USABILITY LAB TOOLS

Usability, Tools, Data Collection, Laboratory, Testing, Logging, Video, Analysis

SUMMARY

This Special Interest Group (SIG) will be an update to panels and SIGs from previous conferences including CHI and the Usability Professionals Association. The intent of the SIG is to provide a forum for the exchange of new ideas and technologies in the area of usability laboratory tools. Experts in the area will meet to discuss and demonstrate recent developments in tools and talk about future plans. Topics for discussion include event logging, observation logging, video tape analysis, digital video, highlight tape production, remote usability testing, and other new techniques/technologies. Anyone involved or interested in usability testing is invited to attend.

Many companies and organizations have developed customized usability lab tools. They range in complexity and features and are becoming more and more common in the usability environment. Therefore, there is a greater need for information exchange between the various labs.

Starting with the panel held at INTERCHI'93, which featured representatives from Apple, Compaq, IBM, Microsoft and Sun, it became apparent that the interest in usability lab tools was widespread among conference attendees. While most of the tools discussed by the panelists were computer-based and internally developed, one of the interesting developments in the ensuing breakout session was the interest in low- fidelity and commercially available tools. In a follow-up panel at the Usability Professionals Association 1993 conference, new panelists from Lotus and the National Physics Laboratory brought fresh insights into the topic of low- fidelity and commercially available tools. Again the interest in the topic was large and several side discussions followed. Additional forums on lab tools have been held at CHI'94 (SIG) and UPA'94 (Panel discussion). Each time new discussants and new techniques/tools have generated a large amount of interest from the audience.

Over the last year in discussions between usability professionals interested in lab tools, the focal topic has again been on new technologies and techniques that lend themselves to conducting usability tests. Topics discussed include the use of remote testing technologies as a mechanism for reaching specialized user populations, the use of peer-to-peer video and other conferencing tools, utilization of digital video for data recording and presentation, and PDA-based data logging. These new capabilities continue to broaden the potential participant base, open up opportunities for more unobtrusive data collection, and support more salient and engaging reporting techniques.

Over the course of the past year, conversations between past panelists and others interested in the topic area have confirmed that several new and interesting developments have occurred. The opportunity to share and build upon these new developments and discuss future plans would be beneficial to the growing number of professionals interested in the area.

In the past, participants have come from a variety of industrial and academic settings and have discussed the costs and benefits of the various types of tools they have used for usability testing. Participants will share key lessons learned regarding the development, acquisition, and utilization of various tools and the impact these tools have had on present day usability techniques.