Five Techniques for Getting Buy-In for Usability Testing

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Usability is such a weird little word. To me, it means getting to the heart of something (usually software but could be a form, a book, a new gadget ... anything that people are expected to "use") and making sure it just bloody well works.

It's also weird to me that it's taken so long for software-type people to actually think about making this something worthy of having a "title". Without a "title" it's assumed by all that it just happens. Add a title and people add it to their resource list, add it into their Gantt charts and ask for status reports on it.

So ... usability testing - testing that something can be used. Sounds like it's the most obvious thing in the world and something that every darned product development (again of anything, book, website, toaster .... whatever) should do. Obviously not! We still need people such as Christine Perfetti to write articles titled Five Techniques for Getting Buy-In for Usability Testing:
  1. Start Testing Right away.
  2. Debunk the Myth that Usability Testing Is a Big Production
  3. Start Testing Early in the Process.
  4. Involve Management and Stakeholders
  5. Identify Your Organization's Champions and Address Their Needs

Obvious ... you'd hope!

The article is part of the User Interface Engineering (snappy!?) site - subscribe to their blog

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