Improve Your Usability Tests: Learnings From Evaluating 100-plus Usability Tests
summary
Clear, evidence‑backed rules: evaluation of 150 videos/450 sessions finds moderators talk too much, ask leading questions, and write unusable reports; task design must maximize diagnostic value by testing different UI areas, avoid clues/pretender and imprecise tasks, and use objective observation not opinion. Practical process tested: three‑day study plus 40‑question exam and a filmed three‑participant practical. Small surprises include that one in 10 users understand “TLC” in an error message.
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chapters (15)
- 0:00Introduction
- 1:30Usability testing purpose
- 4:19Error message problems
- 8:41Test certification overview
- 11:16Key learnings from 150 tests
- 13:27Test task design value
- 18:07Avoiding clues in tests
- 21:04Objective observation
- 23:16Think-aloud methods
- 25:27Quiz: think-aloud
- 28:01Real behavior vs simulation
- 31:39Respecting participants
- 33:24Reporting findings
- 35:56Quiz: substantial problems
- 38:02Summary
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