che Usability?

Got my hands on TechSmith’s Morae 2.0 about a month ago and I’m digging it.

Morae Bundle is a usability software kit that enables you to record tests, observe users, and create presentations for your usability testing.

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Facilitating a user test is a balancing act between letting a participant fumble around until frustration sets in and prompting so many times that you help the user easily complete a task.
 
If you want to successfully run a user evaluation, here’s what to do when:

1. The participant asks questions during the task.
If the user is asking how to accomplish the task, reply “I’m not really sure. What do you think you should do?”

If the question is about the task itself — explain the task further.

2. The participant asks if they completed the task correctly.
Reply with “What do you think?” Remind the user that the purpose of the evaluation is not to judge what is right or wrong but rather to learn how participants use the web site.

3. The participant is stuck on a task.
Assure the participant that getting stuck is OK, as it highlights problems with the design.

4. The participant thinks they have done the “wrong” thing.
Assure the user that he or she cannot do anything “wrong” in a user evaluation. Remind the user that the goal is to learn how participants use the web site.

5. The participant completes the task correctly.
Simply ask the participant to move on to the next task. Do not say “Good,” “That’s correct,” or “Excellent,” as you are not testing the user but rather the web site.

6. The participant expresses frustration.
Find out what is causing the frustration — “What is frustrating you at this point in the task?”

7. The participant looks confused.
Again, explore the root of the confusion — “I can see that you are confused. What part of the task is causing the confusion?”

8. The participant does the wrong thing but thinks he or she completed the task correctly.
Simply continue with the test.

9. The participant gives you a design recommendation.
Acknowledge the recommendation and refocus the user’s attention on completing the task.

10. The participant gives up.
Assure the user that it is OK to give up, as he or she is helping find design flaws in the web site’s design.

I just completed a round of user testing today and had some real characters show up for the evaluations.

Being out of your natural work environment while two people observe you is not really an easy position to be in. As a result, people react in different ways.

Here are the three types of user testers I came across this week:

The Designer
Instead of just using the page as they would on their own, “designers” want to redesign the interface. They usually have comments like:

• “It’s ok for me, but people with accessibility issues might have trouble”
• “It would be better if you move the button over here”
• “I think people with colour blindness might have problems with the colours.”

These suggestions might be useful if the participants were actual designers, but most times they’re not, so their suggestions probably will not help you.

To get “designers” back on track, acknowledge their ideas, but remind them that the purpose of the session is to understand how they are able to complete certain tasks.

The Thinker
Even after having the “think out loud” process explained to them, “thinkers” explore the page without so much as a grunt. These people drive your note-taker crazy, as there are limited notes to take.

Get “thinkers” talking by asking probing questions such as:

• “What are you looking for?”
• “What are you thinking?”
• “Can you talk me through what you just did?”

Mr/Ms. Negative
For these people, there is not one good element on the page. Even a web standard is up for ridicule.

Allow negative types to express themselves, but try to direct them to some positive features by asking “Is there anything about the page that you like?”