What is Usability Testing?

What is Usability?

• The degree to which something is able or fit to be used.
• Usability is a quality attribute that assesses how easy user interfaces are to use.
• The capability of the software to be understood, used, learned and attractive to the end user when used.
• It means making products and systems easier to use and matching them more closely to user needs and requirements.
• Usability is how easy an object is to use.

Usability is more in the design,development and in the minds of the people who contribute to the product\system. Usability is all about user experiences.

What is Usability Testing?

Some of the characteristics of usability testing are 

• Testing for “User- friendliness”, simplicity of software, product and system.
• Testing to determine the extent to which the product is understood, ease to learn, easy to operate and attractive to the end user.
• Usability testing, a non-functional testing technique that is a measure of how easily the system can be used by end users.
• Usability testing is a method used to evaluate how easy a website is to use.
• Testing the product from the end user(customer) point of view. It covers a range of techniques for identifying how users interact with the application, product or system.
• Usability Testing is a black box testing technique.
• Usability testing also reveals whether users feel comfortable with your application or Web site based on the different parameters – the data flow, page navigation and screen layout, performance and content – especially in comparison to prior or similar applications.

Usability testing includes the following five components:

Learnability: How easy it is for a new user to accomplish tasks the first time they visit your website.

Efficiency: Efficiency is how quickly users can accomplish tasks on your website after they are familiar with its use.

Memorability: When users return to the design after a period of not using it, does the user remember enough to use it effectively the next time, or does the user have to start over again learning everything?

Memorability is how easy it is for someone to come back to using your website after they haven’t used it for a period.

Errors: How many errors do users make, how severe are these errors and how easily can they recover from the errors?

Satisfaction: How much does the user like using the system?

The Key Focus is on:

• Ease of use-- User- friendliness
• Ease of Learning or familiarising with the system
• Satisfaction of the user with the entire experience

Benefits of usability testing

The Key Benefits of Usability Testing are

• Better quality software\System \Product
• Potential problems are highlighted before the product\software is launched
• Minimise the risk of the product failing in the market
• Product is easier to use
• Optimise cost and effort due to early end user feedback
• Decrease customer support costs
• Reduce defect fixing, development and redesign cost which increases user satisfaction.
• Improved Accessibility
• Focus on the features that really matter to end users
• Increased user satisfaction resulting in competitive advantage

Usability testing helps to fix potential problems that a user may face even before the entire system is made live. This results in a better performance and an efficient system.

Usability Testing is the best approach to understand end users experience on the product or application. It focuses on measuring the intended purpose for which a product or service has designed.

Testing is an ongoing process throughout the design and development of the product or system. The more testing you do, the better grasp you will have on it.