Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 13.1 A user working with a system being tested (left) and the observation room where
designers and analysts can watch the study going on (right). (Copyright Fluent Interaction Ltd,
www.fluent-interaction.co.uk
,
reproduced with permission)
13.3 Evaluation Methods
Evaluation methods are generally divided into four categories: usability testing,
field studies, expert (heuristic) evaluation, and A/B testing. One of the funda-
mental notions behind expert evaluation is that a small number of experts can be
used to quickly identify a large number of the problems with the system. You
should think carefully before using these methods because they are not ideally
suited to all types of system. Each of the evaluation methods has its own strengths
and weaknesses, and they are often used in combination with each other.
13.3.1 Usability Testing
The term usability testing is usually restricted to describing the evaluation of the
usability of a system under controlled (laboratory) conditions. Quite often usability
testing is carried out in dedicated laboratories that have been specially designed for
the purpose. Fluent Studios, for example, is a usability laboratory based in central
London. It consists of two purpose-built usability rooms, equipped with high
definition audio-visual technology. These rooms are shown in Fig.
13.1
.
Different organizations will set up their usability testing facility in different
ways. Generally, one room is set up for testing whilst the other is configured as an
observation room, which allows the developers, testers, and other interested
stakeholders to see what the users are doing without disturbing them through their
presence in the same room. The rooms are physically separated rather than being
connected by a one-way mirror. Any action that takes place in the testing room is
projected into the observation room. There are several advantages to using pro-
jection rather than a one-way mirror:
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