On Oct 2, 2009, at 12:42 PM, Thomas Petersen wrote:
I really don't in general see the usage of testing during the design
process.
Whoa! Red flag alert!
Usability testing helps evaluate a design concept that tries to
address a design problem. That testing can be a baseline test,
something you do on production system or it can be used as a
validation mechanism on a newly proposed design/prototype.
To think that usability testing is only useful to find problems or
holes with a current production system, but not your proposed design
solution is short sighted. Any given problem has multiple design
solutions. How do you know you've selected the right one?
I see great benefit in testing before starting on the actual design
process in order to figure out what kind of problems, issues and
tasks users want. But testing usability in an environment that is
not final is IMO a waste of both time and money. Only if we are
dealing with entire new paradigms do I see any reason to test.
It's not April fools and this isn't the Onion, but... ;)
It can be an exploration technique, this one of the ways we use it, to
find out what users/consumers want, but that's really more exploratory
research than usability. Usability is more about identifying whether
or not the product/service meets the needs of the user/consumer,
enables them or impedes them, and gives them a satisfying experience.
Those measures apply to any system, production, or prototype.
Most people who call them selves either information architects or
UX'ers or designers should be able to deliver their part without
needing to involve the users once the problems, tasks and purpose
have been established.
Big mistake in doing this. That's how we got into the problem in the
first place. Someone designed the system w/o inviting users to kick it
around for a test drive. How do you know it wasn't a designer who did
it in the first place?
We do usability testing as part of our design process and as a
separate service offering to our clients. I can say that in both
cases, when we've designed something or our clients have designed
something, we find opportunities for improvement through testing.
Thinking that because you're a designer you know the right design, you
have the right decision, and it doesn't need validation is arrogant,
short-sighted, and ignorant. The best designers and the best systems
use a validation and feedback loop. Usability testing is one of those
feedback loops that's really important.
It is my claim that you can't really test usability before you
launch the final product and that you should factor this in instead.
I find the current state of UCD troubling to say the least.
The current state of UCD is troubling, I'll agree with that, but it's
because so many people in charge of designing systems are leaving out
validation. The attitude that it's only good for finding problems on
existing production systems and not validating your proposed solution
is only going to make that worse. I'm a bit shocked, frankly, that you
don't see the flaw in the claim that "you can't really test usability
before you launch the final product."
Perhaps your definition of usability testing needs to be tested?
Cheers!
Todd Zaki Warfel
Principal Design Researcher
Messagefirst | Designing Information. Beautifully.
----------------------------------
Contact Info
Voice: (215) 825-7423
Email: [email protected]
AIM: [email protected]
Blog: http://toddwarfel.com
Twitter: zakiwarfel
----------------------------------
In theory, theory and practice are the same.
In practice, they are not.
________________________________________________________________
Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)!
To post to this list ....... [email protected]
Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe
List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines
List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
