User Testing Homework

  • Identify a system that you would like to focus on. As with the user needs assessment, this could be a an e-commerce site, a web-based service, a smartphone app, traditional desktop software, etc. Everyone in the class must pick something different. You can use the same system as for the user needs assessment if you wish. Submit your choice by going to User Test System Choices.
  • Create a set of tasks for your user test.
    • You should aim for between 5 and 8 different tasks.
    • Aim for the whole test taking 30 minutes. A good rule of thumb is to select tasks that take a person 15-20 minutes if they know what they are doing.
    • The tasks should vary in difficulty, with the earlier tasks being easier, and the later tasks being more difficult.
    • The tasks should involve a number of different features or functions of the system. So, if you had chosen Canvas, you might want to include sending a message to the instructor, submitting an assignment, checking a grade, etc.
    • Here are some Sample User Test Tasks for a user test with the site Hipmunk.com (note that this is set of tasks typically runs 45 minutes for someone new to the site, so yours should be a little less involved).
  • Locate someone who has NOT used your chosen system before, and who is willing to complete the user test.
  • Conduct the actual user test, making sure to take notes as described below. If the user gets really stuck, go ahead and ask them to move on to the next task to keep the whole test within 30 minutes. Here is a User Test Notes Sample. And here is a blank note sheet you can use if you don’t want to set one up yourself.
    • Record the start/stop time for each task, so you know how long they took.
    • Note whether the task was completed successfully or not.
    • Note any actions or comments of the user during the tasks that indicates confusion, difficulty, or uncertainty, along with the time that this occurred. You can also note if something seemed particularly easy for the user, like they seemed to immediately understand what they needed to click on to do X task. You should generally have at least 3 such notes for each task, possibly many more than that if the task is complex or the user gets stuck.
  • Submit both your set of tasks and your note sheet via the User Testing Homework submission page.
  • You will receive separate scores for…
    • The set of tasks
    • Your note sheet