Translating Usability Test Data into Client-Ready Findings and Recommendations

Abstract

In recent years, user experience research (particularly usability testing) has become increasingly widespread. One reason for the increased popularity is the scrutiny many highly-publicized websites receive as a result of a poor user experience. Organizations are now focusing more on user experience and are seeking researchers to conduct usability testing, perhaps without fully appreciating the type of data this research can provide and how that data should be interpreted. We will identify and discuss best practices for researchers who are collecting, analyzing, and presenting usability test data to help them provide clear, actionable findings and recommendations that clients can understand. We discuss what types of data can be collected depending on the product being evaluated, what conclusions can be gleaned from different types of data, and which tools can be used to make the analysis more efficient.