User Testing

Australian Government departments and agencies use a range of new technologies for information provision, service delivery and administration. A common theme amongst examples of excellence in online service delivery is that they have been developed with the users' needs and preferences in mind, and are evaluated and improved upon over time. User testing can be an important part of this development and evaluation process, and can help ensure that online services are as effective as possible.

Tell Me About?

What is user testing?

Web resources can be evaluated using a variety of methods, including the collection of website statistics, the analysis of feedback provided via phone or email, and structured interviews with users. Testing websites with individuals or groups of users can be very effective. Testing can provide useful information that can be used to make highly effective modifications to web resources. User testing can generally be done with minimal resources and produces useful results.

Other methods of evaluation can supplement the results of user testing and result in even more accurate assessments of web resource effectiveness. Alternative methods may include expert evaluation, heuristic review, usability walk-through, surveys and monitoring software.

User testing involves members from the target audience working through a set of tasks using the web resource being evaluated. Usability testing sessions may be conducted in a usability laboratory, at the person's desk or in a room set up to resemble a usability laboratory. There is normally one person per test session, with the session lasting from 30 minutes to an hour, although longer sessions may be conducted. However, due to OH&S requirements there must be a 15-minute break every 45 minutes.

The purpose of the usability test is to evaluate, from the user's perspective, the ease of use and intuitiveness of the resource. As users test the resource, they provide feedback on it, advising about what they like and dislike and about any difficulties they may have while using the site. This information can be used to revise the site in development or redesign.

Benefits of user testing

The quantifiable savings that can be achieved through early and continued usability testing include:

• increase in user satisfaction
• increase in productivity
• decrease in user training requirements
• decrease in calls to the Help Desk and need for technical support
• decrease in user error rate
• decrease in programming costs associated with late design
• decrease in maintenance costs.

Non-quantifiable savings that can be achieved through early and continued usability testing include:

• reduction in staff frustration, leading to improved staff acceptance of the resource
• benefit to staff in the provision of a resource that is easy to learn and to use.

User testing services

A number of companies offer usability testing services. Agencies may wish to skill up their staff by participating in the training opportunities that usability testing firms offer. This has the benefit of directly improving agency expertise in this area, as well as making agency staff more informed consumers of such services. Testing is an iterative process; and the more often sites are tested, the better they will perform.

Why Must I?

There are no mandatory Australian Government requirements for this topic.

How Do I?

• Testing Websites with Users (AGIMO, Better Practice Checklist)

Who Can Help?

For assistance contact:

Better Practice
Australian Government Information Management Office
Department of Finance and Deregulation
better.practice@finance.gov.au

What's Related?

• User Needs Analysis