Usability Testing

Usability testing puts your product in front of real users.

Usability testing is by far the most efficient and revealing method to pinpoint problems and gather insights about how to fix those problems. In a usability test, users perform tasks and interact with your product in a controlled setting. You are able to observe users interact with your product real-time as we gather rich performance and feedback data.

User Centric specializes in conducting complex usability studies. Our large staff of highly respected full time consultants, unrivaled facilities, and dedicated technical staff lead to our being engaged for a disproportionate number of large and complex studies. User Centric does not have to hire contractors or rent unfamiliar space when we take on a complex engagement. Our extensive experience conducting challenging studies provides invaluable experiences to draw upon.

The types of complex studies for which User Centric is particularly well qualified include: 1) large numbers of participants required for statistical validation; 2) multiple user groups with varying levels of competency, familiarity, or use requirements; 3) testing required in multiple locations either domestically or internationally, and 4) testing that includes complicated technical set-up.

The User Centric Advantage:

Consultants experienced in test development, moderation, and data analysis

Flexibility and adaptability to changing test objectives

State of the art facilities, including the largest dedicated usability testing studio of any North American consulting firm

Latest digital viewing and recording technology

4 Portable Digital Labs

An extensive body of knowledge and experience from combined years of testing thousands of participants interacting with diverse products and services

User Centric provides expert services along each phase of the usability testing process.

Recruit participants according to your target demographics

Create a moderator guide that focuses on vital and most frequent tasks

Test your product with users in a one-on-one setting

Test a competitor's product to learn even more

Analyze results

Evaluate how well the product meets objectives

Recommend actionable solutions

Testing can occur:

In a variety of environments (lab, field, call center, etc.)

With different media and modes (PC, PDA, phone, voice, touch, etc.)

With different user groups (consumer, business, mobile, families, teens, etc.)

At different stages of the product life cycle

With combinations of qualitative and quantitative data collection

Deliverables may include:

Full reports of results, data analyses, and findings

Actionable, prioritized recommendations

Topline summary reports outlining main findings and recommendations

Mock-ups or wireframes of potential design recommendations

Digital recordings of full participant sessions

Video clips of participant session quotes

One day of usability testing can often resolve weeks of discussions in a conference room; testing removes the guesswork.

Interested in additional information about Usability Testing from User Centric? Contact us to schedule a conversation to discuss your usability issues.

Related news & publications:

Our research has been published in books and professional journals, and is presented regularly at conferences. Many of our articles and publications can be read online, downloaded in PDF format, or requested by e-mail.

Names in italics indicate User Centric employees at the time of publication.

User Centric (2010). Korey Johnson Discusses Usability with Do it Best Corp..
User Centric (2007). Direct comparison of iPhone and hard-key QWERTY phone owners indicates higher text entry error rate for iPhones.
Buffardi, K., Bojko, A., Israelski, E. (2007). Tachistoscopic Study on the Impact of Net Quantity and Dosage Strength Proximity on Dosage Strength Recognition in Prescription. Proceedings of the 51st Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) Baltimore, MD
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A study was conducted to assess the impact of two different drug label layouts on pharmacy practitioners’ ability to correctly extract critical information. The present study specifically focused on the placement of numeric information such as drug dosage strength and net quantity in the template. While most existing drug labels separate quantity (e.g., “20 tablets”) from strength (e.g., “100 mg”) by placing them far apart, the new template displayed both pieces of information in close proximity. As a result, concern arose regarding the potential interference caused by two numeric pieces of information being so close to each other.
McFarlin, L., Buffardi, K., Schumacher, R., & Vij, M. (2007). Usability Impact on Effectiveness of Parental Controls. Proceedings of the 51st Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) Baltimore, MD
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The presentation highlights the difficulties experienced by both parents and children when attempting to configure parental controls on entertainment and communication devices. Discrepancies between confidence ratings and actual performance when setting parental controls are discussed.
User Centric (2007). Early Adopter iPhone User Study Identifies Baseline Issues with iPhone Interface.
Quinn, A., Bojko, A., Gaddy, C. & Israelski, E. (2006). Better Drug Labeling for Pharmacists. Ergonomics in Design, Vol. 14, No. 1
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This study focused on one important consideration for potentially reducing error in filling prescriptions for drugs – the design of manufacturers' labels. Based on review of the human factors and pharmacy literature, we found that important design factors for labels included information density and consistency, text size and color contrast against background, and use of size and color coding. In testing, we found that the redesigned labels made important tasks easier for the pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Making the drug identification and discrimination task easier would likely lead to fewer errors and reduce the workload of pharmacy staff.
Yee, W., Buttimer, J., Pathak, N. (2006). 20+ Applications in 8 Weeks: Lessons from Large-Scale "Checkpoint" Usability Testing. Proceedings of the 50th Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) San Francisco, CA
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In 2005, User Centric was asked by a large technology organization to test over 20 different prototype software applications in face-to-face usability testing during an 8-week period. We share our experiences and strategies for addressing the logistical challenges so that other usability practitioners can learn about approaches that worked. We provide specific recommendations for staging large-scale checkpoint usability tests and identify which approaches worked especially well in a second round of testing.
Lew, G., Bojko, A. (2006). Team and Data Management in Large-Scale User Research Projects. Proceedings of the 15th Annual Conference of the Usability Professionals Association (UPA) Broomfield, CO
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For more information on this publication, please contact User Centric, info (at) usercentric.com.

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