Usability Testing
When I started to work on my first
project (fortunately I got an opportunity to work in a mobile application
project) after two months of training, I thought that I was doing well and
travelling in the right path. During one of the “QA discussion” sessions, my
manager asked me to take a presentation regarding the training given to me and my
first project experience. She wanted to understand my perspective of the
training and project experience. I spent lots of effort on creating a presentation.
I took the presentation with the title “Starting a career as testing professional”. Generally in our meetings we used to have technical
presentations, however, with just 3 months of experience in the field of
testing, I did not have much to contribute technically (also the fear on what
to present in front of experienced testers). Hence, I proceeded to share my 3
months of experience, based on my self-analysis, I compared myself with the developers
and how my QA team involved in my career growth.
Everyone in the team enjoyed my
presentation and they gave their feedback. My manager told that my presentation
was very interesting and appreciated the creativity.She also told me to improve
my communication skills.I had a great sigh of relief, that I have got a fairly
good appreciation for my presentation(seemed positive that what I had
expected). Just when I was going to feel relaxed, my TL asked the manager to
give feedback about my performance in the project( this question was totally
unexpected from my TL. Numerous thoughts came to me as to am I going to be put
down in front of a team of 15 members.Oh God!!am I going to get disgusting
feedback for the work that I have been doing.I am only 1 month into the
project,how can one give feedback about my performance???). While all these
thoughts flashed, my manager suddenly replied that I needed to develop in
various kinds of testing but he is good at usability testing.
Now the problem starts here, what. .
? What did my manager tell about me? Is it so I'm good at usability testing.
Now I have come up with new questions as a tester myself “What is usability testing.
. ?” And “What is usability. . ?” Now, what else started googling and didn’t
find much about usability. Just got an answer “Usability testing is type of end
user testing how comfortable the product is for the users”, the answer didn’t
impress or satisfy me.
Whenever I'm using various applications
in my mobile and also testing my project in office mobiles (different mobile devices
are available), sometimes I used to think what I'm actually expecting and how
the application fulfills my expectation. Day by day, started thinking about
usability
§ How I'm using mobile?
§ How can I perform the task in an optimized
manner?
§ What are the shortcuts the application
provides to the user?
§ Did user find work/did it meet his
requirement with the application?
§ Did the application perform well or
is it killing the user’s time to complete the task?
§ What are the popular applications
available in the market, is good in usability. ?
§ How to make an application friendly
and usable?
So on so many questions I raised myself.
Then I realized my manager’s feedback about me, “He is good at usability
testing”.
This blog regarding “Usability Testing”, for example we see
mobile usability testing, because mobile is the future world, compact, simple
and huge users around the world. There are several types of mobile available in
different size and with different OS. Today the most popular smart phones are “iPhone,
Android and Windows Phone”. Each and every phone having its own “Trait”, people
automatically adapt to their smart phone trait. Even though they are smart
phone users each and every smart phone having its own functionality. Below
picture shows the very basic trait, this is how the mobile phone users are
different from one another.
This basic trait makes very different experience from one another devices,
each application wants to satisfy different mobile user.
For example “Social Apps”, which is
available for all different devices. “IPhone” has only one home button, here
the user expecting “Back” button inside the application but in “Windows and
Android Phone” are having inbuilt back button. “Windows Phone” allows to create
the menu button in the bottom meanwhile android allows the menu button in the
top. The below image shows that same application having “Attachment Menu Icon”
in different place in one other device, here the tester needs to concentrate on
the respective smart phone functionality completely before starting to test the
application’s usability.
There are
several hundreds of social applications available in the market only a few applications
downloaded by the large number of users as well as actively used by those
users. The application may be likable but if it is not usable one, people won't
use respective application even though they like. We can make the users to
download the application by the better advertisement and marketing but unable
to make them as active users. Only usable application attract the users slow
and steady will hit, without butter advertisement and marketing.
Info “Image” speak more than the “Paragraph of Text”, hence
we need to provide short and fast accessing application to the users.
First the tester needs to focus on the device functionality:
·
What is the device OS
·
What is the device OS Version
·
What is the functionality of the device
·
What are the key factors available in the device
·
Feature available in the device and so on
Secondly
the tester needs to focus on the Application functionality
·
What is the target of the application?
·
How the application matches or handles the device
functionality?
