[WEB4LIB] website usability testing administration questions

[Shirl Kennedy]

This isn't really my area of expertise, but I just read an excellent article
about usability testing in the February 2001 issue of Web Techniques and --
mirabile dictu -- I just checked and it's actually online:

Measuring User Experience
Pamela and Steve Ellis provide an outline of common usability testing
methods and when to implement them.
http://www.webtechniques.com/archives/2001/02/ellis/

Shirl Kennedy
Web Guide Manager
eCompany Now
http://www.ecompany.com


> -----Original Message-----
> From: web4lib at webjunction.org
> [mailto:web4lib at webjunction.org]On Behalf Of Laura Hudson
> Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2001 11:07 AM
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: [WEB4LIB] website usability testing administration questions
>
>
> Dear Colleagues,
>
> We're beginning some website usability testing (card sorting
> tests and then
> timing of question answering) here at the San Diego State University
> library in order to determine how to best arrange our website.
> While I've
> been managing large websites for years, I haven't done this before, so I
> have of course read a bunch on the topic.  However, in our webteam
> meetings, questions such as the below come up and I don't have
> the answers:
>
> * When doing card sorting tests, how many content objects can we
> expect our
> subjects to be able to handle and what level of granularity is
> appropriate?
>
> * Are subjects, when card sorting, coming up with totally bizarre
> organizations, or are they generally what you'd expect, or somewhere in
> between?  Does anybody have examples of how they've arranged something
> differently due to card sorting tests?
>
> * Because library websites are diverse-audience sites, do you always test
> with all the potential groups of people (e.g. undergraduate students,
> graduate students, faculty, staff, librarians), or do you pick your main
> audience and run with that?
>
> * How are you coping when you don't have a budget (can't pay subjects or
> would have to hold a bake sale to do so) and are tightly staffed (don't
> have a lot of time or staff support for this)?  Or are most of you
> finagling budgets and finding time to slough off some of your other
> committees, meetings, and projects for the duration?
>
> * When conducting the actual usability tests, how many wire models do you
> construct, or do you start with one, improve, and then test again
> until you
> are happy with the results?
>
> * Do you videotape usability tests? If so, how do you analyze the
> tapes?  Did you find doing so useful?  Necessary?  Or do you
> think that the
> quantitative data (e.g. how long does it take them to answer the
> question)
> is more important?
>
> I know that a lot of you are getting into this fascinating area of
> research.  If any of you have a) answers to any or all of these questions
> b) war stories c) favorite resources and/or d) citations to your own web
> redesign process websites or articles, I would be terribly grateful.  I
> would also be delighted to compile answers for the list.
>
> Thank you in advance!
>
> Laura Hudson
> Electronic Systems and Services Librarian
> San Diego State University
> lhudson at mail.sdsu.edu
> phone: 619-594-3521
> fax:  619-594-8982
>
>