Usability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test

by Carol Barnum

Do you love your mobile phone? Your MP3 player? Your e-book reader? You laptop or tablet PC? There's a reason for that. Usability.When usability testing is part of the design and development of products, the results are better products that users want and like. You may be doing testing now or want to help your company get started, but you may not have all the tools to know how to properly prepare, test, analyze, and measure the results across a multitude of cultures, generations, and countries. And you may be facing tight budgets and short timeframes for testing. If this is your situation, this essential handbook gives you a variety of options and strategies for testing in numerous situations."Usability Testing Essentials" presents a practical, step-by-step approach to learning the entire process of planning and conducting a usability test. It also explains how to analyze and apply the results and what to do when confronted with budgetary and time restrictions. This is the ideal book for anyone involved in usability or user-centered design-from students to seasoned professionals.*Provides comprehensive coverage of all phases of usability testing*Fully updated four color edition features important usability topics such as international testing, persona creation, remote testing, and accessibility*Follow-up to "Usability Testing and Research" (9780205315192, Longman, 2002), winner of the highest-level award from the Society for Technical Communication*Presents a step-by-step approach to the entire process of planning and conducting a usability test--an essential component of designing usable products*Comprehensive coverage of one of the most important skills necesary for usability and user experience practioners, and the first book of its kind to include international testing*Follow-up to "Usability Testing and Research," which won the highest-level award from the Society for Technical Communication, and is already listed among the most widely recommended books in the field.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Usability, Reference, Research, Psychology

408 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 22, 2010

Reviews

[Kristen Byers · Rating 3 out of 5]

In terms of being a useful accompaniment to the course I am currently taking, I give the book a 4/5. However, in terms of general usefulness, I think it's closer to a 3/5. Tech books always run the risk of having outdated examples right away and this book (at 9 years old!) is no exception. I did appreciate the various case studies and examples that were included, and the content was very readable overall.

[Rachel Aranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe how easy this book was to understand and learn from. The pages have the perfect size print for me to read so I never got headaches when I read for a long time. The information on the different topics was detailed to where I understood enough to explain to another person. If I wanted to research a topic more there were some mentions of writings or a person to check out. It's so nice to not have to look through so many options to learn more about a topic but rather focus on just one. Honestly I'll probably read this book again because I truly feel that I learned a lot about usability testing and all that goes into it.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for LIBR285

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to follow.

[Emily // Mixed Margins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for school. It's very easy to understand and follow.

[Lee Stoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A step-by-step reference book. Great resource.