Conducting a Usability Review:

In the world of usability, nothing seems to confuse my clients more than trying to determine exactly what a usability review is.  And it’s difficult to purchase something if you don’t know what it is!

Usability reviews don't hurt (physically)

You can think about a usability review this way, it’s kind of the same as going to a doctor for a check-up, your web site will be examined to find usability issues (ailments) and you’ll be provided with recommended optimizations (prescriptions) for improvements.

Usability reviews are not generally well known or understood because the usability field itself does not have a single, consistent, standardized definition of “usability review.”

It’s an interesting and ironic truth that usability professionals who pride themselves on utilizing standards for testing and optimizing web sites can’t create their own set of standard definitions of common usability terms.  Go figure.

So, what is a usability review and how do you do one?

Since there is no consistent standardized definition of a usability review (also known as an expert review, expert usability review, usability audit, heuristic evaluation, etc. etc. etc.) I’ll go ahead and give you mine:

Craig’s definition of a usability review:

“A usability review is an evaluation of a user interface versus common usability best practices and heuristics by a trained usability professional.”

So in the spirit of sharing and giving, here are the steps I use when conducting a review.  By following these steps, you will have all the information necessary to conduct your own usability review.

And if you would like me to email you a sample usability review so you can see how this all comes together, just contact me and I’ll be glad to send you one.

Step 1 – Become a trained usability professional, or save time and hire one.

As with most any other professional such as a doctor, lawyer or elephant-trainer, it’s important to have an education and experience in the practice.  Usability testing of critical tasks and usability reviews are not about providing opinions about a design, conducting focus groups or deploying a satisfaction survey on a web site.

Rather, usability testing and reviews are a scientific approach to analyzing a user interface and task-flow to determine where (and why) there are problems that cause users to have difficulty completing their tasks.

Using a trained usability professional for your usability review means taking the guess-work out of conducting the evaluation, and ensuring that a non-biased approach is used.

Step 2 – Identify critical goals for the web site or application:

More than likely, there are multiple goals for your web site or application.  The important aspect of a usability review is to focus on the most critical goals.  This is because narrowing down the focus enables evaluation of specific tasks associated with that critical goal or goals, and helps shape the subsequent to-do list of potential optimizations derived from the review.

For an eCommerce site like Blue Nile it’s probably selling diamond engagement rings.

For an informational site like the State library of Kansas it’s probably helping you find the literature you are looking for.

Whatever your web site or application has for critical goals, those are the ones that you should focus on first when conducting a usability review.

Step 3 – Define typical users via a Persona:

The vast majority of web sites and applications have typical users who share a common set of domain expertise (knowledge of the field) and critical tasks.  Identifying the Persona (a fictional representation of the typical user) is critical.  This is because the usability review must take into consideration the type of person who is interacting most frequently with the user interface.  It must consider their familiarity or lack thereof with the terminology, information architecture, navigation schema and related user interface systems they interact with.

For example, the Persona used for a usability review of a web site that deals with precision electronic measurement probes for the engineering industry, such as on MicronTesa.com may be quite different from that of a Persona who visits VirginAtlantic looking to book a flight to Heathrow.

Basic usability standards apply across all users, but specific “mental maps” (expectations of labeling and information architecture – groupings of information) must be considered when conducting a usability review.

Step 4 – Conduct the critical tasks:

With the above steps completed, now the actual “review” of the web site or application can take place.  The identified critical tasks are conducted one at a time, yes even down to purchasing that airline ticket – make sure you purchase a fully-refundable ticket of course!

As each task is conducted, the usability review identifies specific task issues as well as general usability issues as defined by usability heuristics (best practices).

What are the usability heuristics?

According to Jakob Nielsen the 10 usability heuristics are:

1. Visibility of system status
2. Match between system and the real world
3. User control and freedom
4. Consistency and standards
5. Error prevention
6. Recognition rather than recall
7. Flexibility and efficiency of use
8. Aesthetic and minimalist design
9. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors
10. Help and documentation

Typically each critical task has to be conducted many times, and each time a separate usability heuristic is evaluated against the task.  Issues are noted, typically with screen shots captured and detailed information about the usability issue found.

