Evaluation Assignment 8 – Usability Test Practice

For this assignment, you will practice your usability test with your development/undergraduate team. One member of your team will assume the role of participant, other members will assume roles that you have assigned them and remaining team members will observe. Your team and I will give you feedback during the practicing.

Reading List

There is no reading list for this assignment.

Assignment Description

Depending on conditions and your choice for usability testing medium, in-lab or remote, the usability testing practice will conducted slightly differently. But for either testing medium, there are common aspects for usability test practicing.

Common Aspects for Usability Test Practice

Because I cannot effectively observe all the practice usability test sessions in a single class meeting, I will email the class a scheduled for UX consultants’ practice test sessions.

Before the usability test practice, you should:

  1. read my feedback to your Usability Test Plan and modify your plan according.
  2. Email your development/undergraduate team the schedule for your usability test practice. The first part of the email should be the exact email you intend to send to your participants. In the remaining part of the email, you should list the assignment of roles for the team members including the participant role. Because you will have several practice sessions during the class hour, there should be several lists of role assignments.

There is not much time during the class time to organized and practice the test, so all students should arrive promptly. You, the UX consultant/graduate student, should gather your team and organize the practice testing. During the usability test practice, I will visit the different teams, and give feedback. Also your team may give you feedback. You should adjust your practice appropriately for feedback.

After the usability test practice session, you should revise your usability test plan.

Email to Participants

Realize that participants will not recognize your email address, so you email needs to give participants context for the email and the usability test. The email should inculde:

  • Context, explaining the purpose of the email and the usability testing.
  • If the email has a Zoom link then the meeting should have some security; the meeting should be created with a password
  • What the participants will need, for example a stable internet connection and any devices required for the testing. 
  • The consent document should be attached, the email should ask participants to read the consent document.

Details for Remote Usability Test Practice

If you/we are conducting usability tests remotely, I assume that you will be using the Zoom conferencing software for your tests.

Before the Testing Session:

  1. You should read my feedback to your Usability Test Plan and modify them accordingly.
  2. You should email Zoom invites the Sunday the week before the practice usability testing. I will  need time to record and organize the Zoom invites.
  3. The first part of the email should be the exact email you intend to send to the participants. In the remaining part of the email, you should list the assignment of roles for the team members including the participant role. Because you will have several practice sessions during the class hour, there should be several lists of role assignments.

During the Testing Session:

  1. You should start your Zoom meeting before their assigned class hour. 
  2. The developers/undergraduate students should join their meetings promptly at the class hour.
  3. After briefly organizing your development teams, you should begin practicing the usability test following the test plans.
  4. After a practice session, spend a little time evaluating your testing procedure and modify your usability test plans.
  5. Repeat practicing the usability test and evaluating the testing.

During the practice usability test sessions, I will attend and observe all the zoom meetings simultaneously.  Naturally, I’m not capable of observing in detail and evaluating all practice usability test sessions simultaneously. I expect to use two computers. On one computer, I will attend and visually observe all the testing sessions simultaneously. On the other computer, I will listen and observe a single practice test session and offer feedback to the team and UX consultants.  Naturally, it will take time for me to offer feedback to all the UX consultants, so keep practicing the entire class hour.  Besides, more practicing will improve your usability test.

Details for In-Lab Usability Test Practice

If you/we are conducting usability tests remotely, we will meet in our classroom. I expect that we will need additional space, so I hope to have reserved additional rooms.

Before the Testing Session:

  1. You should read my feedback to your Usability Test Plan and modify them accordingly.
  2. You should email your development team a reminder for the usability test practice session the Sunday the day before the practice usability testing.
  3. The first part of the email should be the exact email you intend to send to the participants. In the remaining part of the email, you should list the assignment of roles for the team members including the participant role. Because you will have several practice sessions during the class hour, there should be several lists of role assignments.

During the Testing Session:

  1. You should arrive promptly for class. 
  2. The developers/undergraduate students should also arrive promptly for class.
  3. Gather with your development team.
  4. I will assign you and your team a practice area.
  5. After briefly organizing your development teams, you should begin practicing the usability test following the test plans.
  6. After a practice session, spend a little time evaluating your testing procedure and modify your usability test plans.
  7. Repeat practicing the usability test and evaluating the testing.

During the practice usability test sessions, I will visit each team and observe their practice. I will offer feedback to the team and you, the UX consultant.  Naturally, it will take time for me to offer feedback to all the UX consultants, so keep practicing the entire class hour.  Besides, more practicing will improve your usability test.

Submitting on Canvas

There is nothing to submit on canvas

Grading Rubric

I will give you feedback during your practice sessions. The evaluation of this assignment will based on attendance and preparedness.

Prepare For Next Assignment

The next assignment will be conducting your usability testing. Prepare by reading: