UsabilityWorks provide four software product and website usability evaluation options.
Expert Review
Usability Testing with Real Users
Testing and Comparison of Competitive Products
UsabilityQuickCheck! for websites
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Expert Review
An expert review is a useful means of commencing the usability evaluation process.
An expert review, also known as "heuristics", allows software products or websites to be evaluated against the accumulated knowledge of usability best practice principles without making the commitment of going to the next stage of usability testing with representative users.
Our usability experts will examine and analyse your software using their experience to assess how easy the website or software product is to use. The expert review also incorporates practical observations, such as whether the website delivers the information needed by a user, whether links are up to date and working effectively, as well as assessing aspects of design and marketing.
We then produce an expert review report outlining our observations and suggestions.
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Before the Expert Review
We discuss your software product or website and your target audience with you. This will help us to establish what function the site or product is intended to serve, the nature of its users, and how they use your product or site. This will indicate the appropriate direction for the expert review to take.
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The Expert Review
Using our usability and marketing expertise we review and evaluate your software product or website.
We produce a written report providing an overview of usability issues relating to the product or website, and suggest changes that could be made to solve problems.
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What You Receive
You receive a full written expert review report incorporating:
1. Findings and Explanations: a detailed analysis of the usability issues and problems relating to the product or website. Any problems are graded for usability significance.
2. Recommendations: we make recommendations and suggest solutions for any problems identified.
3. Presentation: we can provide a screenshow presentation of the results for your own use and, on request, we can also personally present our findings at your offices or at our premises.
UsabilityWorks tests software products and websites using real users to identify practical usability and accessibility problems. Usability Testing with Real Users can take place at all stages of development, from early designs, through prototypes to the finished product.
We recruit testers to match your audience profile, and observe and record them as they use your software or website, both generally and following a series of pre determined tasks. After analysing the observation and usage data, we provide you with a report outlining our findings.
The testing, analysis and report process normally takes around a week for a standard test, although this may vary according to your specific needs and requirements.
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The Testers
We locate testers within the target audience profile of your software product or website.
We recruit our testers from a variety of sources, including market research and recruitment agencies.
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Before Testing
We discuss your software product or website with you to establish whether you are interested in its general usability, or if there are more specific areas of concern which need investigating.
We learn about the target audience for your product or website to enable us to recruit appropriate testers.
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Testing
Stage One, Preparation.
We prepare the usability test for your software product or website according to your requirements and concerns, addressing any likely problem areas, and drawing on our own extensive experience.
Stage Two, Real User Testing.
Our standard test involves between 5 and 7 testers, although we can test using more people where appropriate. The tests are usually carried out at our testing facilities. The tests are individual sessions with a UsabilityWorks representative.
Testers are set a series of tasks, and their comments, behaviour and software use are recorded using sound recorder, video camera and state of the art observation software.
Stage Three, Analysis.
From the information gathered we generate a usability test data report, which, together with observations collected during the usability test, we then analyse.
Stage Four, Report.
Using the data report and observation analysis, we produce a usability testing report, making recommendations and suggesting solutions to identified problems.
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What You Receive
You receive a full written and audio visual usability testing report consisting of:
1. Summary: A summary highlighting the primary areas of interest and concern.
2. Findings and Explanations: A detailed analysis of the test results, examining any usability problems that became apparent during the test. Problems are graded in terms of usability significance.
3. Recommendations: We make recommendations and suggest solutions for any problems identified during the Usability Testing.
4. Usability Testing Data: We provide the Usability Testing information we gather, consisting of numerical data, user commentary and behavioural analysis.
5. Audio Visual: We provide a CD based video of the test sessions to illustrate points and observations made in the report. Seeing examples of users actually using and commenting on software products and websites can provide an invaluable insight into usability issues.
6. Presentation: We can provide a screenshow presentation of the Usability Testing results for your own use, and on request, we can also personally present our findings at your offices or at our premises.
We can also evaluate your competitors' software products and websites to highlight their strength and weaknesses. This will provide valuable information that can feed into your own design and development process.
We can evaluate competitive products and websites both heuristically and with real users.
As an entry point to usability testing, UsabilityWorks provides a unique website analysis service, UsabilityQuickCheck!
UsabilityQuickCheck! combines elements of both Expert Review and full usability testing.
While intentionally limited in scope, UsabilityQuickCheck! will uncover the most immediate usability issues, and offers a means of discovering the potential of usability testing. UsabilityQuickCheck! will also indicate whether further usability testing is advisable.
UsabilityQuickCheck! tests up to ten website pages against up to ten standard usability and functionality criteria. We use testers who are regular Web users and are familiar with websites generally.
In addition, our experts will comment on Usability and Marketing aspects of the website.
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What You Receive
An overview report, of between seven and ten pages, produced by usability experts based on their own expertise and on information provided by the testing process.
Price: UsabilityQuickCheck! is available from only £950 plus VAT per website.