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Though it has been a part of the research arsenal for years, usability testing has truly proliferated with the growth of the Internet. No longer simply an application for consumer packaging to be evaluated for form and function, or for software developers to ascertain user reactions to their programs, usability testing is now also en vogue to evaluate web sites in terms of both design and e-commerce execution. In the spirit of "Cliff Notes," here is all you wanted to know about usability testing but were afraid to ask.
Technically, usability testing can infer any of a myriad of activities that involve some element of "product" in test mode.
Due to their usual length of anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour, usability tests most always are implemented as a pre-recruit. That is, individuals meeting the profile criteria of a "user" are invited to participate at an appointed time at a central location. Commensurate with this participant effort, an incentive is offered.
 In a one-on-one setting, the recruits are seated at a table facing a two-way mirror. When software or a web site is tested, a PC is also enabled with a large screen monitor positioned "behind the glass" echoing what the participant sees. Then, the interviewer or moderator reviews the objectives of the research with the participant and proceeds to ask that certain tasks be performed to put the "product" to the test.
A particularly effective presentation deliverable when conducting a software or web site test is a videotape with a split screen featuring the facial expressions of a participant on one half and the screen he or she sees on the other.
A client for whom we recently conducted a web site usability test recently exclaimed during his first experience: "This is absolutely fantastic. I wonder why we weren't doing this sooner. I feel like I am that much closer to better understanding what our customers really want."
Usability tests have gained in its applications and acceptance in recent years. They are simple, relatively cost effective, reasonably quick to implement, and incredibly illuminating. If you are involved in packaging, software, or web design, chances are you could benefit from usability testing
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