User Interface Options - Round 1 protocol

Owned by Alison Benjamin
Last updated: Jun 28, 2012 by James YoonVersion comment
2 min read

Supporting Materials:

Greeting script

User Testing Greeting Script

Hi [user's name]. I'm [your name(s)] with the [project name]. The [project name] is [project description]. Today we are looking for ways to improve the user experience of [name of item being tested ]. This is a test of the component; we are not testing you. If you find something difficult to use, chances are that others will as well, so your feedback helps everyone. This test of the component is simply a means of evaluating the component's design and to discover any issues we need to address.

If you feel uncomfortable you can stop at any time during the study.

Please speak all your thoughts aloud as you go through the tasks. This helps us better understand why you are making certain choices. The study will take about [XX] minutes. We will answer any questions you have at the end of the study.

First we'll need you to sign this Consent Form. [If doing video or audio recording you will want to mention this ]. Information gathered today will only be used for research purposes, and will be kept secure. Published results of this study will be compiled with other participants and any specific references to participants will be done anonymously. Your privacy is our priority.

Do you have any questions?

Let's get started!

User Testing Demographic Questionnaire

Scenarios

Persona/Role

You're an English professor at the University of Toronto. The university community has just launched a new online dashboard that you use to access the university's services. Today you received an email from IT services telling you to log on to the dashboard, and inviting you to personalize its look and feel. 

Tasks

0. The Webpage you are looking it is called a dashboard. Please take a minute to familiarize yourself with the dashboard.

1. When you are ready, please show me how you would change the way your dashboard looks.

2. [When the user has customized the appearance] Now that you've made these changes, please imagine you no longer like the way your dashboard looks. How would you go about changing this?

3. [If the task hasn't been done] Show me how you would change the font sizes.

4. [If the task hasn't been done] How would you make the textfields bigger?

5. Go ahead and make any other changes you'd like to the appearance of the page.

Notes for Test Coordinator

Offering help during the test

Don't offer help; let the user attempt to perform the task themselves. If they ask for help reply with:

  • "What do you think you/that would do?"
  • "What do you think that means?"

You want to observe whether the user has trouble:

  • Previewing changes they make to the UI
  • Saving changes they make to the UI
  • Locating the "edit appearance"
  • Using both the "Easier to see" and "Easier to find" options

Post-test questions

  1. How easy or difficult was it for you to determine how you could edit the look and feel of the dashboard?
  2. [if relevant] How easy or difficult was it for you to change the font size, style, and contrast of the dashboard?
  3. Did you notice a way that you could preview your changes? 
  4. How easy or difficult was it for you to save changes you made?
  5. Where there any preferences you would have liked to change, but couldn't find?
  6. What UI options were helpful to you?
  7. Did you enjoy using UI Options? Is there anything you would like to improve?