I have learned through experience of the invaluable insight that usability testing can bring to a web project.
I've found that the more members of a project team that can get early exposure to a user testing phase the quicker they can find common ground from which to move forward as a unified force.
Whilst user testing is often thought of as integral part of an iterative design process, it can also be used very effectively as an initial usability assessment of an existing site in order to identify key usability issues.
User testing can be carried out in a variety of locations with a recent trend being to try to conduct the testing remotely so that the testing participants is in their natural environment.
My user testing experience can be summarised as follows:
- User testing in purpose built testing labs
- Organisation and management of onsite usability testing including the recruitment of test participants and recording tests to video.
- Creation of the moderators' guide
- Selection and refinement of user tasks to be tested
- Creation of clickable prototypes (using Axure or Adobe Fireworks) representing key parts (or all) of a newly designed website or application to facilitate user testing.
- Usability test moderation
- Observation and note taking of user testing of sessions
- Production of design improvement documentation to address the key issues identified during testing sessions
- Leading post-test debrief meetings
If you'd like to know more about my user testing skills and experience please do get in touch.
