Topics
Topics
Top-Box Scoring of Rating Scale Data
Rating scales are used widely. Ways of interpreting rating scale results also vary widely. What exactly does a 4.1 on a 5 point scale mean? In the absence of any benchmark or historical data, researchers and managers look at so-called top-box and top-two-box scores (boxes refer to the response options). For example, on a five-point
How Many People Cheat In Online Surveys?
Remote user research has increased the demands for people willing to take surveys, provide website feedback and participate in usability tests. In exchange for their time, users are compensated. One drawback to these professional users is that there are some who are in it just for the money. Consequently, they may not take your study
What Happens To Task-Ratings When You Interrupt Users?
In usability testing we ask users to complete tasks and often ask them to rate how difficult or easy the task was. Does it matter when you ask this question? What happens if we interrupt users during the task instead of asking it after the task experience is over? Almost ten years ago researchers at
What Metrics Are Collected In Usability Tests?
There are many helpful books on usability testing. It is also helpful to know what actually happens in usability tests, including what metrics people collect. I asked MeasuringU newsletter subscribers to answer a few questions about how they measure usability. Sign up for weekly updates at the bottom of this page. In addition to the
Were most Software Millionaires born around 1955?
If you’ve read a book by Malcolm Gladwell then you know how he has a knack for making the mundane meaningful through drama-filled story telling. In his book, Outliers, he makes a convincing case that birthday matters for success in hockey. Being born as close to the year-end cut-off provides a developmental advantage. According to
5 Second Usability Tests
In a few seconds what can you tell about people… or websites? Some famous research has shown that student evaluations given after only a few seconds of video[pdf]are indistinguishable from evaluations from students who actually had the professor for an entire semester! There has been some relevant research on the importance of immediate website actions
How Many Users Do People Actually Test?
If you’re familiar with usability testing then you’re familiar with the magic number 5. Five users will on average find most of the problems that affect at least one-third or more of your users. If problems are less common, then you will need to test more users to find and fix them. On many high-traffic
What Really Happens In The Usability Lab?
There are many great books (some classics) on conducting usability tests. These books provide the blueprint for conducting an ideal usability test. One common theme these books present is that when conducting a test you are to act, as best as possible, as a neutral observer. Don’t lead users, don’t put words in their mouth
9 Things UX And Marketing Have In Common
Marketing and UX both play important roles in making products successful. They often compete for the same limited budget and can be at odds on product direction. I crunch numbers for both Marketing and UX groups and can’t help but notice how much both disciplines have in common. They are an unlikely couple. Here are
5 Classic Usability Books
The books on this list have done more than sell a lot of copies (some have only sold a modest amount). They have been influential in providing material that has helped establish the usability profession. 1. A Practical Guide to Usability Testing by Joe Dumas & Ginny. Redish (1993) One of three books on the
Can Users Self-Report Usability Problems?
Usability doesn’t have to be expensive, time consuming or involve lots of users. Jakob Nielsen popularized this discount approach two decades ago. A focus on finding and fixing problems by testing early and often with small-samples generates major insights. More recently Steve Krug has taken this informal approach to the masses by encouraging website owners
How common are usability problems?
Just how common are usability problems in websites and software? Surprisingly there is very little out there on the frequency of usability problems. Part of the reason is that most usability testing happens early in the development phase and is at best documented for an internal audience. Once a website is launched or product released