ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the common techniques available within each category, including an overview of each procedure, its advantages and disadvantages, and the most appropriate occasions in which to apply it. It offers practical guidance on understanding the goals and strategies of usability testing and on selecting and applying the appropriate usability testing methods. The term usability testing itself is misleading because it can be used generically to describe all types of usability evaluations or, specifically, to refer to a single technique. During usability testing, an evaluator compares observed operator performance against expected or desired performance for a specific task. If usability testing is accomplished only after most development has concluded, the effort holds little chance of improving the product or system. A popular means of low-fidelity prototyping is rapid prototyping, and it can be one of the most cost-effective means of usability testing. The actual process of inspection depends on a checklist guide of desired heuristics and their definitions.
