Usability Test Results Summary

Author: Karl Vochatzer
Last Update: 10/08/1999

Things learned in the usability test of pre-beta i-opener:

• Getting Started needs improvement

  • Inadvertently taught to execute navigation with the Enter key - will change to real navigation techniques.

  • Didn't retain information very well even though every screen was carefully read; - will change to make it more interactive by teaching true navigation and getting them to use it to get to the next page.

  • Failed to bring awareness of keyboard functions that once discovered later in the test, they utilized a lot. - will introduce keyboard functions in Getting Started.

  • Failed to bring awareness to the Home button - will introduce this in the Getting Started

• Repeated attempts without applying what they read in Getting Started for moving the arrow and then pressing the mouse button for selection

• Some controls are very difficult for new users to master: text boxes, drop - down list boxes, moving focus from field to field, and the assumption that when the I-beam cursor appears that they can just start typing without selecting the field first.

• The learning curve was fairly long for the first experience into Mail, but participants got used to it relatively quickly on subsequent Mail tasks.

• A bug was found during the testing that we all missed: the arrow failed to turn to a pointer over the selectable graphics. Bug is now fixed by development.

• Difficulty in editing an entry in the Address Book - combination of getting it open (or creating a new entry) and then adding a phone number.

• Attempted to use Search the Web for www.saturn.com rather than to just put it into the Web Address field. This may be due to the separation of this type of field from the Web Guide page so they tried Search the Web and came up with all kinds of hits for "saturn" through Ask Jeeves. Attempts were also made to find "saturn" in the Automotive category of Web Guide.