Testing & Auditing
There can be many reasons you might want to assess the usability of an existing system or one currently being designed. Depending on the need, we offer two general categories of evaluation for companies who want to:
- Establish a baseline to measure future design improvements against.
- Check designs in process before they are finalized.
- Identify "low hanging fruit" that will yield the greatest impact for the lowest cost.
- Get an outside opinion (or hard evidence) to corroborate internal calls for a redesign.
Usability Tests* |
Expert Reviews & Audits |
Usability (or User) Testing is conducted with your target audience to determine how they are experiencing your site, system, or product. Various types of user tests are available depending on the goals of the study and the state of the project when testing occurs. Following testing, we produce an extensive report of the findings and their implications for design. Videos of the test sessions are delivered along with the report. In addition, we can also produce a short "highlights" video to illustrate the most pervasive problems. |
Also called a "Heuristic Evaluation", an Expert Review is a quick and inexpensive way to identify opportunities for improvement. Our detailed report explains and illustrates overall and page-specific design issues. It also recommends specific improvements that will have the greatest impact on the user experience. The assessment is based on expert experience and knowledge of usability principles rather than on canned checklists, so we can give recommendations that are both personalized and actionable.
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*If a company is already planning on a redesign, we often suggest jump-starting the design process with an Expert Review rather than with Usability Testing. Why? Because we've found that by saving Usability Testing for later in the process, we can usually cut costs, reduce timelines, and create a better product.
Digital Video Reporting
Companies may opt to receive any of their reports as Digital Video instead of in a written format. If you determine you don't need a written report, or if you have internal resources that can develop written notes from the video, this option can reduce the overall cost of the evaluation—especially the Expert Review.
Competitive Analysis
By assessing competitors' systems along with your own, we can identify ways to set your site apart from the competition. A Competitive Analysis can be performed in conjunction with any of the evaluations described above.
We can also evaluate your competitors' public web sites separately from your own in order to (a) identify ways to win market share, or (b) keep you apprised of the competition's user experience strategy as it evolves.
Our Experience
We have provided Evaluation services to companies such as Fifth Third Bank, Frontgate, UnitedHealthCare, Wendy's International, and many more. See our portfolio.