Lecture 5 Usability Evaluation Flashcards
(15 cards)
What is the purpose of usability evaluation?
A process to gather information about a system’s usability to improve or assess it. It ensures the system does the job effectively for users.
What are the three main goals of usability evaluation?
Assess System Functionality – Does it match user tasks?
Assess Interface Impact on User – Is it intuitive and easy to learn?
Identify Problems – What issues does the system have?
What are key types of technical evaluation in usability?
Formal Technical Reviews – Group review by non-developers
White-box Testing – Code-level, internal logic
Black-box Testing – Functional, user-level focus
Software Testing Strategies – Unit, Integration, Validation, System (e.g., security)
What is usability testing?
A systematic method of evaluating a system’s design and how users interact with it, aimed at improving user experience and efficiency.
Why conduct usability evaluations?
Checks if design works in real-world scenarios (emergencies, first-time use, etc.)
Measures error prevention, user satisfaction, and performance
Ensures user adoption and design success
What should be considered when selecting an evaluation approach?
User characteristics
User activities
Study environment
Nature of the system/artifact
What is the role of a usability evaluator?
A “critical friend” who gives constructive feedback to improve the design without being overly critical.
What is the Trunk Test in usability?
A test to evaluate if users can answer basic questions when “dropped” into a website:
Where am I? What is this site? What can I do next?
What are common pitfalls in usability testing?
Assuming “common sense” is enough
Designing based on personal experience
Testing too late in the process
Not using representative users
What does the ISO 13407 framework guide?
It outlines usability testing at various stages of development, encouraging early and continuous testing using both analytical and empirical methods.
What is the difference between analytical and empirical usability testing?
Analytical: Based on expert reviews, no real users (e.g., Heuristic Evaluation, Cognitive Walkthroughs)
Empirical: Based on observation of real users interacting with the system
What are key expert evaluation methods?
Heuristic Evaluation – Based on usability principles
Cognitive Walkthroughs – Experts simulate users to detect learnability issues
What are key principles of Heuristic Evaluation?
Visibility of System Status
Match with the Real World
User Control and Freedom
What are the limitations of expert usability reviews?
May lack ecological validity
Can miss real user issues
Best when combined with empirical testing
What are common observational usability methods?
Think-aloud protocol
Video logging
Real-time user observation
Challenges include privacy concerns and data complexity.
