Usability Testing or Usability Testing in Software Testing

It happens that to solve a specific problem we need an application that can help. A variety of software products differ in both functionality and ease of use.

The possibilities that become available when using software, with an ill-conceived interface, seem incomprehensible and incomplete.

Sometimes, an application that is very functional in function does not find popularity among users because of the difficulty in using it.

So, usability testing or usability testing should be an important part of the marketing policy of a mass software manufacturer.

Usability testing

- a testing technique designed to determine the level of comfort in use, learning, accessibility and attractiveness of the end user of a software solution within the given conditions.

The test result allows you to assess the degree of comfort of the application according to several criteria:

1. Productivity and effectiveness (efficiency) - characterizes the time and number of sequential actions taken by the user to obtain the final result.
2. Accuracy - indicates the number of erroneous user actions when using the application.
3. Locking in memory (recall) - shows the amount of information about working with the application that the user has saved in memory, a lot of time after the last work with the product.
4. Emotional response (emotional response) - will give an assessment of the user’s feelings remaining after working with the software; likelihood of recommending to other people.

Usability Testing at Different Testing Levels

Testing usability involves checking the application for the type of “black box” and “white box”. The tester takes the place of the final consumer and evaluates the product. The level of comfort in using objects, classes, methods, variables is tested.

The level of contentment is studied, if necessary, to change and expand, to ensure interaction with additional modules, systems. Choosing the right interface (API) will positively affect the quality factor, allow you to increase the speed of writing and maintaining the generated code, will entail an increase in the quality level of the application as a result.

Obviously, the process of testing usability should be carried out at all levels of product creation (modular, integration, system, acceptance). Each of them should provide a test case for various levels of the user. Starting from the developer, ending with the operator who will use the application in the process of its activities.

How to improve usability testing site?

First and foremost, an impeccably proven system of protection "from the fool" should be provided. English-speaking resources call it fail-safe or the Japanese term Poka-yoke. The general principle is simple: to prevent receiving false inputs due to inattention or illiteracy of the end user. An approach in this case may be a control scheme over the input data (for example, do not allow numerical values ​​in the text field).

Taking into account the opinions of users of the finished product should be the basis for improving the application. Correctly interpreting the reviews, you can bring the comfort of use several orders of magnitude higher than the original. Chain Plan-Do-Check-Act - planning-action-verification-correction. This is the so-called Deming-Shuhart cycle - a management algorithm for managing the process and solving tasks.

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Popular Misconceptions About Usability Testing

Most often, the false results of the usability test can be obtained as a result of a false installation, which is expressed in the identification of the convenience of the interface and the usability of the application. 

Yes, the user interface is used for verification, but the levels of verification differ. Since the interface is connected with the functionality, but the implementation of program code (for example, the process of client-server interaction) will not always have a visual component.

The second most frequent mistake is the opinion that you can do without the services of a professional tester in testing usability. 

You can understand the subject, but know exactly and take into account the nuances and features both in choosing a test case and in interpreting the results obtained only by a specialist. This becomes apparent if we keep in mind the multi-level and multi-faceted process of software testing services.