·
How the application work with the device key factor?
·
How can the application use the device feature?
·
How the application going to help the user?
·
How short the user can reach the target?
·
How many times the user needs to tap the icons?
·
How the application get work in the device?
·
How can we do for a better user experience?
·
How much space it occupies in the memory?
·
How much RAM should application consume?
Compare the Application
in one other Device
When
testing the usability of the application, test the application by installing in
various devices in various sizes in various OS versions. Comparative testing
gives the better user experience. If you focus android device open the
application in 3inches device to 5inches advice and android 2.0 to android 4.4
version. Maximum there won't be any functionality issue, but you can experience
several UI issue example “Image” won’t fit in all the device as exactly what we
expect and “Button” frame may overlap one other button.
Now you
may come up with the question why different OS version?
Android
2.0 having different functionality when compared to Android 4.0 please see the
below image. Where Android 2.0 having inbuilt “Menu” and “Back” button on it,
but android 4.0 having only “Back” button.
Evaluation of Usability
As per the evaluation of OS, the application
should be upgraded and fit into the new OS. Maximum tries the application to
the latest version of the OS because all the mobile device having the option to
upgrade the OS. As we know mobile companies providing a free update for OS
whenever the new OS version is available for the new user experience. Peoples
eager to update the OS whenever it is available.
User Cognition
As we know, there won't be any need that the end
user has to be technically or functionally strong about our product. But they
will be comfortable using their own smart phones. By this they can easily come
up with the usability issues, meanwhile we want to concentrate on the application functionality
when end user working with our application because they won't have enough
knowledge about our application for the first time. By this we can experience
that how
users think.
Device Key
Feature and Our Application
As mentioned before our application wants to work
according to the device. For example iPhone not having “Menu” button or “Back”
button, in Android some device having inbuilt “Menu” button and “Back” button
and some device having only “Back” button but windows phone only has “Back”
button. If we provide “Back” button for “Android” and “Windows” application
means that won't make any sense. “Application
is for the device, device is not for our application”.
Mobile
vs. Desktop in Usability Testing
By the above information I had mentioned only about
mobile usability testing. Yeah, there are so many usability issues in the desktop,
even though it's quite different from mobile. How? There are several applications
available for both desktop and mobile. User can use desktop only by two
different ways may be sitting in the chair or laying on the floor when using a
laptop, but laptop and desktop need a stand to place it. But mobile is totally
different, user can use mobile application whenever and whatever they are
doing. User can use mobile when walking, joking, running, lay on the floor,
hanging on the bus, taking tea in one hand and can operate mobile by another
hand, here user hand working as mobile stand and single finger is enough to
operate the complete mobile application. And also mobile is the future of the
world which compress the world inside our hand.
Usability is defined by 7 Quality Components:
Learnability: How easy is it for users to accomplish basic tasks, when the
first time they using the application. Did the design is simple and easy to
access around the application at very first time for the end user. How shortly
he/she get familiar with the menus and functionality of the application
Effectiveness: Once users have learned the application
design, how quickly can they perform tasks? How quickly they can access the
application, how they using the application with the device key factors and
features.
Likability: Application design should be liked by the user, if they like
the application they will share with their friends and promote them to use our
application. Simple and quick usability make the users to like the application.
Utility: Application
should be useful one, should allow them to store or handle the task whatever
the user need. If the application is for storage it should allow maximum
storage as well as, the application wants to execute quickly when download and
upload the data.
Memorability: When users return to the Application after a long period, how
easily can they reestablish proficiency? If the application database stored
cloud environment, the user can easily able to retrieve the data. How familiar
with his old data and application functionality
Mistakes: How many mistakes do users make, how severe are these mistakes,
and how easily can they recover from the mistakes?
Fulfillment: How pleasant the application is to use and easy access, did
fulfill the user expectation and experience.
Conclusion:
You are the best usability tester for your own, test all application what
are all you using on your mobile. You are an end user as well as a tester and
try to find the usability issues you are facing, make a note how to overcome
those usability issues in the respective application. Test the application
completely used the device key factor and features, come with a solution. Discuss
with your friend and colleagues will help you to become a “Best Usability
Tester”.
Good article Balaji... keep blogging...
ReplyDeletethank you
DeleteNice one mapla.. keep going..
ReplyDeleteVery nice u have explained Balaji
ReplyDelete