Why You Don’t Need a Usability Lab
SitePoint — “Although the James Bond-esque appeal of a high-tech lab cannot be denied — video cameras mounted on the walls and ceiling with pan, tilt, and zoom controls allowing you to follow participants’ movements! Video editing equipment so you can create a concise presentation to summarize your findings! Auxiliary keyboards and mice to control participants’ computers from the adjacent room! Keystroke logs of all user input! — it’s probably not necessary for your purposes.”
October 20th, 2004 at 9:44 am
Hmmm… Not that bad an article. Gives some good info on why a lab isn’t high priority for getting started (something that I agree with Nielsen on!!!).
Then again:
Maybe to provide an environment where the test can be readily conducted and observed?
At some point, you have to start looking beyond the most obvious problems…
October 20th, 2004 at 1:45 pm
That is funny. I haven’t heard of any usability labs that have a phone that continuously rings and has someone come in every few minutes to interrupt the test user. Sounds like a great idea, though!
Jay
Use Case
October 20th, 2004 at 3:06 pm
After one of the first usability studies were done at my company I later asked people about their experience of doing a usability test: They hated the camera, said it felt like it was invasive. I can’t think of a more uncomfortable environment knowing your every move, keystroke, sound, etc… was being recorded. I once had someone who was so scared they were shaking during the testing! Now I just use Camtasia and have people listen and observe the laptop screen in another room or behind a divider. It’s low tech, but we catch the vast majority of the issues that come up.
October 20th, 2004 at 6:40 pm
I agree: If you don’t know what you’re doing when conducting a test, test participants will never become comfortable.
Yes, most testers think that catch most of the issues that come up. The evidence shows otherwise.
At some point, you have to start looking beyond the most obvious problems - the obvious problems in your products and the obvious problems in your testing methodology…