Usability Testing

User Research, UX/UI Design

Objectives:

• Choose a website from a pre-determined list to conduct user tests to evaluate said website

• Develop and update an extensive test plan covering all aspects of the testing sessions and evaluation of the results

• Properly conduct user tests of the website

• Create final evaluation of the website and present findings and recommendations to stakeholders 

Website Selection and Early Screening

This was an assignment where I worked in a team to conduct usability testing for a website from a list and propose improvements based on the findings from the testing. For my group of 3, we chose to do the website YouthLink, an organization with the goal of providing aid to youth in Scarborough with their mental and emotional well-being and their intellectual development.

Our first part of this assignment was to make a preliminary assessment and construct an early test plan. In our evaluation of the website, we found issues with the concepts of Consistency and Standards, where the website had no 8x8 icon for when its in a tab, and of Recognition rather than Recall, where the website has images that might make users uncomfortable or uneasy, overuse of bolded sentences, and potentially overwhelming stressed users with information, especially on a small monitor. We then created a profile for an ideal tester, who’s characteristics included being concerned and aware of others’ emotional wellbeing, over the age of 25, and being near a YouthLink centre. Finally we created a rough test procedure for our user testing session, which can be seen below. I was personally responsible for the tester profile and the methodology and tasks, and consulted on the test procedure.

Further Development and Preparation

The next part of the assignment was to develop our test plan even further and prepare for user testing. First we assigned each other our roles for the testing, then we established our responsibilities for our roles. We then produced a participant screener and recruitment email to determine our ideal user. We also implemented a permission form and letter of information for our participant, as well as an observer log to be used for testing. Finally we produced pre and post-test questionnaire as well as post-task questionnaires for our user during testing, and integrated a System Usability Scale to determine the effectiveness of the website after testing. I was personally responsible for the consent form and letter of information, the observer log and instructions, and the pre-test questionnaire.

Testing and Evaluation

After creating our final test plan, we conducted our user test where I acted as the primary observer during the test; I recorded physical observations, specifically statements from the user and time taken to complete tasks. I was also responsible for handling all the documents during the test, and digitizing the information afterwards.

Next, we produced a report based on the test and our findings. In this report, we displayed the results of our test and evaluated the participants’ issues with the site using Dumas and Redish’s severity ranking scale, the results of which can be seen below. We discussed our methodology for the test, our reasons for selecting our test participant, and our test goals. We included our tasks and findings and recommendations as well as the positive and negative impressions throughout the testing. We then included wireframes of improved site architecture based on our participants’ recommendations. Finally we compared the results of our testing to the System Usability Scale mentioned earlier, and the website received a very low rating, well below the industry standard. My responsibilities for the report included the Introduction/Background, Methodology and Tasks, Test Goals and Participants, Findings, and the System Usability Scale.

Proposal and Final Thoughts

Finally, we created a proposal for stakeholders from YouthLink, as well as a final reflection. For this portion of the assignment, I acted as the project manager, and I lead in a diplomatic manner, allowing my team to choose which portions they want to work on while periodically reviewing their progress. The proposal was structured very similarly to our post-test report, and we presented the results of our testing and our recommendations to the stakeholders in the final class. The stakeholders noted their appreciation towards the criticism of the site design in our presentation, whereas other groups had more positive feedback. My responsibilities for this portion included the previously mentioned responsibilities as the project manager, as well as creating the template of the presentation document.

Looking back on this project over a year after it was finished, I must say I quite enjoyed and appreciated this assignment. It gave me valuable insight and experience in user testing, showing me the natural progression of the testing process, as well as giving me further experience in a collaborative setting.