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WebWord Weblog Posting Posting Date: August 13, 2002 WebWord Posting 676 -- "How many such tests measure the effects of continuous long-term use of a product?" (Comments: Very little has been written about longitudinal usability testing. We have done it and it works great. Users change from session to session. They learn to use poorly designed interfaces and they start to accept incredible pain. Like water in a stream, users start to flow around the stumps, old tires, and sharks. How many usability analysts can truthfully claim that they have run sessions with the same users with the same interfaces over the course of several weeks?)
Reader Comments...
I've conducted longitudinal usability testing. I found that after one hour the subjects would begin to nod off (fall asleep). Utilizing these test results we added non-threatening Batman-style attention-getting pop-up graphics to our web site, accompanied by randomly timed "alert sounds" such as a woman screaming, a baby crying, a bullwhip cracking, and so forth. If you conduct such a test yourself, I suggest investing in neck braces, to prevent whiplash following each alert sound. Posted by: Jack on August 13, 2002 10:12 PM
Jack, have you tested over multiple sessions? We have. For example, we tested people a total of five times over two weeks. When I say "longitudinal" I guess I literally mean that testing happens over many days, if not weeks. p.s. Nice Pow! Posted by: John S. Rhodes on August 13, 2002 10:19 PM
This study is a part of a much larger study that I worked on looking at the usage of the entire word processor. Very expensive in both cost and time. 101 participants (who sent us back their data) working up to a month with the word processor. Vast amounts of data... Posted by: on August 13, 2002 10:27 PM
By "multiple sessions" do you mean allowing the user to leave the chair and return later? Why on earth would you allow that? It is only in a state of delirium that the user expresses true passion about a web site - his likes and dislikes. Sure there's babbling and frothing at the mouth, but you listen through that to learn what really matters to the user. I'm sorry, we should now discuss the serious study that Mr. Anonymous has shared with us through his hypertext link.
Doh! Mr. Anonymous is me. How did that happen? I'd like to hear more from John on specifics of longitudinal studies he has done. The larger one I worked on at WordPerfect was primarily designed to find how frequently each feature was being used, by whom, and in conjunction with what other features. I recall a paper studying spreadsheet useage over six months or so, analyzing what features people learned and how proficient they became. It is one of the first published papers demonstrating people's satisficing behavior. Posted by: Ron Zeno on August 14, 2002 12:10 AM
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