Articles

The usability test introduction that we use at Novell is below. This introduction is designed as a guideline only; I usually glance at this introduction while I am beginning a test, and use it as an outline. The language of the introduction is very formal because we designed it for use in a corporate environment. You should feel free to change the language so that it feels comfortable to you. Read the rest of this entry »

In theory, anyone who is able to understand your tasks and interact with your software prototype could be a test subject for your usability test. However, the biases and experiences of your test subjects will color your results. In practice, you are likely to get the most useful input from people who are actually members of your target audience. Read the rest of this entry »

After you’ve written the tasks for testing your software, you are ready to make software mockups for your test subject to interact with.These mockups can take many different forms, from low-fidelity sketches, to paper prototypes, to software running on a computer. Read the rest of this entry »

The core of a usability test is the set of tasks that the test subject will be asked to complete during the test. These tasks should be based on operations that someone in the real world might want to use your software to accomplish. Each task should describe a single, concrete action, and should provide the test subject with all of the information she needs to complete it– for example, “Send an email to the trees@ecology.org mailing list.”
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One of Aesop’s most famous fables is the story of The Lion and The Mouse. Written in the sixth century BCE and circulated across the globe, this story illustrates a point which has stood the test of time, and, which is often overlooked in Linux software developement. Examining this fable and its moral provides a starting point for understanding how usability testing can strengthen desktop Linux. Read the rest of this entry »

We will be testing Banshee in the lab next week. The topics we are going to explore include importing music from other sources, connecting to ipods and other handheld devices, and managing playlists.

For these tests, we will be looking for test subjects with a moderate amount of experience using applications similar to Banshee on other operating systems. If you are in the Boston area and would like to participate, contact us at testme@betterdesktop.org.