(Usability testing)

[TSmith2 at lcc.edu]

Hi Thomas,

LCC Library is reaching the end of a 1.5 year process of redesigning our
existing library website based on user-centered-design (UCD).  We have a
redesign project website online which houses all of our documents used for
usability testing, results, meeting notes, prototypes, sketches etc. This
website is essentially a public display of what we knew about UCD when we
started & what we are learning as we go along.  Although our final design
will be somewhat constrained due to a newly required college-wide template,
the process materials are still valid. The only area still in development
on this site is the backlog of website usability research done during my
master's & during the design process - this will be uploaded in the next
couple months & also made into a paper.  Anyway, feel free to browse our
UCD project website at http://www.lansing.cc.mi.us/library/WITsite/
(And watch for our new website this summer!)

By the way, I recommend doing videotaped sessions of direct observations -
that way you get to observe nuances first-hand & also have a record of the
tests, should anyone ask you in the future about design decisions based on
those tests!  Also, if you train the videocamera on the computer screen
rather than your volunteer tester, you get  a better record of mouse
movements, with voice comments still recorderd - and volunteers are usually
happier that the camera's not really on them.
(Our usability testing videos are not on our project website, but I hope to
have sample clips up sometime before summer...)

Cheers - Trixi
..............................................
Trixi B Smith, Web Librarian
Room 201Q, LCC Library
Technology & Learning Center (TLC)
Lansing Community College
Lansing, MI  48901-7210
Mail Code: 1510
Office Phone: 517.483.1650
Email Address: tsmith2 at lcc.edu

Date: Fri, 22 Mar 2002 08:41:43 -0500
From: "VanderHart, Robert" <Robert.VanderHart at umassmed.edu>
To: "'web4lib at webjunction.org'" <web4lib at webjunction.org>
Cc: "'TMccoy at city.newport-beach.ca.us'" <TMccoy at city.newport-beach.ca.us>
Subject: Re: (Usability testing)
Message-ID:
<FC9B7D630C18D411A6C800508BCFDEC10AEB1350 at edunivexch02.umassmed.edu>

Thomas,
I assume you will be performing direct observations during your tests (as
opposed to videotaping users)?  Then it's handy to have an observer form
made up with lots of space to record everything the users says and does.
Every comment, every mouse click may have significance.  I'll send you (in
a
separate email) a sample form that we've used in past usability studies.

Robert J. Vander Hart
Electronic Resources Librarian
The Lamar Soutter Library
University of Massachusetts Medical School
55 Lake Avenue N
Worcester  MA  01655

Voice: (508) 856-3290
Fax: (508) 856-5899
Email: Robert.VanderHart at umassmed.edu
Web: http://library.umassmed.edu

_________________________________________________________________________
Your message:

Topic No. 7

Date: Thu, 21 Mar 2002 13:18:22 -0800
From: "McCoy, Thomas" <TMccoy at city.newport-beach.ca.us>
To: "'web4lib at webjunction.org'" <web4lib at webjunction.org>
Subject: (Usability testing)
Message-ID:
<69DB2122006FD511AE44009027406B242D59BE at exchange_lib.city.newport-beach.ca.u
s>

This library will be conducting Usability tests on our Web site.  I know
most of the basics on how to conduct these tests, but I call upon the
wisdom
of the WEB4LIB... to see if anyone has tips or tricks that they've
discovered in conducting their own tests.  Thanks in advance for your
advice!

Sincerely,
Thomas McCoy
http://www.city.newport-beach.ca.us/nbpl