UX Foundations: Usability Testing

Course details

Run your own basic usability testing to find out just what your users need from your website, application, or device—and learn where to focus design improvements to have the biggest impact. Author Chris Nodder shows how to design a study so that it answers your questions, how to recruit the right participants, and how to set up the test environment. The course also teaches you how to moderate and observe a usability test, interact with participants and ask the right kind of questions, and then analyze the results and share them with your team in a meaningful way.

Learning objectives

What is usability testing?
Finding the right participants
Making a screener
Asking the right questions
Avoiding bias
Making a task list
Creating the test environment
Running a pilot study
Moderating sessions
Capturing real-time observations
Analyzing and reporting your results

Concepts

0. Introduction

01 - Usability testing
02 - Using the exercise files

1. What Is Usability Testing

03 - What is usability testing
04 - What you can usability test
05 - Planning your first test

2. Recruiting Participants

06 - How many people should you study
07 - Finding the right participants
08 - Creating a list of participant attributes
09 - Making a screener
10 - Qualifying questions
11 - Convincing participants to show up
12 - Planning your study schedule
13 - Calling and calling again

3. Working Out What Questions to Ask

14 - Asking the right questions
15 - Collecting valuable metrics
16 - Sometimes the best question is no question
17 - Exploring some example questions
18 - Writing post-session questions
19 - Avoiding bias

4. Making a Task List

20 - Turning questions into tasks
21 - Task list logistics

5. Room and Equipment Preparation

22 - Creating the test environment
23 - Making do with what you've got
24 - Running studies in real locations

6. Ready to Test

25 - Creating a test plan
26 - Usability test formalities
27 - Running a pilot study

7. Moderating a Session

28 - The moderator's role
29 - Think-aloud protocol and minimal questions
30 - Session wrap-up - Participant questions, thanks, and gratuity

8. Observing a Session

31 - The observer's role - Active observation
32 - Capturing real-time observations
33 - Video - Record or not record

9. Analyzing and Reporting Your Results

34 - Analyzing with your team
35 - Creating a minimal report
36 - Remember to retest
37 - Capturing metrics on the impact of usability testing

Conclusion

38 - Usability testing - Any team can do it
39 - Next steps