TEST
KNOW
CHANGE
LEARN HOW TO CHANGE YOUR CULTURE
ACT ON WHAT YOU LEARN FROM TESTING
REALLY KNOW YOUR USERS
MAKE TESTING SECOND NATURE
USER CENTRIC
HOW TO BECOME A
INSTITUTION
"We all pay lip service to usability and yet many HE sites are complex and hard to use. How do we ensure usability lies at the heart of everything we do and what practical steps can be taken to make our existing sites more welcoming to users."
EXCUSES
BUSINESS CASE
MYTHS
WHAT EXCUSES DO YOU HEAR FOR NOT USER TESTING?
WHAT MYTHS SURROUND USABILITY?
IS THERE A BUSINESS CASE FOR USER CENTRIC DESIGN?
"We don't have time"
"We don't have the money"
"We don't have the expertise"
"We don't have a usability lab"
"We wouldn't know how to interpret the results"
HOME
CLICKS
FOLD
Fast issue detection
Increased user satisfaction
Reduced support costs
Increased efficiency
who is your audience?
PERSONAS
PRIORITIES
PERCEPTION
"my audience is the general public"
problems with prioritisation?
ways of dealing with diverse audiences?
why is a failure to prioritise bad?
DO YOU USE PERSONAS? IF SO, HOW?
why do personas help?
what more could be added?
user objectives
personas do not replace meeting real people!
TO UNDERSTAND USERS YOU NEED TO THE UNDERSTAND THE HUMAN MIND...
 
the importance of simplicity
inertia and good defaults
the muddle through mentality
the short attention span
the power of context
WHEN
HOW
WHERE
 
 
Planning stage
IA stage
Design stage
Build stage
Post launch
CONTINUALLY
TEST EXISTING SITE
TEST THE COMPETITION
CARD SORTING
OPPOSING TRAIT TEST
FLASH TESTS
TO RUN TASK BASED TESTING
LITTLE & OFTEN
RECRUITING FOR YOUR TEST
RUNNING A SESSION
"Why you only need to test with five users"
Jakob Nielsen - Albertbox column
"The best-kept secret of usability testing is the extent to which it doesn't matter who 
you test"
Steve Krug - Don't make me think!
TO RECORD OR NOT TO RECORD?
Camera / Note taker / Observers
Golden rule - Do not intimidate
ROLE OF FACILITATOR
To encourage the tester to communicate
To intervene when necessary
To lead the tester through the usability script
THE SCRIPT
Introduce those in the room
Explain you are testing the site not the user
Explain how the session works
Encourage them to speak out loud
Deal with issue of questions
Start with easy questions about themselves
Ask about web use
Ask about expectations of the site
Carry out "Do they get it" tests
Carry out "key task" tests
DEPENDS ON THE RECORDING/OBSERVATION SETUP
SOMEWHERE QUIET
SOMEWHERE YOU CAN HAVE ALL DAY
(each session about 40 minutes. 1 hour between sessions)
SOMEWHERE COMFORTABLE & FAMILIAR TO USER
(ideally the users own home or desk)
COMMON USABILITY ISSUES?
POOR SEARCH
UNFRIENDLY URL
NOT DEEP LINKING FRIENDLY
POOR ERROR HANDLING
INAPPROPRIATE USE OF PDF
NON SCANABLE TEXT
NON STANDARD LINKS
VIOLATING DESIGN CONVENTIONS
FAQS THAT AREN'T FREQUENTLY ASKED
HIDDEN CONTACT INFORMATION
COMPLEX REGISTRATION
DON'T FORGET WEB STATS
WHAT TO LOOK FOR...
Drop out points
Bounce rate
Page views per user
Return users
Conversion rate
Search keywords
Internal search
ACT
NOTE:
Giving stakeholders a report will never replace them seeing real users interacting with your site.
FILTER OUT BACKGROUND NOISE
Comments on design
Functional suggestions
Poor return on investment
PRIORITISE AND REPORT
Keep it short!
Quick Wins
Deal Breaks
Everything else