ENG 333 Communication for Science and Research

Test your instructions by giving them to 2-3 people who match your target audience. Have the users follow the instructions under circumstances similar to those in which your target audience will work with the final draft. If you cannot arrange to have testers from your target audience, select others who resemble the target audience in significant ways. Also, if you cannot arrange to have your testers work in exactly the same circumstances as your target users, simulate those conditions as closely as possible. Use simulation if your instructions involve a potentially dangerous step.

Write a short report on your tests and their results. You should include the following information:

Introduction

- Identify this as a report of a test of your instructions

- State briefly what your instructions are about

- Identify who fills the four roles in the test: test users, guide, recorder, and editor.

• Test User - Person who tries to perform the instructions. The test user should not be a coauthor of the instructions because this will bias the results.
• Guide - Person who answers test user questions and offers help when needed.
• Recorder - Person who takes notes on user questions and problems, and the guide's responses. This may be down in writing or by video tape.
• Editor - Person who notes on the instructions where user problems occurred. The Editor may be the same person as the Recorder.

Objectives

- State in one or two sentences what the objectives of your test were

Method

- Describe the draft you tested

- Describe your testers. Give their names and chief characteristics. Explain how they are like and unlike your target users.

- Tell where you conducted the tests and why that environment was/was not appropriate.

- Tell when you conducted the tests (date and time), and how long the tests lasted.

- Tell what you asked your testers to do (be specific).

- Tell how you gathered information about what happened while the testers were using the instructions (e.g., observed, interviewed them afterward, had them fill out a response sheet afterward, tape recorded the verbal comments they made while they did the instructions, etc.). You should be gathering information about both 1) how effectively your instructions helped the reader perform the task, and 2) how your testers responded emotionally to your instructions.

Results and Discussion

- What results did your tests produce? Where did your testers have difficulties?

- What did your testers say about the instructions?

Conclusion and Action

- Overall, what did you learn from your tests?

- What revisions did you make as a result of the tests?

Remember, good testing always finds something to improve. Usability testing is not simply a validation exercise.