Brainstorming
Brainstorming brings together key team players to inspire each other in the creative, idea generation phase of the problem solving process. Brainstorming is used to generate new ideas by freeing the mind to accept any idea that is suggested; allowing freedom for creativity. The result of a brainstorming session is a set of good ideas, and a general feel for the solution area.
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Card sorting
Card sorting is a technique that allows designers to see how users group the items of a web site. Each item is written on a small index card - in a typical card sorting exercise there may be anything from 30 to 80 cards in total. Users, working on their own or in pairs, sort these cards into groups. Each group is labeled. The designer uses this information to help organize the site structure. Note: a variation of this method, called Reverse Card Sort, entails giving the participants the main category labels for the web site along with a group of cards representing the web sites information, content and functions. The participants place the individual cards in the pre-established categories.
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Cognitive walk through
A process of going step by step through a product or system design and getting reactions from key team players and typical users. One or two members of the design team can guide the walk through while one or more users will comment as the walk through proceeds.
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Context of use analysis
Context of Use Analysis is a structured method for eliciting detailed information about a product and how it will be used. Through a workshop attended by the key team players important characteristics of the users (or groups of users), their tasks and their environment are identified. Context Analysis meetings should take place as early as possible in the design of a product. However, the results of these meetings can be used throughout the lifecycle of the product, being continually updated and used for reference.
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Contextual inquiry
Contextual inquiry is one of the best methods to use when you really need to understand the users' work context. It is basically a structured field interviewing method, based on a few core principles that differentiate this method from journalistic interviewing. Contextual inquiry is a discovery process as opposed to an evaluative process. This technique is best used in the early stages of development to gain an understand of how people feel about their jobs, how they carry out their work, how information flows through the organization, etc.
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Focus group
A focus group brings together a cross-section of stakeholders in a discussion group format. Views on relevant topics are elicited by a facilitator. The meetings can be taped for later analysis. Focus groups are useful early in requirements specification but can also serve as a means of collecting feedback once a system has been in use for some time. Focus groups help to provide a multi-faceted perspective on requirements and identify issues that may need to be tackled.
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Functionality matrix
This process specifies the system functions that each user will require for the different tasks that they perform. The most critical task functions are identified so that more time can be paid to them during usability testing later in the design process. It is important that input from different user groups is obtained in order to complete the matrix. This method is particularly useful for systems where the number of possible functions is high (e.g. generic software package) and where the range of tasks that the user will perform is well specified.
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Heuristic evaluation
Heuristic evaluation is an expert inspection method that identifies general usability problems that users can be expected to encounter when using a product or interface. Usually at least three usability experts evaluate the system with reference to established guidelines or principles, noting their observations and often ranking them in order of severity. It is a quick and efficient method.
+ Heuristic Evaluation Checklist
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Interactive prototyping
Computer simulation is used to provide realistic mock-ups that are under development. The prototypes often have greater fidelity to the finished system than is possible with simple paper mock-ups. End-users interact with the prototype to accomplish set tasks and any problems that arise are noted.
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Interview techniques
Expert and/or novice users are asked in-depth questions by an interviewer in order to gain specific knowledge or to obtain the subjective opinions based on product usage experience. Interviews may follow a pre-specified list of items (structured) and/or may allow users to provide their views freely (unstructured). Type, detail and validity of data gathered vary with the type of interview and the experience of the interviewer.
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Observation
Observational methods involve an investigator viewing users as they work and taking notes on the activity that takes place. Observation may be either direct, where the investigator is actually present during the task, or indirect, where the task is viewed by some other means such as through use of a video recorder.
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Paper prototyping
This method uses simple materials to create a paper-based simulation of an interface with the aim of exploring user requirements. When the paper prototype has been prepared, a member of the design team sits in front of the user and 'plays the computer' by moving interface elements around in response to the user's actions. The user makes selections and activates interface elements by using their finger for input actions. Users are given task instructions and encouraged to express their thoughts and impressions. The evaluator makes notes during the test. The method is most suitable where it is easy to simulate system behavior or when the evaluation of detailed screen elements is not required.
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Parallel design
Several different groups of interface designers create conceptual designs within a parallel process. The aim is to develop and evaluate different interface designs before settling on a single design. The groups of designers must work independently, since the goal is to generate as much diversity as possible. Designers may not discuss their designs with each other until after they have presented their design concepts. The final result may be one of the designs or a combination of designs with the best features from each. Although parallel design may at first seem expensive, as many ideas are generated without implementing them, it is in fact a cost-effective way of exploring the range of possible design concepts and selecting the optimum design.
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Participatory evaluation
A cost-effective technique for identifying usability problems in prototype products. The technique encourages design teams and users to collaborate in order to identify usability issues and their solutions. Qualitative information is provided about difficulties users experience when attempting to complete tasks, and other interface elements that give rise to problems.
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Rapid prototyping
This method quickly develops different concepts through software or hardware prototypes, and evaluates them. The rapid development of a simulation/prototype of a future product allows users to visualize it and provide feedback. It can be used to clarify user requirements. Later during development it can be used to specify details of the user interface.
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Scenarios
Scenarios are characterizations of users and their tasks in a specified context. They offer concrete representations of a user working with a product in order to achieve a particular goal. The objective of user scenarios in the early phases of development is to improve the accessibility of end user requirements and usability goals to the design team. Later scenarios can be used during design and evaluation activities.
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Storyboarding
Storyboards are sequences of images which demonstrate the relationship between individual events (e.g. screen outputs) and actions within a system. A typical storyboard will contain a number of images depicting features such as navigation menus, dialogue boxes and windows. The storyboard can be shown to the design team as well as typical users, allowing them to visualize the composition and scope of possible interfaces and offer critical feedback.
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Survey
A survey involves administering a set of written questions to a large sample population of users. Surveys can help determine information or customers, work practice and attitudes. There are two types: 'closed', where the respondent is asked to select from available responses and 'open', where the respondent is free to answer as they wish.
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Task analysis
Task analysis defines what a user is required to do in terms of actions and/or cognitive processes to achieve a task. A detailed task analysis can be conducted to understand a system and the information flow within it. These information flows are important to the maintenance of the system. Failure to allocate sufficient resources to this activity increases the potential for costly problems arising in later phases of development. Task analysis makes it possible to design and allocate tasks appropriately within the new system. Once the tasks are defined, the functionality required to support the tasks can be accurately specified.
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User-based testing of design
This method offers a relatively quick and cheap way to conduct a user-based evaluation of a current product or prototype. The focus is on task completion and the acquisition of design feedback where users are unable to complete tasks or need assistance to complete tasks. The emphasis is a few typical users as participants and detailed recordings are not essential. Observers make notes as users interact with a system to accomplish set tasks and identify the most serious user-interface problems.
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User-based testing of interaction
This method entails a detailed analysis of users interacting with the web site under evaluation. It is suited for evaluating either high-fidelity (interactive) prototypes or functional web sites. The real world working environment and the product under development are simulated as closely as possible. Observers make notes, timings are taken and video and/or audio recordings made. The observations are subsequently analyzed in detail, and appropriate usability metrics are calculated.
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WAMMI - Web site Analysis and Measurement Inventory
WAMMI is an evaluation tool for web sites. It is based on a questionnaire that visitors fill out, and which gives a measure of how easy to use they think a web site is. The questions in the WAMMI questionnaire have been carefully selected and refined to ascertain users' subjective rating of the ease of use of a web site.
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Wireframes
Wireframes are a preliminary design method that allow for very quick prototyping of high level content and site structure. The focus is on the navigation framework and the general layout of pages at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels.
+ Download Wireframe Template (PPT)
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