A note on USABILITY TESTING ?

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conVisitors to your companies Website may have a wide range of Internet experience and, consequently, have different expectations which must be fulfilled to win them over. While experienced users look for implementation of industry norms, newcomers need guidance to surf through the unfamiliar Web environment. 

Failure to cater to such expectations is likely to result into lost sales, as visitors are unable to locate what they are looking for or unable to complete transactions. 

Usability testing starts by identifying specific demographic groups within the target audience, taking into account their age, profession, cultural background, level of Internet exposure and many other relevant factors. 

Goals of usability testing

Usability testing is a black-box testing technique. The aim is to observe people using the product to discover errors and areas of improvement. Usability testing generally involves measuring how well test subjects respond in four areas: efficiency, accuracy, recall, and emotional response. The results of the first test can be treated as a baseline or control measurement; all subsequent tests can then be compared to the baseline to indicate improvement.

1. Performance -- How much time, and how many steps, are required for people to complete basic tasks? (For example, find something to buy, create a new account, and order the item.)

2. Accuracy -- How many mistakes did people make? (And were they fatal or recoverable with the right information?)
3. Recall -- How much does the person remember afterwards or after periods of non-use?
4. Emotional response -- How does the person feel about the tasks completed? Is the person confident, stressed? Would the user recommend this system to a friend?