[ATTW-L] usability online?

Thu Sep 24 15:21:03 UTC 2020

Apologies for the rushed nature of this (I have to teach soon), but in addition to Emma’s recommendation, a resource I assign my students is https://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/remote-testing.html#:~:text=Remote%20usability%20testing%20allows%20you,of%20about%203%2D5%20tasks.

This semester, I have students conducting remote tests for a real client – the local county library system.  They’re using Zoom to observe users (i.e. patrons) using the library system’s website.  The users share their desktops with the student-observers.  We were worried about people struggling with the Zoom technology, but we’re finding that one of the silver linings of COVID is that folks in the general population have become pretty familiar with Zoom or at least tools like Zoom.

Tharon

From: ATTW-L <attw-l-bounces at attw.org> On Behalf Of Salvo, Michael J
Sent: Thursday, September 24, 2020 10:44 AM
To: attw-l at attw.org
Subject: Re: [ATTW-L] usability online?

Emma, I really appreciate your insights here. I’m going to check out both usertesting.com<http://usertesting.com> and the adobe site. Thank you.

All:
In the current iteration of the capstone class, I’m teaching XA (Experience Architecture) and usability testing is a smaller part of the class activities. We’re focused on articulating the user experience. The final project has shifted to an “everything but” running a test with users, in part because of IRB complications (a whole ‘nother post), but also because I have been getting much better outcomes when the emphasis is on production of testing environments, ethics, processes, and preparing for working with users within institutions. The approach has taken the pressure off what I always felt was a rush to get to hands on testing, at the expense of users who would inevitably realize the testing was a class exercise, and result in strong observer effect problems. The students run the test procedures on each other and narrate their experience (speak aloud) and so there are layers of reflection and revision in the materials production and method/ological discussion.

I cannot imagine trying to first teach usability and user-centered design, and then run usability tests completely remotely, but that may be a failure of imagination on my part.

I look forward to more insightful posts. Thanks for the prompt, Miles.

-Michael
salvo at purdue.edu<mailto:salvo at purdue.edu>

On Sep 24, 2020, at 9:19 AM, Emma J. Rose <ejrose at uw.edu<mailto:ejrose at uw.edu>> wrote:

Hi all,

Remote usability studies have been a key tool in UX for many years. Our industry colleagues are also grappling with a full shift to remote at the moment and there are many interesting articles, stories,  and how to's out there.

In our program, one of our instructors had success last Spring having students use usertesting.com<http://usertesting.com/> to design and run remote unmoderated studies. They provided her with a free license for each student to run 5 participants.

When I teach in Spring (and if we are still online), I plan to have students work through the different options for remote testing and decide which method/tool to use depending on their research questions and articulate why. Having the students engage in both the deliberation and articulation of choosing research tools is a helpful exercise and one that will serve them well as the enter the profession.

This article is a very simple primer (from Adobe, excuse the corporate content but its quite good) https://xd.adobe.com/ideas/process/user-testing/remote-usability-testing/. It lays out the different approaches and some possible tools for each.

Look forward to hearing others’ approaches!

All the best,
Emma
------
Emma Rose, PhD
pronouns: she/her

Associate Professor
Writing Studies & Technical Communication
University of Washington | Tacoma
On Sep 24, 2020, 5:58 AM -0700, Stephen Bernhardt <sab at udel.edu<mailto:sab at udel.edu>>, wrote:

Could students evaluate usability of the tools they are using, like Zoom, Skype, Hangouts, or filesharing, concurrent authoring, or revision markup tools in Adobe, a CMS, or other software systems?

Steve Bernhardt
Santa Fe, NM

On Thu, Sep 24, 2020 at 8:35 AM Pass, Elizabeth Ruth - passer <PASSER at jmu.edu<mailto:PASSER at jmu.edu>> wrote:
Miles-
I've been struggling with teaching the Usability Testing course online, as well. I taught it last spring when we moved online. Students in my course use the Krug and Barnum text and I also focus a lot on accessibility/ADA/disability studies.

We went online during the formal testing project, right as they were conducting run-throughs and about to conduct the usability tests. I did a quick run-down on how to test online and told the class that because they have already recruited their participants, they could test them online if they want. They had already downloaded a trial version of Camtasia so they could record the test, or I let them use any other app/program (e.g. Google Meet) they felt comfortable with.

For the informal tests the students will conduct in the online Usability Testing this spring, I'll let the students test each other, as long as the websites they choose fit (which is almost a guarantee). Our university has licenses for WebEx and Zoom--so students are familiar with them and both allow sharing and recording.

For the formal test, students will recruit as they did in the past--through other classes, organizations they are a part of, family friends, etc.

The only problem I've run into is how to include/recruit those with accessibility needs to represent the audiences of the websites. I've found nothing in the lit. that discusses how to do this (if you know of any, please let me know). How do you recruit for participants with accessibility needs ("I'm writing to recruit those who have accessibility needs or disabilities according to the legal definition as participants.... If you have a physical, visual, cognitive....") or approach someone you think has an accessibility need ("Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude, but it looks like you have an artificial leg. Do you mind....") Talk about awkward and rude.

Fortunately, a colleague and close friend of mine has colorblindness, some hearing issues, and because of MS he has difficulty using the mouse and trackpad. I spoke with him and asked if he would be willing to serve as a participant for the students to use for usability testing. It's one thing to test for accessibility; it's another thing to have someone responding to the researcher about issues in real-time. After the testings, I'm also going to have a synchronous class so he can speak with the students and explain his experiences and issues he's had navigating websites. Also, students will be able to ask him questions.

I know this is not an opportunity available in a usability testing course every time; however, maybe you know someone you are comfortable enough with/close enough with to ask if he/she would do the same or at least share his/her experiences.

Best of luck and if you discover solutions, I'd appreciate the pass-along--
Elizabeth

________________________________
Elizabeth R. Pass, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
School of Writing, Rhetoric & Technical Communication
James Madison University
54 Bluestone Drive
MSC 2103, Harrison Hall 2258
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
540.568.8139
passer at jmu.edu<mailto:passer at jmu.edu>
sites.jmu.edu/HelpfulResources/<http://sites.jmu.edu/HelpfulResources/>
________________________________
From: ATTW-L <attw-l-bounces at attw.org<mailto:attw-l-bounces at attw.org>> on behalf of Miles Kimball <miles.kimball at gmail.com<mailto:miles.kimball at gmail.com>>
Sent: Thursday, September 24, 2020 7:35:07 AM
To: attw-l at attw.org<mailto:attw-l at attw.org>
Subject: [ATTW-L] usability online?

Anyone care to share approaches to teaching usability testing in an online class? Traditional usability testing  is difficult to do fully online without asking the test subjects to bear a lot of the load (setting up cameras and so on). In the past, with f2f classes I've tried to keep the focus on paper prototype testing, but even that seems unworkable online.

Any ideas or thoughts?

Thanks!

Miles

--
Miles Kimball, PhD
Professor, Department of Communication and Media
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

_______________________________________________
ATTW-L mailing list
ATTW-L at attw.org<mailto:ATTW-L at attw.org>
http://attw.org/mailman/listinfo/attw-l_attw.org
_______________________________________________
ATTW-L mailing list
ATTW-L at attw.org<mailto:ATTW-L at attw.org>
http://attw.org/mailman/listinfo/attw-l_attw.org
_______________________________________________
ATTW-L mailing list
ATTW-L at attw.org<mailto:ATTW-L at attw.org>
http://attw.org/mailman/listinfo/attw-l_attw.org

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://attw.org/pipermail/attw-l_attw.org/attachments/20200924/ec04e176/attachment-0002.htm>