Introduction to Usability Testing: The DIY Approach - GA, London January 13th, 2013

‣Evgenia (Jenny) Grinblo ‣UX Specialist, Future Workshops

USABILITY TESTING: THE DIY APPROACH

!1

AGENDA !2

BY THE END OF THIS SESSION, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO...‣ Plan a usability test ‣ Facilitate a test and identify usability problems ‣ Decide which usability problems to tackle first

INTRODUCTION

‣ Trained in ethnographic research ‣ Work with 12 devs, multiple projects ‣ Introduced usability testing inside our process

EVGENIA (JENNY) GRINBLO UX SPECIALIST, FUTURE WORKSHOPS

!3

INTRODUCTION !4

http://bit.ly/1f9Pnzt

OUR STORY: BRIDGING THE GAP !

!

!CLIENTS USERS

!!Intuitive!!Simple

!Designed for

everyone

!Unique

!Easy to use

INTRODUCTION

AND YOU..?

!5

‣ Name ‣ Company / role ‣ What do you want to get out of this workshop?

AGENDA !6

!How to run a £3000 fool-proof test

✓ The easiest, quickest, cheapest methods ✓ Tips on facilitating, note-taking, & prioritising ✓ How to run a usability test tomorrow ✓ Resources & tools to keep learning !!

WHAT WE’LL COVER

AGENDA !7

HOUSEKEEPING‣ You don’t need laptops yet ‣ These slides will be on SlideShare.net/JennyEvgenia ‣ Questions always welcome ‣ Short break after this part ‣ If you need to leave early, please tell me now


0 / USABILITY TESTING: WHAT & WHY 1 / PREPARING A TEST PLAN

2 / RUNNING A USABILITY TEST

3 / TURNING DATA INTO ACTIONS

!8

USABILITY TESTING: WHAT & WHY

USER EXPERIENCE BUILDING BLOCKS

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7855449@N02/2779597129 Diagram by David Armano

http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2007-02-02/




USABILITY IS A MAJOR BUILDING BLOCK OF A GOOD EXPERIENCE




1. INTUITIVE (n.) Using what one feels to be true without conscious reasoning

www.youtube.com


USABILITY TESTING: WHAT & WHY !12

NEEDING INSTRUCTIONS MEANS SOMETHING COULD BE MORE SIMPLE.


2. EASY TO USE Doesn’t make people feel stupid or inferior to the tool they are using. Helps them feel in control.

www.errorwallofshame.tumblr.com



3. ACCESSIBLE People of different abilities can use it


YOU CAN’T DIFFERENTIATE IF THE EXPERIENCE IS BROKEN.


67.45% = AVERAGE E-COMMERCE CART ABANDONMENT RATE

http://baymard.com/lists/cart-abandonment-rate

July 28, 2013




http://www.shopify.com/blog/8484093-why-online-retailers-are-losing-67-45-of-sales-and-what-to-do-about-it



Analytics (Impersonal)

Survey (Tricky)

Usability test (Immediate, easy)

DIFFERENT WAYS TO FIND PROBLEMS


USABILITY TESTING BENEFITS

http://bit.ly/1f9Pnzt

‣ Behavioral vs. Self-reported

‣ Opportunity to ask “why?”

‣ Motivates teammates

‣ Removes “designer bias”

‣ Can be done on prototypes

‣ Can be cheap & quick


WHAT HAPPENS IN A USABILITY TEST?Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QckIzHC99Xc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QckIzHC99Xc


USABILITY TESTING SETUP

‣ Who is there

‣ Equipment and setup

‣ Space

‣ Context


MOST IMPORTANT: TEST YOUR IDEAS REGULARLY WITH REAL PEOPLE.


Recruit Participants

Prepare a test plan Test Analyse +

iterate

USABILITY TESTING: STEPS


HOW TO CHOOSE PARTICIPANTS

‣ Anyone who hasn’t seen the app

‣ Similar demographics to real users (whenever possible)


CRITERIA TO CONSIDER

‣ Demographics: age, gender, tech ability

‣ Behaviour: new/ experienced users, habits, loyalty

‣ Mindset: angry customers, feel strongly about social media, insecure about technology, philosophy about saving


‣ Friends, family, colleagues

‣ Social media followers

‣ Existing customers

‣ Streets and coffee shops

‣ Recruitment agencies (£££)

WHERE DO WE FIND PARTICIPANTS?

