Demonstration of Remote Usability Testing Practices and Procedures

Abstract

Over the last several years, we and many other usability engineering practitioners have successfully incorporated remote usability testing methodologies in our practice. Our own consulting experience has included hundreds of remote testing sessions over dozens of studies. In this mode of usability testing, an Internet connection is used to share the computer interface that is being evaluated between the test facilitator, who hosts the application, and a remotely located test participant. The test participant typically controls the application running on the facilitator's computer while the two converse by telephone. This method of evaluation has proven to be a cost-effective way to involve test participants regardless of their physical location. For many user interfaces and design issues the results obtained seem equivalent to those obtained with comparable in-person usability testing methods. At the present conference, we will demonstrate a typical usability testing interaction between a test facilitator and a remotely located participant. In this paper we present some equipment and procedural considerations in preparing for remote usability testing. We also present some best practices for designing and implementing remote tests and discuss the pros and cons of using remote testing methods in usability evaluations.