Moderating Usability Tests

Third, the movement toward agile development methods will force

usability practitioners toward faster tests of smaller pieces of

functionality. Agile development is a method for speeding up the devel-

opment process and creating better products. It consists of a dedi-

cated development team that works together by designing small

pieces of the product during short intervals—for example, three

weeks. During those weeks, the code is tested iteratively until it is all

working correctly. Then the next piece is designed. Usability test ses-

sions as part of this method tend to be shorter, and there is pressure

to reduce the time between conducting the ...