Barnum Usability Testing Essentials

Ready, Set...Test!
1. Auflage 2010
ISBN: 978-0-12-378553-4
Verlag: Elsevier Science & Techn.
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 408 Seiten

Usability Testing Essentials provides readers with the tools and techniques needed to begin usability testing or to advance their knowledge in this area. The book begins by presenting the essentials of usability testing, which include focusing on the user and not the product; knowing when to conduct small or large studies; and thinking of usability as hill climbing. It then reviews testing options and places usability testing into the context of a user-centered design (UCD). It goes on to discuss the planning, preparation, and implementation of a usability test. The remaining chapters cover the analysis and reporting of usability test findings, and the unique aspects of international usability testing. This book will be useful to anyone else involved in the development or support of any type of product, such as software or web developers, engineers, interaction designers, information architects, technical communicators, visual or graphic designers, trainers, user-assistance specialists, and instructional technologists. - Provides a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to usability testing, a crucial part of every product's development - The fully updated four-color edition now features important usability issues such as international testing, persona creation, remote testing, and accessibility - Follow-up to Usability Testing and Research (9780205315192, Longman, 2001), winner of the highest-level award from the Society for Technical Communication

Carol M. Barnum, PhD, became a usability advocate in the early 1990s. It happened when she heard the word 'usability at a Society for Technical Communication conference. Technical communicators have always seen themselves as the user's advocate, but here was an emerging discipline that championed the cause of the user!It was love at first sight.In 1993, Carol attended the second Usability Professionals Association Conference, where she was thrilled to mix and mingle with several hundred usability folks on Microsoft's corporate campus. Those two conferences sparked a desire to combine her love of teaching students how to be clear communicators with a new-found passion for helping companies understand how to promote good communication between their product and their users.In 1994, Carol opened her first usability lab in a windowless basement location at Kennesaw State University (formerly Southern Polytechnic State University). Throughout her teaching career, she built several more labs, developed a course in usability testing, developed a graduate program in Information Design and Communication, and worked with numerous clients to help them unlock the users' experience with software, hardware, documentation and training products, mobile devices, web applications, websites, apps, and more.Not one to retire, she left her teaching career in 2013 at the rank of Professor Emeritus to become a fulltime UX consultant, trainer, and speaker. She has traveled the world speaking at conferences and training UX practitioners and students. Recognition for her speaking includes the Presentation Prize at the first European Usability Professionals Association Conference and top ratings at UXPA, STC, and IEEE's Professional Communication conferences.Carol is the author of five other books and more than 50 articles and book chapters covering a variety of topics, including the state of UX research, UX reporting styles, the impact of Agile on usability testing, the 'Magic Number 5" and whether it is enough for web testing, using Microsoft's product reaction cards for insights into the desirability factor in user experience, storytelling for user experience, and issues affecting international/intercultural communication and design.Carol's work has brought recognition from the Society for Technical Communication, including the designation of Fellow, the Rainey Award for Research, and the Gould Award for Excellence in Teaching Technical Communication. She also received the Blicq Award for Distinctionin Technical Communication Education from the IEEE Professional Communication Society.Above all else, Carol continues to love helping others improve user experience in all aspects of their life.To keep up with Carol's activities or contact her with a question, visit her website at https://www.carolbarnum.com"

Autoren/Hrsg.

