Usability testing and other UX evaluation methods can be divided into two major categories: formative evaluation and summative evaluation. Both have their place, but at different stages in the design lifecycle, and they have different characteristics, for example in the number of test participants needed for a good study.
Formative usability testing is best done with a small number of study participants, so that you have time and budget to test more design iterations of the user interface.
Field studies observe how people interact with interfaces in their own environment. Real-world contexts reveal behaviors for which you might not be aware.
There are a lot of elements involved in usability studies with a desktop computer. In this video, we'll walk you through an example test setup, including the necessary equipment, and discuss how to prepare for a test.
There will always be constraints that we have to work in, whether it's not having enough time or not having dedicated researchers on our UX projects. This video offers tips on how to do user research without feeling stuck.
Don’t just do usability tests. Do what you need. Consider five criteria to help you determine the most effective UX research method to use for your situation, to meet research goals, and achieve desired outcomes.
Diary studies are a longitudinal research method used to understand user interactions at different touchpoints, which is especially useful for omnichannel user research. Participants record their reactions as experiences unfold throughout the customer journey.
Jakob Nielsen answers an audience question about small and large usability studies. Which of these will improve your user interface design the most? (From the UX Conference in London.)
Increase the reliability and validity of your research findings by incorporating multiple research techniques and following study-design best practices, as explained by Jakob Nielsen at the UX Conference in Las Vegas.
Create low-fidelity, low-commitment rapid user interface prototypes to can get early user feedback. Video shows how to conduct user testing of these simulated screens, with examples of the kinds of usability problems you can discover by testing different kinds of prototypes.