Step 5 – Compile the analysis

By now, you have a great amount of information about specific usability issues in the task flows.  Although you *could* list each one out separately, a better way to compile the analysis is with a set of grouped issues.  In addition, I like to provide screen shots documenting the issues, with commentary provided.

It’s important to also include suggestions or recommendations to improve the usability issues found.  After all, nobody wants to receive a laundry-list of problems with no hope of improvement.

As mentioned, there should be several issues that all share common traits, these can be grouped together.  I like to group issues into buckets of commonality, such as those involving:

• Information architecture
• Navigation
• Labeling (taxonomy)
• Layout
• Functional flow
• Form function
• Error handling and messaging

Step 6 – Present the analysis

More than likely the client will be faced with a litany of problems, issues and snafus.  When presenting the results of the usability review, I always like to start with some positives.  I typically will provide (as best I can) screen shots and commentary of the good points of the web site or application.  This has two purposes:

1. If provides the recipient of the bad news with a glimmer of hope
2. It reminds everyone that the web site or application has benefits, benefits that can and should be mentioned

There’s one other important point to consider about a usability review, and that is there’s no such thing as the perfect usability review.  I always like to remind my recipients that a usability review, because it’s conducted by one person, will not catch all the usability issues that might be present.

But by focusing on the critical tasks of the web site or application, hopefully the most significant usability issues are identified, and recommendations for improvements made available.

Conclusion: How to conduct a usability review

So there you have it, those are the steps I use in developing a usability review.  Whether you call it a heuristic review, a usability audit or an expert review, the point is it’s a great way to learn about issues and opportunities to improve a web site or application.

By the way, if you would like to see a sample usability review I’ll be glad to email you one, just contact me.

You should usability test, even with just 1 person

Wanna know what I think?  I think usability testing is so important, so amazingly powerful, and so useful for companies that want need to increase web site ROI that they should must usability test – even with just 1 person.

Only 1 person?  Not 7 people?  I know – I know, you’re reaching for the phone to call the insane asylum and have me committed.  But before you do, just hear me out – you may decide I’m crazy like a Fox (or a really, really smart Badger).

Crazy like a Fox

ANY usability testing is better than NO usability testing

You may not believe me, but this is a universal truth: ANY usability testing is better than no usability testing.  Don’t believe me?  OK, maybe you’ll believe a couple of usability gurus.

Here’s what Steve Krug has to say about usability testing with just one person:

“If you really want to know if your Web site works, ask your next door neighbor to try using it, while you watch.

(You bring the beer.)”

Here’s what another usability guru, Jakob Nielsen has to say about usability testing with just one person:

“As soon as you collect data from a single test user, your insights shoot up and you have already learned almost a third of all there is to know about the usability of the design. The difference between zero and even a little bit of data is astounding.”

Now of course I’m not advocating ONLY using one person at all times.  But in critical situations where resources and/or money and/or time are tight, usability testing with just one person is an acceptable alternative to full usability testing with 7 or so people.

Usability testing case study: Heardable.com

I’m doing more and more usability testing with just one person, and you know what, it works really well!

Case in point: I recently used a usability test with just one person for one of my clients: Heardable.com.

Heardable.com is a web service that enables Brands to measure and monitor critical social attributes.  I like Heardable because it also provides actionable information about how to improve the attributes.  I’m a big fan of actionable and useful data, so I’m a big fan of Heardable.

Because Heardable.com is a start-up, just like any other start-up the founders had many issues to resolve, everything from how to explain what Heardable.com is on the home page, to how to access detailed metrics and data.

Because Heardable is in public Beta, the founders asked me to help identify some potential opportunities for usability improvements.  But with their resources being tight, and knowing many more changes were coming, they asked me for a low cost – very fast way to do a quick usability test.

How did I do it?  Easy…

A VERY quick usability test with one person

In the quick time of only three days, I:

• Created a Persona (it was easy, they already had very specific data on their target users)
• Identified five critical tasks that needed testing
• Created a usability test protocol
• Recruited a test participant
• Conducted the test using Morae
• Analyzed the results
• Edited the snippet videos showing usability improvement opportunities
• Created the PowerPoint analysis document
• Sent the analysis to the clients
• Submitted my invoice for payment
• Almost broke my arm patting myself on the back for a job well done
• Visited my chiropractor for adjustment on that arm

The results of the usability test and analysis were excellent.  The usability test found 11 potential opportunities for usability optimizations, and more than double that for recommendations the Heardable team could use to implement those potential optimizations.

