Microwave Usability Testing
The Process
Week three of the HCDE 210 course, usability testing was the concept of focus. At the start of the week I was assigned to a group of two of my peers and was asked to perform a usability test on a microwave oven. Using a 3x3x3 plan we constructed the design of the test. Essentially creating a data table that tested three individuals, recorded three different data types and required three separate tests the users had to complete. In designing these tests we constructed three data tables designed like the one seen below in the image. Looking at the image, it is clear to see the three tests we used. We first asked the individuals to cook a bag of popcorn, then we asked them to set the microwave oven timer to 30 seconds and finally we asked them to change the clock time on the microwave to a hour ahead of what it should be. We used an Emerson model microwave oven at one of the testers home and experienced no problems with the function of the machine.
The results did not vary but testing the individuals was harder than expected.
Using three people we conducted the tests. The image below shows the physical interface for the microwave. A small portion of the buttons display wear and could have influenced some of the results but we considered that damage negligible. We experienced little to no problems with a slight exception to some of the results from Person 2. Looking at the data displayed above it’s not quite as easy to see. It took Person 2 45 seconds to complete the task of setting the timer to 30 seconds. It took Person 1 11 seconds and Person 3 22 seconds. The trend continues for most of the tasks Person 2 partook in. We came to the conclusion that the person may have been an outlier to the data or there was some kind of confounding variable influencing the data. But overall the testing process went smoothly and we all enjoyed some popcorn as we conducted the usability test.
Reflection
Starting this project off I believed that there would be some difficulty in accessing certain attributes of the microwave because I personally have not tried to operate some of the qualities of the oven we were testing. Surprisingly enough however, a majority of the participants completed the tasks with high efficiency and effectiveness, with exception to Person 2. The hardest part of the tests in the participants opinion was a feature dealing with changing the time on the clock. The microwave oven required a person to enter two zeros before they entered the hour and minute amount to change the clock. Something that I did not foresee or anticipate and frankly changed the time and amount of buttons people pressed significantly.
We found that as people began to go through the tests each person reacted a different way to solve the problem or come up with a solution. Person 3 almost even gave up once.
I learned that sitting behind the scenes and coming up with the tasks to test the usability of the microwave made me ignorant to the flaws that other people could find in the machine. It’s also funny to think about how well the testers and the users know the intricacies of the microwave we tested now. After being tested on weird functions of the microwave I believe that I and my fellow testers/users know more about that microwave than any other we’ve used.
Looking to the Future
I think this glimpse into the world of usability testing is an important reminder for designers; it reminds them exactly who they are designing these products for. The greatest designs take into account the feedback obtained through this type of testing and use it to better the overall quality of the final product. I can see myself using this type of testing when coming out with my own designs for products. It’s important to maintain an unbiased stance when running these type of procedures, so I would hire others to conduct the actual tests. The results the test would yield could greatly help me improve upon my work. An example of using usability testing elsewhere could be seen when I designed the data collection app in week 2. After finishing the app I asked a person in my building to navigate through the app and tell me what aspects of the navigation were difficult to understand. The feedback I received from this helped finalize the final design of the project.
Usability Testing perfected my WE ARE FISHERMAN App by getting user input
Collaboration and public critique lies at the art of Human Centered Design and are the two main components of Usability Testing. Applying this technique of evaluation to all design projects is crucial and benefits the overall production of the design.