In Quantifying the User Experience, we recommend using a mix of task-level and study-level metrics, especially in benchmarking studies. But what, exactly, are task-level and study-level metrics, how do they differ, and why should you collect them both? In this article, we’ll explore this common practice of collecting both types of metrics to understand the
Paraphrasing the statistician George Box, all models are wrong, some are useful, and some can be improved. In a recent article, we reviewed the most common way of modeling problem discovery, which is based on a straightforward application of the cumulative binomial probability formula: P(x≥1) = 1 – (1-p)n. Well, it’s straightforward if you like
Finding and fixing problems in an interface is one of the fundamental priorities of a formative usability test. But how many users should you test with? And how many usability problems are there to be uncovered? These questions have been discussed and debated for decades. Early work on problem discovery suggested that the first few
There isn’t a usability thermometer. And if there were one, what would it measure? Unlike temperature, usability is not a property of a person or thing. The term usability has certainly been in the vernacular for decades, and people seem to know when something isn’t usable. But what exactly does it mean to someone whose
Questioning the effectiveness of usability testing may sound like a relic from the past. In the early years of industrial usability engineering, there was a constant need to justify the activity of (and your job in) usability testing. The book Cost-Justifying Usability (Bias & Mayhew, 2005) speaks to this. Usability testing has since gained significant
Is a usable experience sufficient for a good experience? Assuming a product, website, or app does what it intends to do and is usable, is there anything more? Usability testing tends to focus on the objective task-oriented performance quality of an experience. What about aspects such as innovativeness, originality, or beauty? Do these matter? If
The fundamental goal of usability testing is to produce highly usable products and services. That’s an uncontroversial statement. Where things can get a bit confusing is how different approaches to usability testing have different ways of achieving that goal. In earlier articles we have described the different types of usability tests but many types still
In an earlier article, I described the PURE methodology. PURE stands for Practical Usability Rating by Experts. Evaluators familiar with UX principles and heuristics decompose tasks into small steps and rate each step based on a pre-defined scoring system (called a rubric), as shown in Figure 1. Figure 1: Scoring rubric for PURE. The PURE
Mobile technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace. To help keep up, we pulled together relevant insights about the mobile user experience and mobile usage in general. This is an updated article to the 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2013 articles based on published data and our own mobile UX research. Cellphones are ubiquitous. A Pew Research
For most people, going to the doctor isn’t fun. Is the doctor in your network? How much will the visit cost? What if a CT scan is ordered? And when the bill comes, what the heck does EOB mean? What does or doesn’t your insurance cover? A visit to your health insurance website should help,
