Usability testing seeks to provide insight on the following five components:

-Learnability: How easy is it for users to accomplish basic tasks the first time they encounter the design?

-Efficiency: How fast can novice and experienced users accomplish tasks?

-Memorability: When users return to the design after a period of not using it, does the user remember enough or does the user have to start over again?

-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, or are delighted, by using the system?

When conducting usability testing Users are often asked to complete tasks, typically while they are being observed by a researcher, to see where they encounter problems and experience confusion. If more people encounter similar problems, recommendations will be made to overcome these usability issues. Before a new product is released, exploratory usability testing can establish what content and functionality a new product should include to meet the needs of its users.

CASE STUDY

Gas detection is key to the safe operation of industrial gas plants. Keeping the gas sensors maintained and calibrated was an area in need of efficiency improvement. Understanding all aspects of the problem started with ethnographic and observational research with industry professionals both on-site and in workshops. The data helped inform storyboards showing potential scenarios where IoT technology would allow 1 worker to perform the tasks more efficiently of what currently requires 2 workers. Further deliverables included user journeys and task flows.

Using a combination of wireframes, animations, and prototyping tools Principle, Protopie, Adobe a series of interactive prototypes were created of key features such as scanning and detecting sensors, calibrating, viewing sensor data, and generating reports. These were used for usability testing in conjunction with prototype hardware, Feedback from the testing was used to inform the design, and further usability testing was conducted at each stage of development leading to pre-launch testing.