant who sets up and runs the test, and asks and answers questions. Observer The fly-on-the-wall who takes notes, tracks tasks, and records action items. © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Dealing with challenges Apathy Distractions Useless tests © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Fielding feedback Rant sessions Complacency No feedback Gathering innovations © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Fielding feedback “This could be slightly more clear” © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Fielding feedback “It makes no sense for the steps for configuring agents to appear before the steps for setting up a server. Nobody would ever do this in the order that you’ve documented it. You should switch these groups of steps.” © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Fielding feedback “These filter examples are utterly useless.” © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Fielding feedback “At this point, I’d probably just call support for help.” © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Using the results Incorporating feedback Getting to action items Enhancing the content © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Making your own methodology © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing

Thanks! Any questions? © STC 2016 #stc16 Use Usability Testing