Introduction

• Overview

I studied the hands-on knowledge and skills necessary for evaluating and testing the usability of products – website, mobile device, or some form of electronically mediated service. I applied usability techniques to real products. First, I formulated research objectives, goals, and questions. Second, I created solid research plans. Third, I conducted nuanced observational analysis. Last but not least, I created well-supported findings and recommendations.

• Goals

1. Comparison of features and usability with the competition (competitive/comparative analysis)

2. In-depth analysis of user needs (observation and ethnographic methods)

3. Asking users about their opinions and experiences (interviews and surveys)

4. Identifying a set of target users and uses (personas and scenarios)

5. Using checklists to evaluate the system from several points of view (heuristic evaluation)

6. Doing user testing of typical tasks on the system (usability testing)

7. Monitoring and testing the design of a system (experiments, log analysis)

8. Working with a larger team (real-world issues)