Usability Lab Studies
Lab studies help to simulate real usage scenarios. Recruit people who live in the area and set up a lab like a living room where they can use the application or feature. Typically, eight to ten participants will be enough to identify the majority of the usability issues with the application.
During the lab study, gather performance and preference data on users' progress while trying to complete tasks. For example, you can measure task success, time to complete the task, errors, and hints given during the study. You can also use surveys and rating scales to measure users' perceptions of the application.
The following tips can help maximize the effectiveness of this evaluation technique:
- Make the lab environment as realistic as time and budget allow. Have the users sit on a couch, or wherever a real user would sit. If this is not possible, use a spare office or small conference room that is enclosed so that users can feel comfortable about providing feedback.
- Create usage scenarios outlining tasks that typical users will perform.
- Have users complete the important tasks within the user interface.
- Ask users to describe their thought processes as they complete tasks so that you are aware of any usability issues they are experiencing.
- Take notes and record comments and observations at each step of the task.
- Limit your interaction with users so that you keep the experience close to what they would have in their homes.
- Give users enough time to figure out more complex tasks. Try to avoid helping them, but if you must, record any hints you give so that later you can understand what users found difficult.
- Consider videotaping the sessions, which might be helpful for later analysis. You might also compile clips of the major usability issues that users encountered.
- Have users complete usage scenarios on both a Windows Media Center PC and a Media Center Extender.
- After the entire lab study is complete, disseminate the information to the development team. You could print a detailed report outlining all the issues uncovered during the study and suggesting improvements to the user interface, or summarize the issues. Next, organize a meeting with team members to discuss the results and decide how to address the usability issues.
- If time and budget permit, repeat the study to verify fixes and discover any new usability issues.
See Also