Usability Testing

What is Usability Testing?

According to Usability.gov, usability testing “refers to evaluating a product or service by testing it with representative users.”  These tests can be helpful in many fields from software engineers trying to figure out if their site is user friendly, all the way to car designers attempting to find the most visually appealing design for the bodywork of an automobile.

How does this help?

Using the information gathered by the usability test, the person conducting the test can improve the product that was being tested. For instance if the tester told the software engineer that they got bored while reading, the engineer might add more color of better blocking of material, to give the readers eyes something to look at. It can also be used to add more or less details to an instructional brochure/video, as the author might have misinterpreted his/her audience, and either not put in some steps that he/she thought would be necessary, or put in too many.

What sources did I use for constructing my test?

During the process of researching how to make a great usability test, I stumbled across two websites that looked very helpful in terms of helping develop questions for my test.  These sites are Validately.com and Usertesting.com.  Both of these sites ran me through processes of how to construct my test to receive maximum information gain.

Some of my questions and why I asked them

The first question that I asked on my test was, “Was the script formidable for all audiences? What aspects made this possible or not possible?” By asking this question I opened up the main question that I was wondering, which was “Would this make sense to everyone?” Also by adding the secondary question of what made it possible/impossible, I received ideas on how to change it.

Another question that I asked during my test was, “Could you follow my thought path? Did I cover the information thoroughly enough?” I asked this in order to figure out if I would need to add more details, or if I needed to cover specific parts again.

The final question that I asked my testers was, “Overall what rating would you give this script, in terms of usability? (1-10)” This was to not only give the tester a sense of completion, but also to give myself an overall rating. By asking for an overall rating, it signifies to the tester that the test is done which, unless you thoroughly enjoy taking tests and giving your opinion, is a good thing.

My Usability Test Results

The usability test in which I constructed was going to be used on the final draft script for an instructional video on how to construct a sealed subwoofer box. The audience that I was aiming for includes car audio enthusiasts looking to make a box themselves, and also beginners in the car audio community.

One main objective of my test was to figure out if I covered the material thoroughly enough for the target audience.  This includes not covering to much basic material, like how to run a cordless drill, but still cover enough information on what I am doing.  

My draft covered the same amount of information that I included in my final video, with some filler language added in the video just to reduce the risk of people becoming bored and leaving. The test group that I chose included three other men from my Writing in the Technical Professions Class.  I believe these individuals represent my target audience quite well, as they all have some technical experience, but probably haven't built a subwoofer box.

After receiving the results of my usability test back, I was happy to see the average score that the three men had given me was a 8 (from 1-10). The major feedback involved some of the language that I used, and how it would only be suitable for those who DIY or are used to basic construction. All of them said that it was easy for them to follow, but could be difficult for someone with less experience.

While changing my script, I decided to cut out much of the technical language in exchange for more basic language. I also changed the way that I was going to create the box, as the current format would take up far too much time.