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3.4.2 Online (Unmoderated) Usability Tests
Online studies involve testing with many participants at the same time. It's
an excellent way to collect a lot of usability data in a relatively short amount
of time from users who are dispersed geographically. Online studies are usu-
ally set up similarly to a lab test in that there are some background or screener
questions, tasks, and follow-up questions. Participants go through a predefined
script of questions and tasks, and all their data are collected automatically. You
can collect a wide range of data, including many performance metrics and self-
reported metrics. It may be difficult to collect issues-based data because you're
not observing participants directly. But the performance and self-reported data
can point to issues, and verbatim comments can help infer their causes. Albert,
Tullis, and Tedesco (2010) go into detail about how to plan, design, launch, and
analyze an online usability study.
Unlike other methods, online usability
studies provide the researcher a tremendous
amount of flexibility in the amount and type
of data they collect. Online usability studies
can be used to collect both qualitative and
quantitative data and can focus on either
user attitudes or behaviors (see Figure 3.1 ).
The focus of an online study depends largely
on the project goals and is rarely limited by
the type or amount of data collected. While
online studies are an excellent way to collect
data, it is less ideal when the UX researcher is
trying to gainer a deeper insight into the users'
behaviors and motivations.
Online usability tools come in many dif-
ferent flavors; however, there are a few dif-
ferent types of tools that each specialize in a
different aspect of the user experience. Figure 3.2 shows the breakdown of differ-
ent types of online testing tools. These tools are changing constantly, with new
ones becoming available every day, with many new features and functionality.
Figure 3.1 How online usability testing tools fit with other common
user research methods.
Quantitative-based tools focus on data collection. They typically are set up to
collect data from 100+ participants and provide some very nice analytical and
reporting functions.
Full-service tools such as Keynote's WebEffective, Imperium, and
Webnographer provide a complete range of features and functionality
for carrying out any type of online study, along with support from a team
of experts to design an online study and perhaps help with the analysis.
Self-servicetoolsincludeLoop11,UserZoom,andUTE.Thesetoolspro-
vide a tremendous amount of functionality to the researcher, with min-
imal support from the vendor. These tools are increasingly becoming
more powerful and easy to use, with low-cost options.
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