USABILITY TESTING: WHAT & WHY !28WHEN DO WE TEST? AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE

Idea stage Definition stageExploring FocusingMany ideasHigh-level“Dream world”

Best ideasRefinedRealistic


DO USABILITY TESTING REGULARLY, WITH YOUR WHOLE TEAM


The number of team members exposed to users trumps the number of users you test with

http://www.uie.com/articles/user_exposure_hours/



SOMETIMES IT’S HARD TO ACCEPT YOUR PRODUCT NEEDS HELP

https://twitter.com/adrianhungate/status/391954628184915970


USABILITY TESTING: WHAT & WHY !32FACE-TO-FACE “MAGIC:” WHEN YOU SEE SOMEONE IN PAIN, YOU WANT TO HELP THEM

http://www.flickr.com/photos/martin_mcdonald/371884786/



— DANIEL Lead Developer, Future Workshops

“!

I was completely surprised at how cumbersome the users experience with the app was. Basic tasks were which was so obvious to me were suddenly a huge barrier.


— DANIEL Lead Developer, Future Workshops

“!

... What the usability testing did for me was really prove how much tech people can lose sight of who they are building for. It about going back to basics in some cases.


IN SUMMARY: USABILITY TESTING BENEFITS

1. Highlights where our product isn’t intuitive / easy to use

2. Puts team in the shoes of users

3. Helps sell product improvements to stakeholders/ clients

4. Helps prioritise feature backlog

!

USABILITY TESTING: THE DIY APPROACH !36

5 MINUTE BREAK


0 / USABILITY TESTING: WHAT & WHY

1 / PREPARING A TEST PLAN 2 / RUNNING A USABILITY TEST


!37

PREPARING A TEST PLAN !38

To run a test, you need

‣ Some representation of your product

‣ Preferably interactive

‣ Doesn’t have to be finished

‣ Or: competitor product!

‣ Idea of what you want to test


What do we test?

‣ General impressions

‣ Ease of use of critical features

‣ Features we’re not sure about (e.g., is the help clear?)

‣ Response to design, iconography

Tip: start from high-level when testing prototypes, test the details with later builds


Wide (Generative)

Narrow (Validating)

WHY will people use this product?

SET THE SCOPE

HOW do these people use this product?


Wide (Generative)

Narrow (Validating)

SET THE SCOPE

Explore How is the value proposition of this tool fit in with people’s lives

Validate How do people perform specific task with this tool?

Confirm/iterate Observing what people do with this tool, in their own environment


Wide (Generative)

Narrow (Validating)

SET THE SCOPE




First...


FIRST IMPRESSIONS: THE 5 SECOND TEST

Ready?


• What is the purpose of the website/app?

• Name 3 things you can do with this

website

• Who does this site or app belong to?

• How do you feel about this organisation?

5 SECOND TEST QUESTIONS


Wide (Generative)

Narrow (Validating)

SET THE SCOPE




Now...


THE MORE DETAILED THE ARTIFACT, THE MORE DETAILED THE FEEDBACK.


PREPARING A DETAILED USABILITY TEST



iterate

KEY OBJECTIVE(S)

TIME

DELIVERABLE

STEPS

EXERCISE 1: CHOOSE A PRODUCT TO TEST

Choose an app or website to focus on today

10 mins !49

1. As a group, choose a website or app you will usability test

2. It can be your app/website but I must be able to interact with it

3. Avoid sites that require logging in (unless you have a login to share)

A group decision about an app/website


Test plan!

‣ Tasks: What are we testing? Why?

‣ Success Paths: What do we expect to happen?

‣ Scenarios: How can we find out if our expectation is true?

!

!

// SUCCESS PATH

// TEST PLAN FOR: // PART:// GROUP:

TASK

!

!

// SCENARIO

// GENERAL SCENARIO

// INFO (passwords, etc)

!// SUCCESS PATH

TASK

!

!

// SCENARIO


@ T

empl

ate

by @

futu

rew

orks

hops

!

!

// SUCCESS PATH


TASK

!

!

// SCENARIO

// GENERAL SCENARIO


!// SUCCESS PATH

TASK

!

!

// SCENARIO


Set up the motivation

What we are testing

What we want/expect the user to do

Motivation to do the task + instructions

Information necessary for the task

!

!

// SUCCESS PATH


TASK

!

!

// SCENARIO

// GENERAL SCENARIO

// INFORMATION

!// SUCCESS PATH

TASK

!

!

// SCENARIO

// INFORMATION

You need to cook a new recipe for the company potluck. You found a recipe online and now you need to buy the ingredients and cook it.

You need to remember what to buy. Use the app to make a shopping list you can take to the supermarket.

Print-out of a recipe from the internet

Create a text note and make a bulleted list of ingredients

E-mail a note to a friend using swipe to share

Text note Share a note via e-mail

You really liked the new recipe and you think your friend Jenny will like it too.

Send the recipe to Jenny from within the app.

Jenny’s email: [email protected]

Don’t show this to the participant!

mailto:[email protected]


Scenario Structure !

‣ Your character

‣ Your motivation

‣ What you need to do

‣ Any details like login information, etc

!

// SCENARIO


Scenario Tips

‣ Avoid using terminology from the interface (e.g., search, tag, filter)

‣ Scenarios can have steps (e.g., find a recipe and add it to your collection)

‣ Escalate the difficulty as the test progresses

Tip: make the scenario specific enough so someone can relate to it, but not specific enough to exclude people

KEY OBJECTIVE(S)

TIME

DELIVERABLE

STEPS

EXERCISE 2: CREATE A TEST PLAN

Learn to write a non-biased test that covers the features you need tested

20 mins !56

1. Using the Test Plan Worksheet, define 3 key tasks that must be intuitive and easy to use in the application

2. Identify the success paths for each task (what we expect users to do)

3. Write specific tasks, then a general scenario

4. Run through the complete test once

Filled out test plan worksheet, ready to be used in a test with a participant



1 / PREPARING A TEST PLAN

2 / RUNNING A USABILITY TEST 3 / TURNING DATA INTO ACTIONS

!57

RUNNING A USABILITY TEST !58



iterate

USABILITY TEST STEPS


As a facilitator, your jobs are:

‣ “Tour guide”

‣ “Therapist”

‣ Burst the thought bubbles

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=9Q3OQVyX_-QC

From: Rocket Surgery Made Easy by Steve Krug


‣ Practice staying quiet

‣ Remind the participant to speak out loud

‣ Don’t give anything away

‣ Be reassuring, say thank you

‣ If they get stuck, wait (a little)

Facilitating


Facilitator Cheat-SheetIf they forget to think aloud

‣ "What are you thinking right now?"

‣ "What are you finding confusing on this screen?"

‣ "I know it's an unusual thing to do but could I please ask you to keep thinking out loud and talk as you go along? It really helps me understand your experience better."


Facilitator Cheat-Sheet

If they get upset

‣ "This is very helpful for us, we are uncovering a lot of problems in the design that will help us make the app better.”

‣ You’re struggling with the same areas that other participants found confusing - you’re totally normal



If they have a question

‣ "Please continue in the way that makes sense to you. We will learn a lot from seeing how you proceed with this without any help."



The golden go-to

‣ "We expected to uncover problems in the design. You are not doing anything wrong - we knew there would be issues and you are helping us find them."


PEOPLE WILL FEEL STUPID. MAKE THEM FEEL AT EASE.


Facilitator checklistIntroduce yourself and anyone else present

Thank the participant for coming

Explain why they’re here & what will happen

“We are not testing you”

Introduce thinking aloud

Explain questions, breaks, and ask if they have any questions

Optional: consent forms, recording, interview


Ways to record our findings

From easy to complicated

‣ Pair up with a note-taker

‣ DIY recording equipment

‣ Professional recording equipment

‣ Live-stream to a group of stakeholders


NOTE-TAKING BRINGS DOWN 2 BARRIERS TO TESTING: TIME & EQUIPMENT

(But I’ll give you some tips on recording later!)


