Download Test website/ multimedia content and functionality

Reading: Test website/multimedia content and functionality
Test website/multimedia content and
functionality
Inside this reading:
Usability
2
Intuitive navigation and current web conventions
2
Usability problems and site architecture
3
Performing a usability test
4
Selecting users and tasks
4
Observation
4
Feedback surveys
5
Assessing results and re-testing
5
Summary
6
841019132
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Training 2006
1
Reading: Test website/multimedia content and functionality
Usability
Usability refers to how easy a web site is to use. The web site should be
designed to assist the user in performing tasks. Users should be able to find
information and navigate the site with ease. The ease in which users
navigate and find relevant information will affect the amount of time spent
on a site and it will influence their return rate.
It is easy to make assumptions about how your users will interact with your
web site—but assumptions are often proven wrong.
Intuitive navigation and current web
conventions
Web site navigation for the users should be intuitive. Users expect to be able
to access resources and interact with your site without having to learn
complex new ways of doing things. Good navigation is ‘transparent’,
meaning that the user is able to perform tasks without consciously thinking
about the steps they are taking.
Designers can ensure that navigation and interactivity is transparent by
using tried and true web conventions with which the user is probably
already familiar.
Some current web conventions are:

having the company logo at the top left hand of every page

having the logo link to the home page

vertical and not horizontal scrolling

using standard page names such as ‘home’, ‘about us’ and ‘contact
us’

having hyperlinks a different colour or underlined.
Most web sites are best served by staying within the limits of standard web
conventions.
841019132
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Training 2006
2
Reading: Test website/multimedia content and functionality
Usability problems and site architecture
Information architecture is the organisation and structure of the information
within a web site so that it is easy to find. Real estate refers to the space on
the web page that is available for laying out content.
Common usability problems may be the result of inadequate information
architecture, confusing layout or poor use of page real estate.
Some web projects with large budgets will outsource their user testing to
specialised organisations. Most web projects don’t have this kind of budget
and will have to do their own user testing. Such tests are usually fine—
results from smaller usability tests can also be very accurate and provide
highly useful information.
It is a good idea to test the web site with users right throughout the
development process. Leaving testing to the end, when there is little money
in the budget and the site is finished, is risky. Make sure you still have
enough time and money to make changes that the testing may reveal.
841019132
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Training 2006
3
Reading: Test website/multimedia content and functionality
Performing a usability test
Selecting users and tasks
A beta user is a person who has not been involved with a website’s
development and who is used to test the site for problems. The beta user
would normally be required to fit the demographic profile of the website’s
target audience.
You should use the project brief to find out the demographic profile of the
target user. This will give you information such as the users’ expected age,
gender and level of computer literacy.
Make a list of common tasks a typical user will perform then have beta users
execute the tasks. Example tasks may be to:

find a particular piece of information

purchase a product or submit a form.
You should include potentially problematic tasks, such as downloading
necessary plug-ins.
Observation
Observer the beta users performing each task on the web site. Let the tester
interact with the site independently—don’t guide them. It is important to
note what the user does rather than what they say. People don’t always
know why they do things—or even remember doing them!
Record the user’s actions, including any difficulties they experience. Record
as much detail about these interactions as possible. For example, if a user
clicks on the wrong link or menu item, record which one they did click.
Take note of how quickly they are able to perform each task. If you want to
be really accurate you could even time how long each task takes with a
stopwatch, but don’t let this interfere with your observation of the user’s
behaviour.
If you have enough time and budget, you can video the user using the web
site so that you can refer to it later to analyse behaviour. Again, this isn’t
essential.
841019132
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Training 2006
4
Reading: Test website/multimedia content and functionality
Feedback surveys
Ask the user to fill out a form or survey after they have completed the test.
There is some debate about how useful this approach is, but you may feel a
survey can provide you with useful information. You may want to ask
questions such as:

Did you find the tasks easy to complete. Why/why not?

What would you change?

What was the most difficult part of the site?

Were the tasks we asked you to do the same ones you personally
would perform on this site?

What is your overall feeling about the site?
Assessing results and re-testing
Write up the test results in a report and include suggestions for
improvements. You can prioritise improvements in order of urgency or in
order of which will make the biggest impact on usability.
When changes to the web site are finished, a re-test by beta users is
performed. User testing should continue until you can confirm that the web
site satisfies usability requirements—that is, that target users find the web
site easy and intuitive to use.
841019132
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Training 2006
5
Reading: Test website/multimedia content and functionality
Summary
A successful web site encourages user interaction. Performing a usability
test with beta users is the most accurate way to measure your web site’s
usability. Users should conform to the demographic profile of the web site
audience. Quietly observing typical users performing typical tasks will
provide you with good information about how easy it is to use navigation
systems and perform tasks such as downloading plug-ins. These results are
written up in a report and used to plan changes and improvements to the
web site.
841019132
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Training 2006
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