Get Out of Your Lab, and Into Their Lives

The proliferation of usability labs is a sign of success for the field of user-centered design. Whether it’s a low-rent lab comprised of a couple adjacent conference rooms, a video camera, and a television, or a fully decked-out space with remote-control cameras, two-way mirrors, an observation room, and bowls of M&Ms — more and more companies are investing in such set-ups. Conducting user tests in labs is probably the most common means of getting user input on projects. That’s a shame, because standard user testing practice is remarkably out of sync with reality.

Merholtz, Peter. Adaptive Path (2006). Articles>Usability>Testing>Contextual Inquiry

Conducting International Usability

User testing is a valuable tool, but how does one conduct user tests internationally? This essay draws from my experience leading an international user testing project, and I hope you can learn from my mistakes and successes.

Merholtz, Peter. Adaptive Path (2003). Articles>Usability>Testing>International

The Pendulum Returns: Unifying the Online Presence of Decentralized Organizations

A number of smart businesses are realizing that the organizational characteristics that lead to their successes — such as agility, decentralized decision making, and fast growth — have made their Web sites unworkable through poor development processes and inconsistent user experiences. This frustrates any attempt by visitors to find meaningful information.

Merholtz, Peter. Adaptive Path (2002). Articles>Collaboration>Organizational Communication>Online

Jared Spool on User Research Methods

Adaptive Path’s Peter Merholz recently talked to the founder of User Interface Engineering Jared Spool about user research.

Merholtz, Peter. Adaptive Path (2005). Articles>Research>Usability>User Centered Design