Moderator: Now I would like to understand how you would switch this device on. Begin at the sound of the buzzer. Let me know when you have completed switching it on.
Usability testing is a combination of observing user behavior and gathering explicit quantifiable data from the users. The above scenario tests users on multiple levels.
a) How long it would take the user to switch on the device.
b) Whether the user is successful in this goal.
c) The number attempts taken and the errors performed by the user.
d) It is testing whether the device can be switched on easily.
Recording time and errors is quantitative analysis of user behavior. The machine (or software on the test device) records the time taken and perhaps the errors performed by the user. Testing how “easy” it was to switch the device on is qualitative analysis of user behavior. This is because ease of use is either the user’s or test takers subjective opinion of what has taken place.
Usability testing gathers both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data is gathered by measuring the time taken to complete the task, the error rate while performing a task or the success or failure to complete a task. Read more…
