Usability Evaluation
Expert reviews and usability tests can be performed at any stage of design, though we always recommend as early as possible in the development cycle so that any issues can be fixed more easily and at lower cost. This is particularly true when hardware mechanical tooling and integrated circuit fabrication is involved. It is also useful to plan a few of these at different stages of the development cycle.
Expert Design Review
Good for quick identification of potential usability issues. Our usability experts will 'walkthrough' your design and review it in detail for issues like fit, feel, comfort, safety, access, ease of understanding, design semantics, operational sequence, potential errors and their consequences and performance efficiency.
The drawbacks are that unexpected user behaviour cannot be captured and it is also hard to determine how significant an issue will be.
Usability Testing
Good for identifying usability problems faced by real users, the extent of those problems and for surfacing issues related to unexpected user behaviour. It can also be employed to compare between design alternatives. Tests usually involve 4-16 representative target users performing a representative set of tasks in a controlled environment where they can be observed and recorded. As part of the text, users may be interviewed or asked to complete questionnaires and rating scales.
The drawbacks are that tests take longer and cost more as they involve recruiting users and setting up the tests. Users may get tired and less motivated if tests last too long, so tests often focus on just a few of the key functions and features. Tests also require that the function or feature to be tested is working sufficiently for users to interact with and give meaningful responses.