Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

This is one of the most frequently asked questions! The simple answer is, it depends. But, more specifically, we recommend small studies with focused users who represent the same type, so that results from a small sample can be realistically compared. Our typical studies use 6 users: a walkthrough (tolerant) user to “test the test,” a pilot to confirm the test (typically, the pilot data can be used), and four users representing the specific user group we´re observing.

If you have budget for 15 to 20 users, we recommend recruiting several smaller groups of users and creating scenarios that work for each user sub-group. For example, with 18 users, you could get results from three different user groups. Or, you could conduct three separate studies during the development cycle for your product.

Unlike typical recruiting firms that have a database of frequent participants in focus groups and other market research studies, we customize and personalize our recruiting efforts by accessing our network of resources from business, industry, and academe. Using the user profile we create in our planning meeting, we identify the specific user group for each study, then personally recruit, screen, and secure the right participants to specifically match your real users.

Our user recruiting process is highly effective in contacting and contracting your specific, targeted users in a timely and cost-effective process that brings results.  You pay only for users who actually participate in the study.

Because we use a team approach to user testing, planning is the essential starting place. In a half-day meeting, typically, our team — composed of usability experts from the Usability Center and the key members of your organization — meets to establish all the essential elements for the usability test. These include setting goals, determining tasks (which become scenarios), creating post-task and post-test questionnaires, and creating the all-important user profile for recruiting the users from the specific subset(s) of the user population.

Whenever possible, this planning meeting is conducted in the Executive Viewing Room of the Usability Center at Southern Polytechnic. However, when logistics make this difficult, we set up web-based conferencing capabilities for this meeting.

The Usability Center provides a team lead and one or two usability associates. We perform all the usability aspects of an evaluation, including facilitation of meetings, creating a positive user experience, logging during testing, and reporting after the test.

Your organization provides two or three key members to the team. Typically, this includes the appropriate person from product development, marketing, documentation, quality assurance, technical support, or other areas with an interest in the findings of the usability study.

We encourage you to invite as many people as possible to see the action of a usability test from the Executive Viewing Room. In this room, members of your organization, not just executives, can directly observe the user during a test, see and hear what´s being recorded, and talk among yourselves about what you´re learning from users.

Because we know from experience that “seeing is believing,” and live sight is better (more realistic) than remote viewing or video highlights later, we make it possible for you to bring up to 30 people into our expansive Executive Viewing Room.

Lab testing is only one of many options we provide to help you understand your users and their experience with your product or interface. A user-centered design process includes many elements, such as:

• Site visits (contextual inquiry) to learn about users, tasks, and environments
• Persona creation to develop specific profiles of your users
• Expert review (heuristic evaluation) to inspect a product or interface against a set of rules or guidelines
• Cognitive walkthrough to understand learning issues for your product under development
• Focus groups to get answers to marketing questions
• Surveys, web-based, paper-based, or phone based
• Training to educate your staff on the benefits of a user-centered design process and to give them the tools to conduct user testing

Usability testing produces two types of data: qualitative (the reactions of users working with your product), and quantitative (time on task, number of mouse clicks, number of errors, calls to help, responses to questionnaires, and more).

This information can be applied to the continuing development of the product before release to market.

ROI can be measured in a variety of ways, including reduction of support calls, increased conversion rates, and greater sales, to name just a few.