Frederic
Fuchs, France
Giles
Colborne, Euro RSCG Circle,
United Kingdom
http://www.designforlucy.com
Workshop: [A20]
- Usability testing for project managers
Do you really know whether your software
or web site is easy to use? What users do in front of their computer
screens is often different to what the designers expect, and different
again to what the users say when asked in questionnaires or interviews.
The only proven way to ensure your software
or web site is easy to use, is to test it with real users.
This workshop will introduce you to the
basics of usability testing. It will show you how testing can
help you assess the usability of your web site or application,
and eventually give you insights about how you can design a better
interface.
In this workshop, you will learn:
- What is a usability test? We'll outline
the different types of testing on offer and their pros and cons.
- How can usability testing improve your
project? We'll explain its benefits and limitations.
- Myths and misconceptions: how to overcome
common objections to usability testing.
- The politics of usability. Usability tests
threaten traditional project roles and this can lead to tension.
We'll explain how to keep your project team happy.
- When in the software development life-cycle
should you test in order to make the most of your limited budget?
- How to choose a usability expert to run
your test. How much does a usability test cost? How much time
does it take?
- How to plan a test to suit your needs.
How can you define goals to a series of tests? What the users
will be asked to perform? How can you recruit users, on which
criteria? How many of them do you need?
Interactive sessions will include:
- A chance to watch and take part in a usability
test
- Try to add user testing to a traditional
project plan - and still deliver on time
- A chance to re-design an interface and
see if it works
This workshop will focus on web sites, but
most of the insights will be valid for other media or applications.
ichim03 @ archimuse.com
