Measuring the User Experience

Chapter 7 Behavioral and Physiological Metrics

During a typical usability test, most participants do much more than complete tasks and fill out questionnaires. They may laugh, groan, shout, grimace, smile, fidget in their chair, look aimlessly around the room, or drum their fingers on the table. These are all behaviors that are potentially measurable and offer insights into the usability of the product being tested. Most of this body language and verbalization can be observed and noted by an attentive test administrator, but some types of subtle or fleeting behavior are harder to observe. For example, facial expressions can change very rapidly, making a good-quality video recording of the participant’s face very useful. And there are still other ...