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Usability Test Analysis

Introduction

This topic contains general information on collecting and analysing usability test data.

Analysing qualitative and quantitative data

During the usability test both quantitative and qualitative data are collected. The information collected includes:

• quantitative data
  - metrics recorded by the moderator
  - metrics recorded by the participant
• qualitative data
  - session notes recorded by the moderator and observer
  - feedback from the participant

It is important to analyse both types of data together to get a compete picture of usability issues and problems. This can be done first by simple categorisation, then quantification of data. See: Sample issues table and Sample metrics table below.

It is important to understand that the qualitative information will provide a rich context to understand core usability issues. Direct observations record what users did during the usability test. This qualitative information should provide more information on why users faced problems. Example: Users might provide a high score against site navigation but direct observation indicates that users consistently faced navigational problems.

Collecting data

Extract and cluster observations and user comments into groups of data. Use only one or two grouping schemes.

Some examples of useful groups are:

• task or scenarios,
• site feature,
• usability issues,
• problems, and
• likes and dislikes.

Collect all quantitative data into tables in a word processor or a spreadsheet.

Analysis steps

The following table outlines the broad steps required to analyse usability data.

Steps Required to Analyse Usability Data

Step	Action
1.	Go through the list of groups and observations.
2.	For each group, find a common issue.
3.	Describe the issue in terms of the cause or problem. Identify why there was difficulty or what the source of the problem might be. Examples: List specific factors such as, confusing labels or placement of navigation features, poor colour contrasts between text and background.
4.	Understand the issue in terms of the impact on users when generating recommendations.

Sample issues table

This is a sample table to record observations. [Record observations and user comments about the following usability features of the [URL and name] portal.]

Sample Table to Record Observations

Feature	Comments
Home Page
Look and feel
Navigation
Labelling
Content
General observations

Sample metrics table

[Sample table to record observations]. Record the usability metric in the following table. The following table shows the participants rating for each statement.

Sample Table to Record Metrics

Information Design	1 Strongly agree	2 Agree	3 Neutral	4 Disagree	5 Strongly disagree
The site has a clear and logical structure.
The meaning of the main menu items is clear.
The site clearly identified the services and information available.
Design and Navigation
The navigation features of the site are clear and easy to use.
The link labels and link names were clear and directed me to the correct information.
I prefer to access government services on the web rather than by other methods.

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Contact for information on this page: nsip@finance.gov.au

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