Design Improvements through User Testing

Abstract

Designing interaction interfaces for web sites is very much like designing any other user interface (UI), with the same principles and processes being applied. Well-designed sites are easy to use, and provide a rewarding experience for the user, and a profitable interaction for the organization that owns the site. The main objective of this study was to demonstrate the utility of usability evaluation as a important part of the design process, with redesign being based not just on changing business requirements, but also on the findings of a structured user experience evaluation carried out prior to the redesign. This study evaluated a preliminary version of a commercial website that provided information, reviews and rating to its members on various consumer products. The evaluators recommended design changes, and helped implement the revised version of the site, and re-evaluated the new site using a consistent evaluation methodology. The evaluation procedure consisted of representative subjects performing a usability evaluation on the existing version of the site, using typical use scenarios developed in collaboration with the design team and client team, After the redesign, these test scenarios were tested in a follow-up study on the new site. The results showed a significant reduction in the problems, both in the severity level and in number of occurrences between initial version and final version. There was a significant reduction in performance time as well. This study conclusively demonstrates that the use of usability evaluation as a design improvement tool, results in significantly improved design.