Usability Testing
Before you launch your new user-friendly site, test it with real users for usability.
What's a usability test?
A usability test takes just 10-15 minutes.
- Introduction and permission to videotape: The tester reads a short script explaining that a usability test is a test of the website, not the subject. It also states that the subject will be videotaped and that the video will be seen only by people working on the site. The subject signs a permission slip for the video taping.
- Demographic questions record the subject's relationship to NIU (parent, faculty, current student, prospective student, etc.) and how much they use the Internet.
- How would you find this? The subject is asked to find 5 things on the website. The tester records how the subject does the task while the video camera records the face and software running in the background records mouse clicks.
What you need to do
- Find a few subjects from each of your customer groups.
- Write a usability test consisting of about 5 tasks - perhaps the top 3 things you think your visitors are looking for, and then a couple of things you think might be difficult to find.
- Run your site through the usability test.
What we do for you
- Equipment - We provide a laptop with a video camera and a software application to record mouse clicks.
- Location - You can conduct tests at the ITS Helpdesk (Swen Parson 120) or we can bring the setup to your office. We can also go out onto campus - this can be helpful when you're testing faculty and staff. They're more likely to do a usability test when the test comes to them.
- Test Results - We give you a CD that contains a folder for each subject: the video, the mouse clicks, the demographic information and the test results written by the tester.
