Yesterday I described the first two steps to usability testing that you can afford even if you're on a shoestring budget. So now that you've come up with five tasks or scenarios to test, and know who your test subjects will be, it's time to get the testing underway. Let's get started.
First, make sure that everything you need to test is working. This may seem like a trivial step, but you'd be surprised how many people neglect it – and you can't test the site if your script doesn't work. Work out all the software bugs before going in front of your test participants. Run through each task yourself to make sure it can be completed properly.
While you're running through these tasks, time them. Make sure that each of the five tasks you want to test takes no longer than 15 to 30 minutes to complete. If it does, you may need to redesign the scenario. Why? Users get bored. You'll usually want to have each tester run through three out of five of your tasks. Respect their time and yours, and “Keep the tests short and snappy,” Neeman notes.
Resist the urge to guide the user through the tasks. Once your site goes live, you're not going to be talking visitors through the process, so don't do it now. This is why it was important when you designed the tasks that you used language that explained what needed doing, but didn't duplicate words used on the site. As Neeman states, “you are testing the terminology the site users as much as the design of the site.”
While you shouldn't be guiding the user through the site, you should feel free to ask questions. They might not try to complete the tasks you've given them in ways that you anticipate. If they do veer off the track, keep your questions open-ended and non-defensive. You may be tempted to ask “Why did you do that?” if they do something odd; instead, ask “What do you think this will do?” in a neutral tone of voice.
Make sure you let them talk. Some people, with just a little prompting, will tell you the most amazing things. They'll talk through their entire thought process while testing. Others will tell you things that turn out to be useful outside the context of the test. “ I’ve had participants tell me their complete business process, including profit margins, during tests,” Neeman observed.
While the test is going on, you need some way of capturing the results. A screen recorder such as Camstudio or WebEx can help with this. Eye tracking software may be considered the gold standard, but it's expensive. If you're observant, you can get good results just from taking notes with pen and paper. Combine pen and paper with screen capture software, and you'll be pleased with how much information you can get.
It helps to sum up each task with some kind of grade. Neeman has used the pass/fail method on tasks before, but he prefers a scale of 0 (task accomplished) to 3 (could not find anything). He noted it was “a better approach to grading tasks on a step by step basis and in aggregate.” The academically-inclined might prefer to give a letter grade. Use a system that you'll understand and be able to explain later.
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