D1 - Testing Plan

Testing methods

An effective and authentic measure of a design solution means that the student has tested against every aspect of the design specification. These tests can be classified as follows.

Expert appraisal

A person considered an expert in the use of similar products is presented with the solution, given time to interact with the solution and then interviewed on aspects of its success. The expert has particular knowledge and skills that allow him or her to make judgments on the success of the solution. The expert may be the client.

Field trial

A field trial is a test of the performance of a solution under the conditions and situation in which it will be used. For example, an interactive information point (developed in HTML) for a museum exhibit may be tested by the exhibit visitors in the museum, structured as a user trial or user observation.

Performance testing

The performance of a solution is tested under the conditions in which it would normally be used. Quantitative data is collected through a variety of tests such as:

• destructive tests assessing impact strength or flammability

• cyclic tests

• measurement of physical properties such as weight and size

• timed tests for web pages to load

• ease of navigation through an interactive story, game or website.

User observation

The user is presented with the solution and is set a task to achieve with little or no guidance. The user’s interaction with the solution is observed and recorded.

User trials

The user is presented with the solution and guided on how to use it. The user is asked questions as he or she interacts with the solution or is given a survey to complete. User trials may include focus groups.

The design of interview or survey questions needs to be targeted to draw out responses that assess the solution against the specification.

Collecting data

Both types of data collected through testing are considered primary sources of data.

Qualitative data (定性数据)deals with quality and is data gathered as descriptions. This data tends to be subjective and can be converted to a numerical value, for example, “I like the overall shape of the solution, it fits my hand well, I would give it a 9 out of 10 for comfort” or “The layout of the webpage looks intuitive, it looks easy to navigate and the use of negative space makes it clear. I would rate the clarity of the page as 8 out of 10.”

Tests that can be used to obtain qualitative data include:

• using a questionnaire to find out if the target audience likes the look of a product

• surveying students to find out which parts of a video game they found too easy and which were too difficult

• working with a taste panel to find out if a target audience likes a food product

• interviewing an expert after he or she has interacted with a solution

• performing a user trial by giving a toy to children to play with and observing reactions.

Quantitative data (定量数据）deals with quantity and is gathered as definite values, typically a numerical value. This data is objective and can be measured, for example, “All information in the database has to be a maximum of 3 clicks away” or “The overall cost of the materials can be no more than €45.”

Tests that can be used to obtain quantitative data include:

• timing users who are tasked with finding a particular piece of information on a website

• measuring a product to ensure it is the correct size and within weight limits

• beta-testing interactive media to find bugs

• running performance tests to determine the strength of a product

• checking the capacity of a storage device

• counting the number of hits on a website over a set period of time.

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