Barnum, Carol M.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Front cover;1
2;Usability Testing Essentials;6
3;Copyright page;7
4;Contents;10
5;Foreword;16
6;Acknowledgments;18
7;About the author;20
8;Image credits and permissions;22
9;Introduction: Getting started guide;24
9.1;Usability is invisible;24
9.2;U R usability;26
9.3;How to use this book;26
9.4;But wait, there's more on the companion website;30
10;Chapter 1 Establishing the essentials;32
10.1;Focus on the user, not the product;33
10.2;Start with some essential definitions;33
10.3;Know when to conduct small studies;40
10.4;Know how to conduct small studies;41
10.5;Know when to conduct large studies;43
10.6;Think of usability testing as hill climbing;44
11;Chapter 2 Testing here, there, everywhere;48
11.1;Testing in a lab offers some benefits;49
11.2;Formal labs can cost a lot, or not;57
11.3;Informal labs can be set up anywhere at very little cost;60
11.4;Field testing gets you into the world of your users;61
11.5;Remote testing extends your reach to your users;64
11.6;Choosing the right method is a balancing act;71
12;Chapter 3 Big U and little u usability;76
12.1;Introducing big U and little u usability;76
12.2;Using a user-centered design process;77
12.3;Opening your toolkit and seeing what's there;79
12.4;Choosing heuristic evaluation from the toolkit;82
12.5;Conducting a heuristic evaluation;84
12.6;Comparing the results from heuristic evaluation and usability testing;89
12.7;Putting both methods together: The 1–2 punch;91
12.8;Cost-justifying usability;92
12.9;Case Study: Heuristic evaluation of Holiday Inn China website;95
13;Chapter 4 Understanding users and their goals;106
13.1;People are goal-oriented;107
13.2;When people use the web, they bring their experience and expectations;108
13.3;Personas help you get to know your users;117
13.4;Scenarios tell the story of your users' goals;122
14;Chapter 5 Planning for usability testing;128
14.1;Scheduling the planning meeting;129
14.2;Writing the test plan;165
14.3;Case Study: Test plan for Holiday Inn China website usability study;171
15;Chapter 6 Preparing for usability testing;180
15.1;Recruiting participants;181
15.2;Assigning team roles and responsibilities;185
15.3;Developing team checklists;186
15.4;Writing the moderator's script;190
15.5;Preparing or using other forms;193
15.6;Creating questionnaires;196
15.7;Using standard post-test questionnaires;204
15.8;Creating or using qualitative feedback methods;208
15.9;Testing the test;211
15.10;Case Study: Sample test materials for Holiday Inn China website usability study;216
16;Chapter 7 Conducting a usability test;222
16.1;Setting up for testing;223
16.2;Meeting, greeting, briefing;223
16.3;Being an effective and unbiased moderator;230
16.4;Managing variations on the theme of testing;241
16.5;Providing help or customer support during testing;246
16.6;Logging observations;248
16.7;Handling observers and visitors;249
16.8;Working solo;253
16.9;Case Study: Session log from Holiday Inn China website usability study;257
17;Chapter 8 Analyzing the findings;262
17.1;What did we see?;263
17.2;What does it mean?;272
17.3;What should we do about it?;282
17.4;Case Study: Findings analysis from Holiday Inn China website usability study;293
18;Chapter 9 Reporting the findings;300
18.1;Following Aristotle's advice;302
18.2;Preparing the message for the medium;302
18.3;Writing an informal memo report;303
18.4;Writing a formal report;306
18.5;Presenting the findings;312
18.6;Presenting post-task and post-test results;323
18.7;Making recommendations;327
18.8;Presenting an oral report;330
18.9;Advocating for more UCD;335
18.10;Case Study: Report of Holiday Inn China website usability study;338
19;Chapter 10 International usability testing;342
19.1;Learning about your international users;343
19.2;Understanding cultural differences;347
19.3;Applying the work of Hall and Hofstede to understand international users;354
19.4;Planning for international testing;357
19.5;Structuring the test protocol;365
19.6;Selecting the moderator;369
19.7;Anticipating other aspects of international testing;371
19.8;Case Study: Analysis of the UPS Costa Rican website;376
20;References;378
21;Index;390
21.1;A;390
21.2;B;390
21.3;C;391
21.4;D;392
21.5;E;392
21.6;F;393
21.7;G;394
21.8;H;394
21.9;I;394
21.10;J;396
21.11;K;396
21.12;L;396
21.13;M;396
21.14;N;397
21.15;O;397
21.16;P;398
21.17;Q;399
21.18;R;400
21.19;S;401
21.20;T;403
21.21;U;404
21.22;V;405
21.23;W;405
21.24;Y;405