Note-taking tips

Only record what’s important

‣ If someone is really happy

‣ If someone is really frustrated

‣ If someone fails a task

‣ Write down short quotations


Notes Example • Taps Map on merchant profile but this opens the system

Maps app — confused !• Goes to Search and types “coffee shops” but there are no

results — “why can’t I see what’s around me?”

!• "If I had to think about something around me, I’d start

the merchant profile and expect to see other things around me"

!• The icons aren’t telling me that Cafe Nero is a coffee shop

!!


What to bring to the testPrinted scenarios & tasks for participant

Printed scenarios & tasks with success paths for facilitator

Facilitator script

Consent form (if needed)

Pen + paper / recording tools

Test setup checklist

Optional: List of pre-test and debrief questions

Tip: Prepare a printed copy of the scenarios & steps for the participant, they will use it


Setting up the testReset the mobile app / site to the default settings

Clear the test area of any open documents, written notes, etc.

Prepare participant forms: scenarios, intro script, consent form

Optional: Verify the recording equipment

Optional: Make sure the brightness on the screen is reduced

KEY OBJECTIVE(S)

TIME

DELIVERABLE

STEPS

EXERCISE 3: USABILITY TEST

1. Gain experience facilitating

2. Collect notes containing usability problems

3. Identify weaknesses in your test plan

40 mins !73

1. Every round, swap one member of your group in exchange for a member from another group

2. The ‘foreign’ member is the participant

3. Start running through the test you’ve planned

4. Everyone in the group should try to be a facilitator at least once

A collection of notes detailing usability problems found in the product

DISCUSSION TIMEEXERCISE 3: USABILITY TEST !74

USABILITY TESTING: THE DIY APPROACH !75

5 MINUTE BREAK



1 / PREPARING A TEST PLAN

2 / RUNNING A USABILITY TEST


!76

TURNING DATA INTO ACTIONS!77



iterate

USABILITY TEST STEPS


What to do with all the data?

‣ Identify changes with the biggest impact & smallest effort as a team

‣ Find the “low-hanging fruit”

‣ What has impact on the bottom line?

‣ Put everything else in the ice-box


Identifying key findings

High-priority: people fail, or abandon the task

Medium: people succeed but are frustrated and unhappy

Low: people would enjoy the app more if...

Tip: You can’t fix everything. Pair usability priority with business needs and product roadmap to find the fixes with the biggest impact.


Presenting findings - an example


Presenting findings

Interface screenshot here

Task

What we expected to happen

What really happened

What we can fix right now

KEY OBJECTIVE(S)

TIME

DELIVERABLE

STEPS

EXERCISE 4: IDENTIFYING KEY FINDINGS

1. Consider how to prioritise usability problems

2. Discuss and agree on priorities as a team

15 mins !82

1. Individually, write down 2 high-level and 2 medium-level usability problems on post-its

2. As a group, arrange your post-its from high to low priority.

3. Jot down a quick summary of key findings to present to the larger group

A group decision about an app/website

DISCUSSION TIMEEXERCISE 4: IDENTIFYING KEY FINDINGS !83

SUMMARY & CONCLUSION !84

Summary‣ Match your test artifact to your scope

‣ Plan realistic scenarios that don’t give away the test purpose

‣ Be encouraging and open to feedback

‣ Record only what’s needed

‣ Prioritise findings for maximum impact


DIVE IN MORE DEEPLY

Remote Research Nate Bolt & Tony Tulathimutte !

DIY Usability Testing

Steve Krug

Lean UX Jeff Gothelf

See “Resources and Further Reading” printout for more


REMEMBER THIS?





“

http://www.humanfactors.com/ROIposter.asp

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex. It takes courage, and a touch of genius, to move in the opposite direction.

– Albert Einstein

A FINAL THOUGHT

http://shop.sportsmansguide.com/


Thank you! [email protected] www.futureworkshops.com Twitter: @grinblo / @futureworkshops !Questions + comments welcome!

!

GET IN TOUCH

mailto:[email protected]

Introduction to Usability Testing: The DIY Approach - GA, London January 13th, 2013

Self Improvement

Transcript of Introduction to Usability Testing: The DIY Approach - GA, London January 13th, 2013