Findings from Website #1:
- Step 1: Define Testing Objectives
- According to the website it states how it's important to clearly define ahead of time. What it is you want to test and what information you are expecting to get from the user testing. Some examples would be did users experience any errors. Then can they be avoided or not. Another would be how long did it take for the user to take? This is to figure out if the task took to long for the user to complete. For instance if you wanted the user to be able to find an item on the website easily. You would be able to see if this was easily accomplished or not by a user by tracking the amount of time it took. If it took to long you would be able to identify why it took so long and figure out how to simplify the process for users or improve the websites flow.
- Step 2: Choosing a User Testing Method
- The article goes over a few options one could use for a User testing method. The ones I found to be most beneficial were the remote user testing. Since this is an option that is a cost effective technigque for allot of companies. I also liked this one since the user would be conducting the testing in there normal environment. Which for me I find this would offer more accurate information from the user. Since most users would be accessing the website from there home. Now keep in mind this still can work with users that are meant to use the software or website at a work setting. Since we can still have users doing the testing from there work stations to do the testing. The other main one I liked was the Eye movement tracking option. Since this method is more geared towards other users that might have to use screen readers to navigate the website. Which is important just as much today to ensure that your website of software would be accessible to all different types of users. Essentially this method employs eye-tracking software to trace were users are looking when interacting with your product. This method I found can be useful for all users both ones that require screen readers and ones that don't since it can help you understand how a typcial user's attention is focused based on the layout of your website.
- Step 3: Find Representative Users
- This is where you decide on the age, gender, education background , the profession, and income of the other users you want to do the testing. To name a few. This I found to be important since you want to make sure your getting feedback from users who you believe are your main target audience. For instance if your website is geared towards feminine hygeing products it wouldn't be appropriate to have male users involved in the testing. Or atleast not the majority of them. Also in this example you would taget the age for your users in the test to that of your target audience.
- Step 4: Create Task Scenarios
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This step I found to be a very simple step but yet so very important for the user testing. In terms of getting the most accurate feedbcak. Since in this step you come up with how you want to ask the user to complete the tasks you want to be tested. While this seems simple enough. You want to make sure you dont direct the user like a guid on how to complete the task with step by step directions. Since if you do it this way you won't know if the user will be able to accomplish this task without step by step directions on there own. Which ofcourse would be the ideal way to test this. So instead of telling the user how to complete the task in this step. It's more beneficial to tell them what task you want them to complete then how. For instance you wold tell the user to locate information on the site. Instead of step by step directions on how to find that information on the website. This way you can see what the true user experience would be like.
- Step 5: Replicate the Testing Environment.
- This is another example of a step that may seem either very simple or not important. Yet again this is a very important step. Since in this step you want to make sure that you recreate the same type of testing experience and environment as previous ones. For example you should not be changing the tasks you want the user to complete. Doing this changes the information you would receive and would not be a good way to gather the data your looking for. You should also avoid changing how you ask the user to complete the tasks. Since this can also change the results.
- Step 6: Analyze the findings
- As the article explains, this is where you would gather the data you collected and your findings. Then you would get together with your design and development teams to go over the data. With the intent to determine the key issues you discovered. If any of the outcomes you thought would happen did. As well as identifying the key issues and finding the appropriate solutiions and prioritizing the ones you need to accomplish based on the importance of the issue.
Findings From Website #2:
The website explains nicely the difference between User Testing and Usability Testing. It explains how User Testing is the emotions, responses and behaviors of a customer regarding your products from the moment they start using your site to the moment the user stops using your website. Where Usability testing is the way a user can use the website to accomplish a specific goal. The biggest difference it explains between the two is that Usability Testing does not cover the entire experience.