A usability lab is a place where

usability testing Usability testing is a technique used in user-centered interaction design to evaluate a product by testing it on users. This can be seen as an irreplaceable usability practice, since it gives direct input on how real users use the system. It is m ...

is done. It is an

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

where

user Ancient Egyptian roles * User (ancient Egyptian official), an ancient Egyptian nomarch (governor) of the Eighth Dynasty * Useramen, an ancient Egyptian vizier also called "User" Other uses * User (computing), a person (or software) using an ...

s are studied interacting with a

system A system is a group of Interaction, interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment (systems), environment, is described by its boundaries, ...

for the sake of evaluating the system's

usability Usability can be described as the capacity of a system to provide a condition for its users to perform the tasks safely, effectively, and efficiently while enjoying the experience. In software engineering, usability is the degree to which a soft ...

. Depending on the kind of system that is evaluated, the user sits in front of a

personal computer A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or tec ...

or stands in front of the systems interface, alongside a

facilitator A facilitator is a person who helps a group of people to work together better, understand their common objectives, and plan how to achieve these objectives, during meetings or discussions. In doing so, the facilitator remains "neutral", meaning t ...

who gives the user tasks to perform. Behind a

one-way mirror A one-way mirror, also called two-way mirror (or one-way glass, half-silvered mirror, and semi-transparent mirror), is a reciprocal mirror that appears reflective on one side and transparent at the other. The perception of one-way transmission i ...

, a number of

observer An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment. Observer may also refer to: Computer science and information theory * In information theory, any system which receives information from an object * State observer in con ...

s watch the interaction, make notes, and ensure the activity is recorded. Very often the testing and the observing room are not placed alongside. In this case the video and audio observation are transmitted through a (wireless) network and broadcast via a video monitor or video beamer and loudspeakers. Usually, sessions will be

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

ed and the

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consists ...

will

log Log most often refers to: * Trunk (botany), the stem and main wooden axis of a tree, called logs when cut ** Logging, cutting down trees for logs ** Firewood, logs used for fuel ** Lumber or timber, converted from wood logs * Logarithm, in mathe ...

interaction details.

Benefits of usability testing

Usability Usability can be described as the capacity of a system to provide a condition for its users to perform the tasks safely, effectively, and efficiently while enjoying the experience. In software engineering, usability is the degree to which a soft ...

is defined by how effectively users can use a product, a brochure, application, website, software package, or video game to achieve their goals.Angelo. http://www.angelo.edu/dept/english_modern_languages/usability.php Usability testing is a practice used within the field of user-centered design and user experience that allows for the designers to interact with the users directly about the product to make any necessary modifications to the prototype of the product, whether it be software, a device, or a website. The purpose of the practice is to discover any missed requirements or any kind of development that was seen to be intuitive but ended up confusing new users. By testing user needs and how they interact with the product, designers are able to assess on the product's capacity to meet its intended purpose. Usability labs help optimize UI designs, work flows, understanding the voice of the customers, and understanding what customers really do. Through in-lab sessions at a specified location, designers, stakeholders and anyone else involved in the project, are observing the process of how a customer interacts with the current

prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...

. To understand user needs, engineers must observe people while they are actually using computer systems and collect data from on system usability. In-lab usability testing usually has small and specific sample sizes to better obtain qualitative data on the product. The participants cooperate with engineers to understand how the user interacts with the system being tested through hands-on testing. "Through this process, developers are able to identify issues with the product. To aid fixing any problems, observers pay strict attention to: * Learn if participants are able to complete specified tasks successfully * Identify how long it takes to complete specified tasks * Find out how satisfied participants are with your Web site or other product * Identify changes required to improve user performance and satisfaction * Analyze the performance to see if it meets your usability objectives"Usability. http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/user-research/index.html

Usability and user experience

User experience is important to customer response in the market. The causes of failed designs and ad design decisions can usually be attributed to a lack of information. A poor user experience can ruin a product launch, drive users away for good and impact the reputation of a company.

Lab-based testing environment

Usability tests are both formal and informal attempts to gather data about how users experience interfaces (Angelo), devices, software, sites, and many more. Usability tests have a wide range of involvement in other fields of product development.

Tools and technology

Usability labs usually feature two rooms. One room containing the lab with the system being tested for usability and all the other necessary equipment such as

video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) syste ...

and

audio recording Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording te ...

devices or eye motion trackers. Here, the participant is asked to come in and they are provided tasks to complete to test specific ideas of the product, but sometimes are allowed to explore the product by trying what a certain feature does.

Audience

In formal labs, there is typically a second room with a

. Here, the observation room is held that allows stakeholders, designers, developers, and other parties involved in the project to observe and understand that some things they might have found to be intuitive among their team to actually be more complex than the feature had to be.

Recruiting participants

Choosing participants for lab testing involves consideration. Not just anyone is a suitable participant for the in-lab test. It is vital to recruit participants who are similar to the site users for usability testing. Developers and designers are not the users, so refrain from using internal staff as participants unless the individual has had no involvement in the design or development of the site or product and they represent a target audience. It is also a good idea to compensate participants for taking time out of their schedule to involve their self in a voluntary experiment; however, there are restrictions. For example,

federal employee The United States federal civil service is the civilian workforce (i.e., non-elected and non-military public sector employees) of the United States federal government's departments and agencies. The federal civil service was established in 1871 ( ...

s cannot be paid for their time. The number of users to test is also an important consideration when recruiting participants. Usability tests cost money and resources which is unfortunately very limited, especially with smaller-scaled projects. One effective approach is to consider using five participants. "Zero users give you zero insights."Nielsen Norman Group. http://www.nngroup.com/articles/why-you-only-need-to-test-with-5-users/ The moment a single user has been observed in a lab setting, insight on the product is immediately gained. Features in the current design need to be redesigned and revisited to essentially fix anything that was not helping users with their experience. However, there is a limit to how many users should be considered because "as you add more and more users, you learn less and less because you will keep seeing the same things again and again."

What to look for during testing

User research is the process of observing and understanding how people interact with different objects in everyday life. These can range anywhere from websites and software products to hardware and other gadgets.

Different techniques

* Think-aloud experiments * Contextual interviews * Concurrent probing * Retrospective probing * First click testing *

Focus group A focus group is a group interview involving a small number of demographically similar people or participants who have other common traits/experiences. Their reactions to specific researcher/evaluator-posed questions are studied. Focus groups are ...

s * Individual interviews *

Online surveys A paid or incentivized survey is a type of statistical survey where the participants/members are rewarded through an incentive program, generally entry into a sweepstakes program or a small cash reward, for completing one or more surveys. Detai ...

Task analysis Task analysis is the analysis of how a task is accomplished, including a detailed description of both manual and mental activities, task and element durations, task frequency, task allocation, task complexity, environmental conditions, necessary cl ...

References

{{reflist *EvocInsights. http://www.evocinsights.com/pdf/eVOC_Services_Overview_Usability_Labs.pdf *The Chisel Group. http://thechiselgroup.org/usability-lab/ *Teced. http://teced.com/services/usability-testing-and-evaluation/lab-usability-testing/

External links

Survey of Usability Labs
— Summary statistics for size and layout of 13 usability labs (1994) Laboratory types Usability