Synopses & Reviews
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Handbook of Usability Testing, Second Edition, is a nuts-and-bolts guide for beginners, loaded with tips and tricks for effectively testing products of all types. From software, GUIs, and technical documentation, to medical instruments and exercise bikes, no matter what type of product, readers will learn to design and administer reliable tests to ensure that people find it easy and desirable to use.
- Requires no engineering or human factors training
- A rigorous, step-by-step approach--with an eye to common gaffes and pitfalls--saves months of trial and error
- Liberally peppered with real-life examples and case histories taken from a wide range of industries
- Packed with extremely usable templates, models, tables, test plans, and other indispensable tools of the trade
The Second Editionwill be fully updated--30% revised, with 100 new pages. Chapters will be reorganized to reflect more current industry practices, outdated terminology will be updated, and more varied examples provided. Many individual chapters will also be heavily revised to reflect current best practicies. The companion website will include additional case examples samples and templates beyond those already provided within the print product. '
Synopsis
Whether it?s software, a cell phone, or a refrigerator, your customer wants?no, expects?your product to be easy to use. This fully revised handbook provides clear, step-by-step guidelines to help you test your product for usability. Completely updated with current industry best practices, it can give you that all-important marketplace advantage: products that perform the way users expect. You?ll learn to recognize factors that limit usability, decide where testing should occur, set up a test plan to assess goals for your product?s usability, and more.
Synopsis
Is your product user-friendly? Take these steps to find outWhether it's software, technical documentation, a cell phone, or a refrigerator, your customer wants — no, expects — your product to be easy to use. This fully revised handbook, a leading resource since 1994, provides clear, step-by-step guidelines to help you test your product for usability. Completely updated with current industry best practices and more varied examples, it can give you that all-important marketplace advantage: products that perform the way users expect.
Learn to recognize factors that limit usability
Decide whether testing should occur in a lab setting or at the site where the product is used
Set up a test plan to assess goals for your product's usability
Choose and train effective test moderators
Decide on the best way to collect and review data
Report the results and make recommendations
Learn user-centered design principles and practices — the context for usability testing
Reap the benefits of templates, tables, models, case studies, and other tools of the trade
Companion Web site
Go to www.wiley.com/go/usabilitytesting to find additional case examples, samples, and templates
About the Author
Jeffrey Rubin, author of the first edition of this book, has more than 30 years of experience as a human factors and usability research consultant and lecturer. A pioneer in the field of usability testing, he has consulted for leading companies worldwide.
Dana Chisnell is an independent user researcher and usability consultant. She has done usability, user interface design, and technical communications consulting and development since 1982.
For more information, please access the author's website at
http://www.usabilityworks.net
Author's blog:
http://usabilitytestinghowto.blogspot.com
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments.
Foreword.
Preface to the Second Edition.
Part One Usability Testing: An Overview.
Chapter 1 What Makes Something Usable?
Chapter 2 What Is Usability Testing?
Chapter 3 When Should You Test?
Chapter 4 Skills for Test Moderators.
Part Two The Process for Conducting a Test.
Chapter 5 Develop the Test Plan.
Chapter 6 Set Up a Testing Environment.
Chapter 7 Find and Select Participants.
Chapter 8 Prepare Test Materials.
Chapter 9 Conduct the Test Sessions.
Chapter 10 Debrief the Participant and Observers.
Chapter 11 Analyze Data and Observations.
Chapter 12 Report Findings and Recommendations.
Part Three Advanced Techniques.
Chapter 13 Variations on the Basic Method.
Chapter 14 Expanding from Usability Testing to Designing the User Experience.
Afterword.
Index.