Evaluate designs
Regardless to how carefully a system is designed, all theories must be tested using usability tests.
Test early. Test often.
There are two major types of methods to assess the usability: usability evaluations and usability tests.
Usability evaluation techniques invalve usability experts evaluating designs by “walking through” designs based on user and tasks.
- Surveys/questionnaires
- Observational evaluations
- Guideline based reviews
- Cognitive walkthroughs
- Expert reviews
- Heuristic evaluations
Usability tests involve typical users using the system (or product) in a realistic environment. Observation of the user’s behavior, emotions, and difficulties while performing different tasks, often identify areas of improvement for the system. The objective of usability tests is to improve the design based on user feedback.
