1. Conducting Usability Tests ITSW 1410 Presentation Media Software Instructor: Glenda H. Easter

2. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 62 Guidelines for Testing Documentation 1. Follow A 10-Step Test Plan 2.Tie Testing In With Document Goals 3.Do Some Pilot Testing 4.Make The Test Objective

3. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 63 The 10-Step Test Plan 1.Decide when to test 2.Select the test points 3.Choose the type of test 4.Set performance objectives 5.Select testers and evaluators 6.Prepare the test materials 7.Set up the test environment 8.Record information accurately 9.Interpret the data 10.Incorporate the feedback

4. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 64 Guidelines for Testing Documentation 1. Follow A 10-Step Test Plan 1.Decide when to test –Usually you test after you have a draft finished. –You can test at roughly three stages: during design, during writing or development, and after the document set goes to the customer.

5. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 65 Guidelines for Testing Documentation (Continued) 1. Follow A 10-Step Test Plan (Continued): 2.Select the test points which falls into three areas: procedures (tasks), terminology, and document design. –Select tasks where you perceive a high chance of user failure, or a high cost of user failure. Procedures falls into one of the following categories: Complex: With a large number of steps. One-of-a kind: With tasks persons may only do once. Highly abstract or technical: Test difficult tasks.

6. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 66 Guidelines for Testing Documentation (Continued) 1. Follow A 10-Step Test Plan (Continued): Select Test Points (Continued): –Select tasks that are perceived as a high cost of user failure: History of support needs: Where a large number of service calls might be expected. User runs a risk of damage to data or data loss. The following tasks should be tested: –Importing information from other programs. –Creating, naming, and formatting files. –Exporting information to other programs –Creating printouts and reports

7. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 67 Guidelines for Testing Documentation (Continued) 1. Follow A 10-Step Test Plan (Continued): 3.Choose the type of test Performance Test for users performing a procedure. Understandability test for users to summarize material learned. Read-and-Locate Test for finding information on key topics. 4.Set performance objectives Performance objectives state, in clear terms, how long or what frequency of correctness we can expect users to perform software tasks.

8. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 68 Guidelines for Testing Documentation (Continued) 1. Follow A 10-Step Test Plan (Continued): 5.Select testers and evaluators You may increase your objectivity if you devise test materials for someone else to administer. 6.Prepare the test materials You need to pay special attention to the location of the test and the kinds of hardware and software equipment you require. 7.Set up the test environment Your best information about work and information environment comes from field testing. Field testing can help to facilitate results that you discover after having done strict lab research.

9. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 69 Guidelines for Testing Documentation (Continued) 1. Follow A 10-Step Test Plan (Continued): 8.Record information accurately 9.Interpret the data Interpretation requires you to take into account all the elements that can go wrong with testing so that you can get clear results. 10.Incorporate the feedback Your testing that produces such useful results that you can make the suggested change, and then re-test a few times with consistently positive results.

10. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 610 Guidelines for Testing Documentation (Continued) 2.Tie Testing In With Document Goals The document features that were identified during the user analysis probably need testing. Anything that you try out as new and innovative should be tested. 3.Do Some Pilot Testing Pilot testing means testing the test. It provides a wealth of information to help your final version work better. You can try the test out on a small population.

11. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 611 Guidelines for Testing Documentation (Continued) Pilot testing can help you in the following areas: –Instructions –Terminology –Timing 4.Make The Test Objective Objectivity means you try to set up the test in such a way that you don’t prejudice the outcome too much.

12. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 612 Guidelines for Testing Documentation (Continued) 4.Make The Test Objective (Continued): A bias can creep 8into your test from a number of areas: –Work Pressure: Caused from shortening, simplifying, expediting in order to conform to everyone’s schedule and production values. –Pro-forms testing: You use the same forms you’ve always used and don’t pay attention to the “results” because you know that nobody else will pay attention to them either. –Caring too much: You want your new idea to be successful, and you push it too much. Objectivity results from a right attitude on your part toward testing.

13. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 613 Determining Task Difficulty To determine the difficulty of each task, you should test a sample population using the following categories of frequency: –Perform every time the software is used. –Perform sometimes, but not every time. –Perform seldom, or under special circumstances. –Perform never

14. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 614 Test Point Analysis: Reference Identify what document design strategies you want to test by looking at the points in your documentation set where you perceive the following: Identify which of the areas you should test for document design strategies. Each area should get an assessment (1-5) as to its importance to your project. Use the descriptions of each of the features of the text and evaluate it against at least three of your document goals.

15. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 615 Read and Locate Test Search pattern: (Put "1" for first method used, "2" for second, and so on.) ___Used the Index ___Used the Table of Contents ___Used the List of Figures ___Used the List of Tables ___Read subjects in headers and footers ___Leafed through looking at headings ___Used another method (specify)_____________________

16. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 616 Read and Locate Test Sheet Instructions Please use this book to answer the questions below, and please follow these steps: 1.Read the question and write down the time (h/m/sec) in the space provided. 2.Find the answer. As soon as you have found the answer, write down the time. 3.Write down the answer to the question.

17. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 617 Read and Locate Test Sheet 4.Write down the section number (or figure number or table number). 5.List the order in which you used the index, table of contents, or other, to help you find the information. 6.Write down any comments you have, such as extra index entries.

18. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 618 Read and Locate Test Sheet (Continued) Search Pattern _______ Index _______ Table of Contents _______ Read headers and footers _______ Leaf through looking at headings _______ Other (specify) __________________________ Comments:

19. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 619 Test Point Analysis: Procedures Use this form to help you analyze your procedures list to determine which procedures to test. List the tasks in the first column, and then rate each task with a 1-5 with 1 meaning doesn't meet the criteria, and 5 meaning really meets the criteria.

20. Conducting Usability Tests, Chp. 620 Test Point Analysis: Procedures (Continued) Analyze your procedures’ list. Task name –Risk of data loss –High record of support needs –Abstractness technicality –One of a kind –Complexity