Could additional test participants have found more issues?  You bet.  But the point is with the limited time / resources / money available, this test provided them with critical usability information that is actionable – and can make a big difference for long term improvement.

Conclusion: usability testing with 1 person works well:

So what am I saying here?

I’m saying ANY usability testing is way, way better than no usability testing.

I’m saying the ability to conduct usability testing in a matter of days (not weeks) is powerful.

I’m saying the ability to conduct usability testing for low cost (not the cost of a mid-size car) is a significant reality.

And I’m saying the ability to conduct usability testing that provides actionable and useful information that can be used NOW is brilliant, because it enables a company to improve the usability, thus ROI of their web site or application in near real-time.

What’s to not love?

The very smart founders of Heardable know that usability testing, ANY usability testing, even testing with just one person, is way better than no usability testing.

Now you do too.  So what are you gonna do about it?

Feel free to contact me if you want more information about how a usability test with just one person can help improve your web site’s ROI.

Today, February 12^th is my birthday, so please forgive the somewhat off-topic post in place of the usual usability post.  And it’s not just any birthday – it’s my 50^th birthday, so please forgive me if I’m not around all that much today to chat, I’m probably off partying somewhere with my family.

I’ve decided to do what any good Hobbit usability guru would do, and throw YOU a party!  My gift to you is the gift of humor, which commences below.  Enjoy!

So here is the purpose of this birthday post, which is to provide you with some humorous thoughts,  party hats (virtual), streamers (also virtual) and birthday cake (again, totally virtual – which is good for all you calorie counters), and of course a few other thoughts thrown in for good measure.

First, let’s kick this party off with a few funny birthday quotes:

“Inside every older person is a younger person –

wondering what the hell happened.”

- Cora Harvey Armstrong

“Old age isn’t so bad when you consider the alternative.”

- Maurice Chevalier

“I’m at an age when my back goes out more than I do.”

- Phyllis Diller

Next, here’s a funny little birthday tribute to usability I like to call (drum roll please)…

The top 10 signs YOU may be a Usability Redneck!*

#10 – If you think Usabilla is a Mexican food served with chips and guacamole, you just might be a usability redneck.

#9 – If you think the Nielsen Norman Group is one of those 60’s folk music bands that toured the country in a flower-decorated bus, you might be a usability Redneck.

#8 – If you think “remote usability testing” means you have to fly to northern Saskatchewan, you just might be a usability Redneck.

#7 – If you assume Jared Spool had something to do with sewing machines and thread, you might be a usability redneck.

#6 – If you think a “protocol” is a new fangled mobile cellular device, you might be a usability redneck.

#5 – If you use focus groups, ouija boards and voting exit opinion polls to get usability data, you might be a usability redneck.

#4 – If you assume “perceived affordance” means your spouse has taken the checkbook, you might be a usability redneck.

#3 – If you think “1-on-1 performance test” is what your spouse expects at night in bed, you just might be a usability redneck.

#2 – If you think “critical task” is anything associated with getting a beer, you might be a usability redneck.

#1 – ___________ (You fill in the blank), you just might be a usability redneck.

Now it’s YOUR turn!

You fill in the number one reason in the comments (and if it’s publicly printable) we’ll all see the number one reason you just might be a usability redneck!

*Idea stolen borrowed directly from the comedian Jeff Foxworthy who is very funny (but not to rednecks).

PS – To all non-U.S. folks, and to those U.S. folks who are rednecks:  The term “Redneck” as defined in Wikipedia (yes, Wikipedia has “redneck” in it – what ISNT in Wikipedia???)  is as follows:

“Redneck is a disparaging term that refers to a person who is stereotypically Caucasian and of lower social-economic status in the United States, particularly referring to those living in rural areas. Originally limited to the Southern United States, and then to Appalachia, the term has become widely used throughout North America.”