1. Hi there. Please silence your mobile phone. Offenders will be invited
to approach the front
and sing
I’m a Little Teapot

2. Would you like the slides?

3. Champagne Usability on a Beer Budget
Raena Jackson Armitage
linux.conf.au
Hobart, 2009

4. Let's chat about... What's usability all about? Good usability Testing
Choosing users
Thinking of tasks
Recording the results
Working on it
More reading

5. Let’s have a show of hands

6. What is our goal?

7. Usability Ease of use Is the interface clear? Efficiency
Is the user getting the job done in the most efficient manner?
Satisfaction
Will a user want to use this app again?
Will they choose it over another app?
Will a user recommend this to their friends?

8. Grandma?

9. We want to know… Is this part of my app easy to use?
Is this new feature easy to learn?
Is this the most efficient use of their time?
Does the user enjoy using it?
Also...
Is this an improvement on the last version?
Which version of the interface works best?
Does my app do a better job at $TASK than $PRODUCT?

10. We don’t want to know Checking for bugs Checking for performance
Deciding what to document
Ensuring you stuck to the guidelines

11. When should I test? Earlier is better...
You can even test without a finalised interface
...but later is better than nothing
You'll know better for next time

12. Formal usability testing
Laboratory
Cameras
Two-way mirrors
Scary!
Scientifically rigorous
Larger sample
Lots of planning
Big bickies $$

13. Beer budget usability testing
Do it anywhere
Just you and your PC
Few testers
More casual
Easy to plan and organise
Cheap as!

14. Goals and tasks What are you hoping to learn from the test?
This affects the kinds of questions you might ask
Pick some appropriate tasks
What tasks best relate to your goal?
Pick one or two more complex tasks

15. Solid, real life tasks Describe tasks as plain English scenarios
“You'd like to write a quick letter. Make a new document, write the letter, then save the letter to your desktop.”
“You'd like to make a music CD to play in your car. Add some tracks and burn the disc.”

16. Choosing test subjects
Choose people who'd be likely to use your app
Total noobs?
Existing familiarity?
Try not to choose other developers
You can’t do it right :(
Offer an incentive
Coffee vouchers, pizza?

17. Recording?

18. Record? Maybe you want to take notes later?
Or you'd like to share your tests with someone else?
RecordMyDesktop
vnc2swf
Istanbul?

19. Set up the room Free of distractions Use standard equipment
Snacks and drinks
Notepaper
Print your tasks
Your tester can refer to the paper if they forget

20. Set up the machine Install a stable version
Clean up the desktop (maybe a new user account?)
Turn off background processes
Yes, leaving your torrents on is tempting
No, that’s not cool
Prepare for recording

21. Conduct the test Introduce yourself Explain the purpose of the test
It's not a test of their skill, it's a test of your app
Explain how it works
Explain how long it will take
Ask permission for recording
See if they need anything (water?)

22. During the test Stay calm :) Watch the screen and the tester
Listen carefully
Keep encouraging them to speak out loud
“What are you thinking about right now?”
“You seem to be comfortable with this”
Try not to give anything away
“Let's see if you can find it first.”
Let them stop if stuck

23. Take notes What tasks did they successfully complete?
What tasks were abandoned?
Did they resort to using help?
Did they make any mistakes?
Take note of expressions
Frustration, satisfaction...

24. Evaluate the results Your notes What was harder?
What did they try to do?
What was easier?
Their comments
What did they like?
What did they dislike?

25. More reading... Places to look usability.gnome.org usability.kde.org
openusability.org
useit.com

26. Anything to add?

27. Feel free to keep in touch
Twitter: raena
Identica: raena