Module 2 - Usability Testing

Summative testing

Usability testing that takes place when there is more formal prototype ready, when high-level design choices have already been made, is known as a summative test

Validation test.

The new interace is compared to a set of benchmarks for other interfaces. The goal is to ensure that for instance, 90% of users can complete each task within 1 minute; is far les common than formative or summative

Summative testing.

The goal is to evaluate the effectiveness of specific design choices. These mostly functional prototypes are also known as high-fidelity prototypes

Formative testing..

This type of usability testing is often more informal, with more communication between test moderators and participants

Validation test

a usability test sometimes takes place right before an interface is released to the general use population

Expert based tests

are essentially structured inspections by interface experts

Formative testing.

includes wireframes or paper prototypes, also known as low fidelity prototypes

Usability Testing

involves representative users attempting representative tasks in representative environments, early prototypes or working versions of computer interfaces

automated usability test

is a software application that inspects a series of interfaces to assess the level of usability.

User satisfaction

is often measured by a standardized, validated survey tool.

Task list

is used so that when users go throgh an interface, they are goal-directed. Tasks needs to be clear and ambiguous and not need further, additional explanation

User-based testing

is what most people mean when they refer to usability testing. Mostly, it means a group of representative users attempting a set of representative tasks

Time performance

means how long each task took to successfully completed (and the related metrics of how long people spent on incorrect tasks before they gave up).

Task performance

or correctness; means how many tasks were correctly completed (and the related metrics of how many tasks were attempted but not successfully completed

Formative testing

tends to be explanatory and to test early design concepts

Paper prototypes

testing prototypes that have only been built on paper

Wizard of Oz technique

testing prototypes that look complete but have a human behind the scenes responding

user research

usability can be be considered a close cousin of traditional research methods