Usability Testing: Making Sure A Human Being Can Use The SoftwareIn the creation and development of software, many tests are performed before the software is released. Each of these software tests are of equal importance to the software testing engineer. To the consumer of the software, the testing that is often the most important, with the exception of security, is usability testing. Usability testing is a way determining how people can use the software, or in other computer cases, the web page or certain program in the manner it is intended. Usability testing software is used to help pinpoint each area of the software to assure that each unit is usable in the manner it is intended to be used. Software can be functional, perform well, and still not be usable. For any item to be usable, the person using has to be able to understand all the functions it can perform as well as how to make it perform those functions. Understanding the directions is an important part of a product being usable. When referring to software, usability testing is a means to determine if the average user will be able to understand the directions as well as how to successfully run the software and make it perform as it's designed to perform. If you have often heard the phrase "user friendly", this is what they are referring to. Software needs to be user friendly meaning that the average user must be able to understand it well enough to use it. When usability testing discovers problems such as users having difficulty understanding directions, maneuvering the parts, or use in general, the programmers and testers will attempt to improve it and test it again. Often when software is developed, they designers are more intent on making the software competitive with other software companies than on if the user will be comfortable with it. This is often the case with some of the popular games being played, with each new version more complex than the previous one. The most successful usability test is performed with the general public using the software and observing how easily they can understand it and make it perform. Some of the more successful methods of running a usability test is to create a scenario where people are asked to perform certain tasks on command so the developers can observe how it responds under any given circumstance. Hallway testing is a method of usability testing where instead of using in-house technicians, they pick 5 or 6 strangers "passing by" so to speak and ask them to come in and perform certain tasks with the software. This is where the name "hallway testing" came from. The success rate is very high with this type of usability testing. Around 95% of any problems in the software are observed in this manner. |