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It's been known for years that usability testing can dramatically improve products. But with a typical price tag of $5,000 to $10,000 for a usability consultant to conduct each round of tests, it rarely happens.
In this how-to companion to Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, Steve Krug spells out an approach to usability testing that anyone can easily apply to their own web site, application, or other product. (As he said in Don't Make Me Think, "It's not rocket surgery".)
In this new book, Steve explains how to:
Opening Remarks Call me Ishmael 2
How this book came to be, some disclaimers, and a bit of housekeeping
Finding Usability Problems
Chapter 1 You don't see any elephants around here, do you? 12
What do-it-yourself usability testing is, why it always works, and why so little of it gets done
Chapter 2 I will now saw my [lovely] assistant in half 20
What a do-it-yourself test looks like
Chapter 3 A morning a month, that's all we ask 22
A plan you can actually follow
Chapter 4 What do you test, and when do you test it? 30
Why the hardest part is starting early enough
Chapter 5 Recruit loosely and grade on a curve 38
Who to test with and how to find them
Chapter 6 Find some things for them to do 50
Picking tasks to test and writing scenarios for them
Chapter 7 Some boring checklists 56
And why you should use them even if, like me, you don't really like checklists
Chapter 8 Mind reading made easy 62
Conducting the test session
Chapter 9 Make it a spectator sport 90
Getting everyone to watch and telling them what to look for
Fixing Usability Problems
Chapter 10 Debriefing 101
Comparing notes and deciding what to fix
Chapter 11 The least you can do™ 110
Why doing less is often the best way to fix things
Chapter 12 The usual suspects 120
Some problems you're likely to find and how to think about fixing them
Chapter 13 Making sure life actually improves 128
The art of playing nicely with others
The Road Ahead
Chapter 14 Teleportation made easy 134
Remote testing: Fast, cheap, and slightly out of control
Chapter 15 Overachievers only 134
Recommended reading
Chapter 16 Happy trails / to you 144
A few final words ofencouragement
Sample test script and consent form 146
Acknowledgments 154
Index 158
Anonymous
Posted June 12, 2012
I haven't read it yet but if the only one star rating has no reason why its one star, why should i have to explain my actions
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Overview
It's been known for years that usability testing can dramatically improve products. But with a typical price tag of $5,000 to $10,000 for a usability consultant to conduct each round of tests, it rarely happens.
In this how-to companion to Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, Steve Krug spells out an approach to ...