Designed for Use, 2nd Edition

Usability Tests Don’t Have to Be Expensive

The basic goal of a usability test is to observe users while they use your product or a prototype of your product and to thus identify areas of your user interface that might be difficult for people to navigate.

At the expensive end of the spectrum, this can mean hiring a usability expert, using a lab with two-way mirrors, planning the tests for weeks, running several tests with different testers, evaluating and discussing the results, and producing a report (possibly including videos) of all the problems and possible solutions.

At the very low end of the spectrum, you can simply take your laptop to a café and ask people to do some simple tasks with your product.

This chapter is about the middle ground: ...