#28817
Every page on the Web should ensure that users can understand its purpose. Even users not in the target audience should be able to figure out enough about the site to know whether it has content they are interested in or not.
Marshall, Samuel. Leaf Digital (2001). Design>Web Design>Usability>Methods
#14996
Usability Studies of WWW Sites: Heuristic Evaluation vs. Laboratory Testing 
Describes the strength and weaknesses of two usability assessment methods frequently applied to web sites to illustrate issues of special interest to designers.
Kantner, Laurie and Stephanie L. Rosenbaum. Tec-Ed, Inc. (1997). Articles>Usability>Testing>Methods
#11783
Usability Techniques: Analyzing and Reporting Usability Data
There is an ongoing discussion in usability circles about the importance of formal reports that document the results of usability testing. I think that each usability evaluation should have a formal report that provides some context for the problems. Not all problems can be addressed immediately and memories fade. Usability reports are also important for showing what a usability specialist has done. They can also be used to determine some metrics, such as the number of problems addressed by development or the number of problems that occurred during successive prototypes or versions of a product.
Wilson, Chauncey E. STC Usability SIG (1997). Articles>Usability>Testing>Methods
#19604
People often throw around the terms 'objective' and 'subjective' when talking about the results of a usability test. These terms are frequently equated with the statistical terms 'quantitative' and 'qualitative'. The analogy is false, and this misunderstanding can have consequences for the interpretations and conclusions of usability tests.
Hodgson, Philip. Userfocus (2003). Articles>Usability>Testing>Methods
#19750
Usability Testing Best Practices: An Interview with Rolf Molich
If you’ve done any usability testing, design evaluations, or heuristic inspections, then you’ve been affected by Rolf Molich's pioneering work.
Perfetti, Christine. User Interface Engineering (2003). Articles>Usability>Methods>Testing
#19626
Usability Testing: 8 Quick Tips for Designing Tests
This document is intended to help beginners design questions to help them conduct a good usability testing session. If you already have a prototype you want to test, you've already drafted a few questions, and you're eager to learn how to make the most of your opportunity to learn from your users, then this document is for you.
Jerz, Dennis G. Seton Hill University (2002). Articles>Usability>Methods>Testing
#19524
Usability Testing: Assess Your Site's Navigation and Structure
Usability is literally the 'ease of use' or understanding it takes to make something work. In this case, Web Site usability is the understanding of how an individual user navigates, finds information and interacts with your Web Site. Unlike online surveys or focus groups, usability testing is a oneon- one process in a 'watch and learn' approach. The results of the sessions are used to improve your user’s experience. Having the development team watch the testing and witness the results helps resolve most internal issues in an undisputed manner. You can’t fight the reality of usability testing.
Goto, Kelly. GotoMedia (2000). Articles>Usability>Methods>Testing
#21030
Usability Testing: Don't Let the Myths Put You Off
Jarrett dispels several myths about usability testing that may dissuade technical communicators from applying valuable usability techniques.
Jarrett, Caroline. Intercom (2003). Articles>Usability>Methods>Testing
#18808
Usability Testing: Getting It Right The First Time
User-centered product design is a design approach that focuses on the users’ job tasks, skills, and abilities. Usability testing has emerged as a critical component in the user-centered design process to assure that a product meets the needs of the user. Implemented correctly, usability testing can increase customer satisfaction and acceptance, improve product image, and reduce development costs. A variety of information is available to help you get started in developing a usability testing process. This workshop will provide sample questionnaires, checklists, scenarios, scripts, etc. However, the main focus of the workshop will be to train participants in the following two areas: (1) writing measurable usability test goals; and (2) collecting and interpreting the test data. These activities are critical because they relate directly to the usefulness of the test results.
Cope, Michael and Kevin Uliano. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Usability>Methods>Testing
#19625
Usability Testing: What is it?
Better-written technical documents enable people to work with greater speed, recall, accuracy, and comfort. These qualities, when taken together, make up the usability factor. This document suggests some ways you might conduct tests to measure the usability of your technical documents. It covers the kind of data you should collect, how many test subjects you need, and how you should treat those subjects.
Jerz, Dennis G. Seton Hill University (2000). Articles>Usability>Methods
#15082
This is a method of summarising a large body of fairly short statements into a small statistical table in a report. The method described here presupposes a spreadsheet; you can find specialised computer programs for doing the same thing.
#15080
Questionnaires are the most frequently used tools for usability evaluation. This page is a list of usability questionnaire resources, extending the information presented on the questionnaires page of Usabilitynet.
#23767
The Use and Misuse of Focus Groups
Focus groups often bring out users' spontaneous reactions and ideas and let you observe some group dynamics and organizational issues. You can also ask people to discuss how they perform activities that span many days or weeks: something that is expensive to observe directly. However, they can only assess what customers say they do and not the way customers actually operate the product. Since there are often major differences between what people say and what they do, direct observation of one user at a time always needs to be done to supplement focus groups.
Nielsen, Jakob. Useit (1997). Articles>Usability>Methods>Focus Groups
#22121
"Use Cases" and "User Scenarios" Explained
This file contains the responses I received to a message I sent on January 21, 2000 to the TECHWR-L and WINHLP-L discussion lists. It was posted on the Techwhirl website for awhile but was removed during a reorganisation of the site. Other people's comments are included with their permission.
Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (2000). Articles>User Centered Design>Methods
#31936
User Interviews: A Basic Introduction
A basic introduction to user interviews, a great way to build research on your users and help improve the usability of your site.
Gray, Alistair. Webcredible (2008). Articles>Usability>Interviewing>Methods
#29474
User Persona: Its Application and the Art of Stereotyping
I feel that creation of user persona is nothing but realistic stereotyping or a simplified outline of the user. The word 'realistic' is more important as realism can be achieved only through user study. (I am not referring to the fictional personas applicable in futuristic technologies). Humorists, cartoonists and filmmakers are gifted with the art of stereotyping. But they tend to exaggerate a lot. Therefore the personalities they render appear like caricatures. We must avoid caricatured user personas. While stereotyping, you generalize and oversimplify. And when you do that you pick or eliminate some details. That makes all the difference.
Katre, Dinesh S. Journal of HCI Vistas (2007). Articles>User Centered Design>Methods>Personas
#28656
User Research Doesn't Prove Anything
Quantitative studies, while providing us with a method for estimating user population statistics, cannot provide us with proof. Used carefully, however, they can tell us a great deal--and if not with certainty, at least with a known amount of uncertainty.
Baty, Steve. UXmatters (2007). Articles>Research>Methods
#26834
User surveys are a means of finding out how the software or web site is likely to be used by a specific set of users, and who these users are likely to be. The answers user surveys provide must be relevant to the issues that are important to the design team. User surveys are traditionally carried out by post, but increasingly, the internet is used for this purpose.
#19300
User Testing vs. Expert Evaluation
It is something of a given in the usability industry that testing with real users is the most effective way of identifying interface issues that may cause usability problems. Whilst it is true that testing is the best way to get real feedback on user experience with a site or application, there is an argument that evaluation by an expert is an equally efficient way to identify these problems. For some reason, the process of expert evaluation in usability circles has acquired the name 'heuristic evaluation', a term that is largely inaccurate in this context and certainly confusing for those unfamiliar with the jargon. However, that is a different story. Here we are more concerned with the pros and cons of expert evaluation as compared with user testing.
Gaine, Frank. Frontend Infocentre (2001). Articles>Usability>Methods
#19364
User-Testing Techniques - Site Reviews
Accurately measuring reader-friendliness is a complex task for any Website. Usability testing techniques have been applied with some success to Web pages. But formal usability tests are difficult to set up, and very expensive to conduct (often prohibitively so). And the diversity of the audience of Internet sites probably limits the utility of formal usability testing of many Web pages. Happily, inspection-based usability evaluation is generally as effective as formal, experimental testing, and it is much easier (and less costly) to conduct. This series focuses on inspection-based usability assessment. A site review is basically an unstructured inspection by a third party, typically focusing on the site's usability and aesthetics. It's a difficult but worthwhile effort for serious-minded authors to seek out reviewers who are willing to invest the time to undertake a serious review of your site, offering constructive suggestions for improvement.
Sullivan, Terry. All Things Web (1996). Articles>Usability>Methods>Web Design
#30007
User role models are compared in detail with the popular user modeling technique of personas. User roles offer a more compact, more focused means of capturing and exploring those aspects of users most relevant to interaction design. The advantages and limitations of the approaches are considered and a combined strategy is described.
Constantine, Larry L. Constantine and Lockwood (2006). Articles>User Centered Design>Methods>Personas
#20132
Using a Survey to Help Plan and Develop Your Document
Surveys can be valuable tools for developing your document. We used our survey to answer many of our user and task analysis questions before planning content for different service manuals. When creating and using a survey, identify what information you need to know about your users, consider your options for mailing the surveys, plan a smooth processor gathering, tallying, and analyzing the data, and then remember to report back to your respondents. Ultimately, your findings can be incorporated into a recommendation report for your clients, as well as help you plan the content and layout for your document.
Lester, Susan M.J. and Lauren Y. Hansen. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Usability>Methods>Writing
#30246
Using an Ethnographic Method to Gather Usability Data from the Field
Observation is a way to gather rich information about how users work with software products that also provides a clearer understanding of the users' work. The method consists of watching users performing their normal work routine where they work. Observers can be usability professionals or trained individuals from the company. The richness and type of data collected can be used to identify design opportunities for the next release, define usability goals for all products, and create realistic customer scenarios.
Carlevato, Denise. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Usability>Ethnographies>Methods
#29298
Design games offer an alternative to traditional methods for brainstorming, collecting requirements, building team communication, modeling, and prototyping. Jess McMullin shows us how game principles and examples can complement existing methods.
McMullin, Jess. Boxes and Arrows (2007). Design>Collaboration>Methods
#28300
Using DFSS Tools for Better Technical Writing Processes and Deliverables 
Paresh Naik explains how the Technical Writers and Publication Managers can leverage the six sigma tools and techniques for improving the quality of information products and processes.
Paresh, Naik. STC India (2006). Presentations>Quality>Workflow>Methods
