The Art of Usability Testing with Guerrilla Methods
THE ART OF USABILITY TESTING:
THE GUERRILLA METHOD
Presentation by Ben Andrus and Laura Evans
Introduction: BU Libraries and Usability
•
3 libraries open to
students; Bartle
open 24/5; high
demand for library
space and resources
•
Is our website easy
to use?
•
In the past…
What is “Guerrilla Usability Testing”?
•
It’s a sneak attack—get them where they live/work/play
•
It’s quick—no advertising or recruiting
•
It’s flexible—sample can either be random or targeted
•
It’s cheap—because it’s quick, participants are satisfied with
a small reward; also, it can be done without expensive
equipment
•
It’s effective—elicits honest results from users
Our Methodology
•
Identify areas of
investigation
•
Create tasks for users
to complete
•
Decide what info to
collect on “Libraries’
Website Usability
Study” form
•
IRB Approval
•
Schedule staff to
administer the tests (7
members of Usability
Working Group)
The Test
•
Set up in the lobby
of Bartle Library
•
Two staff members,
two laptops, two
questions in two
sessions a day
•
Observers recorded
the actions of users
The Test
•
Entice students as
they walk by
•
Each student
asked to do one
task, so it took less
than 5 minutes of
their time
The Results
•
224 total users
•
Between 9 and 24
students of all levels
performed each task
The Results
•
Co-chairs tabulated the actions of users for each
task as well as the comments of observers
•
Wrote report on findings, identifying problem areas
and usage patterns
The Results: Some Interesting Conclusions
•
FindIt! is used for everything
The Results: Some Interesting Conclusions
•
MegaMenus are cluttered and terminology is unclear
Takeaways and Future Directions
•
Guerrilla method
worked well for us
•
Easy to scale according
to your resources
•
Dividing tasks among
more users prevents
fatigue and enables
more diverse user base
•
Get outside of the
library? Take laptops to
dining halls, dorms, etc.
•
Apply this usability
method to other library
services beyond the
website
Questions?
Contact us:
•
Laura Evans
evans@binghamton.edu
•
Benjamin Andrus
bandrus@binghamton.edu
The innovative guerrilla method of usability testing in this presentation by Ben Andrus and Laura Evans. Learn how to conduct quick, cost-effective, and effective usability tests to improve website usability. The presentation outlines the methodology, test setup, results, and interesting conclusions from the study at BU Libraries. Discover how guerrilla usability testing can elicit honest feedback from users and help identify problem areas and usage patterns.
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Presentation Transcript
THE ART OF USABILITY TESTING: THE GUERRILLA METHOD Presentation by Ben Andrus and Laura Evans
Introduction: BU Libraries and Usability 3 libraries open to students; Bartle open 24/5; high demand for library space and resources Is our website easy to use? In the past
What is Guerrilla Usability Testing? It s a sneak attack get them where they live/work/play It s quick no advertising or recruiting It s flexible sample can either be random or targeted It s cheap because it s quick, participants are satisfied with a small reward; also, it can be done without expensive equipment It s effective elicits honest results from users
Our Methodology IRB Approval Schedule staff to administer the tests (7 members of Usability Working Group) Identify areas of investigation Create tasks for users to complete Decide what info to collect on Libraries Website Usability Study form
The Test Set up in the lobby of Bartle Library Two staff members, two laptops, two questions in two sessions a day Observers recorded the actions of users
The Test Entice students as they walk by Each student asked to do one task, so it took less than 5 minutes of their time
The Results Staff, 1 Graduate, 22 Sophomor e, 33 224 total users Between 9 and 24 students of all levels performed each task Senior, 87 Junior, 71
The Results Co-chairs tabulated the actions of users for each task as well as the comments of observers Wrote report on findings, identifying problem areas and usage patterns
The Results: Some Interesting Conclusions FindIt! is used for everything
The Results: Some Interesting Conclusions MegaMenus are cluttered and terminology is unclear
Takeaways and Future Directions Guerrilla method worked well for us Easy to scale according to your resources Dividing tasks among more users prevents fatigue and enables more diverse user base Get outside of the library? Take laptops to dining halls, dorms, etc. Apply this usability method to other library services beyond the website
Questions? Contact us: Laura Evans evans@binghamton.edu Benjamin Andrus bandrus@binghamton.edu
