No. 40 The Evolution of Usability Testing and the Benefits and Impact of User Behavior Observation Studies(September 26, 2008)
Yu Miyasaka,
Manager
Summary
- Usability testing that only extracts problems with the user interface cannot fundamentally improve a website.
- Conducting a user-behavior observation study at the outset of a project and accurately grasping the behavior principles (insight) of your target users will maximize the ROI of your project.
Usability testing is misunderstood!?
As concepts such as User-centeredness・and User experience・have pervaded the industry, it seems it has become commonplace in recent years for companies to include usability testing in website renewal projects. These days, we often hear of companies using full-fledged usability testing that employs such methods as eye-tracking, signs of extremely positive progress considering the situation from several years earlier.
That said, we are also seeing cases in which the general thinking is that usability testing is merely a study of the ease of use of a site and a way to extract user interface issues (ease of finding, ease of reading, etc.), and its fundamental benefits and impacts are not grasped.
Usability testing can take you beyond merely extracting issues with your user interface and be employed as a very powerful means of knowing your users. At beBit, we refer to usability testing as User behavior observation studies・in which we enable analysis that delves deeper into the mind of the user. We recommend employing this type of study as a higher-level marketing tool.
This column discusses the user behavior observation study that goes beyond a study on ease of use (usability testing) and introduces some of the benefits and impacts of such a study.
Typical usability testing ? user behavior observation study
What is the difference between typical usability testing and the user behavior observation study? There is no difference in the fact that both observe how a subject uses a website. There is a large difference, however, in how the study is conducted. The following table summarizes the main points:
Table 1: Differences between typical usability testing and the user behavior observation study
| Typical usability testing |
User behavior observation study |
| Check is performed when website is near completion or after it is complete (most often only checked once in the duration of the project). |
Tests are conducted at multiple stages, starting at the initial stage of a renewal project. |
| Purpose is to uncover any problem areas with the usability of a user interface (UI). |
Purpose is not only to grasp issues with the UI, but also to understand the validity of target users as well as their behavioral patterns and principles. |
| Tasks are prepared in advance of the test and the process checks whether the subject correctly performs the tasks (tends to become a can do/cannot do test). |
The process does not make the subject perform tasks, but rather only sets up a situation to observe the behavior of a user under those conditions (in that context). |
| Has subject use only the targeted site and is created for grasping superficial issues within the site. |
Leaves behavior and use up to the user, including visiting competitors・sites, search engines (and, at times, paper-based media such as pamphlets), and therefore is able to derive findings within and outside of the website, enabling the extraction and improvement of fundamental issues (also enables the consideration of methods not limited to the website or Internet). |
BeBit also conducts typical usability tests and the above comparison is not, in any way, intended to negate typical testing. The aim here is to suggest the potential for employing usability testing at a higher level.
This section describes the concrete benefits to conducting a user behavior observation study.
Benefit 1: Clarify the image of the target user
Benefit 2: Grasp user behavior principle
Benefit 3: Elicit measures for high ROI
Benefit 1: Clarify the image of the target user
The important point when classifying target users is to classify them by factors that affect user behavior. A company may consider their target users during a website renewal project, but unfortunately, there is often a gap between the target users envisioned in advance by the site administrator and reality.
In user behavior observation studies, what is observed is the behavior of a user in a specific context and it is therefore possible to grasp more clearly the factors that affect user behavior. The figure below shows a case in which the target user classification was modified through the process of on-site interviews and user behavior observation studies on the mortgage website for a certain financial institution.
Figure 2: Correction of target user classification (from User-Centered Website Strategy, p. 234)
(Click the image to enlarge it.)
In this example, the target user classification axis changed, making it clear that the site had to be constructed in a way that presented content that would persuade vendor-wary users and interest-rate selective users after settling on a piece of property. It is quite conceivable that the site would have completely missed the mark in terms of structure and content had it been constructed according to the original classification.
Benefit 2: Grasp user behavior principle
The behavior principle is the fundamental goal for spurring behavior (the background or real reason for behaving in such a way).
In user behavior observation studies, a series of user behavior is observed under certain conditions. An overall analysis of the behavior or reactions of a user under that context can elicit a hypothesis about the thoughts and needs behind that behavior or reaction.
This hypothesis can then be studied to indicate direction for improvement and can therefore go one step beyond the sometimes haphazard, superficial level of solving user interface problems.
Benefit 3: Elicit measures for high ROI
Typically, usability testing evaluates an existing user interface and is therefore likely to lead to thoughts about how to improve the current base. It is not as likely to lead toward suggestions for improvement that go all the way back to basic questions such as for whom and what should the user interface be provided.
User behavior observation studies clarify the target user classification and can identify behavior principles for each user type. This makes it possible to study those basic questions and find out what business benefits there are in providing what to whom. In extreme cases, the study results can help determine whether or not to even renew the site in question and some clients have actually avoided needless investment.
The day is coming soon when the evolution of usability testing that is the user-behavior observation study becomes essential to the user-centered approach and this study will be a common part of the website building process.
References:
About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design, Alan Cooper
User-Centered Website Strategy, beBit (Japanese only)
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