Will Rogers once said, “People's minds are changed through observation and not through argument.” This is why all usability tests involve observation whether intrusive or unobtrusive. Watching a user walk through the steps of a user guide (for example, to setup a wireless router or download music to a Smartphone) allows you to evaluate the completeness of the instructions. You do not know how to correct the problems until you talk to the users to discuss your observations, and listen to their comments and suggestions. Another observation you will learn from usability testing is that users do not always perform as you expect them, which begs the question, “Why did you do that?”
You will learn that a user guide is not always a solution to a poorly designed product. There was a time that would have argued that redesigning the product to make it easier to use is the only solution. Many years ago, I was asked to write a user guide for setting up an encryption device. Management was convinced that the problem was incomplete user instructions. Usability testing revealed that the user guide was well written and complete; it was the assumption about the user community that was the problem. The user guide was published only in English for an audience that included non-native English speakers. The solution was to ship the encryption devices pre-configured—all the users had to do was plug it in.
If you want a lesson in observation, watch children and adults playing with games. The children learn from self-discovery and find each new opportunity as fun. Adults have minimal patience for self-discovery and ask for help. Make no mistake about it—we learn from observation.
We learn by watching others, and we repeat what we see. If we want to learn to improve a product—observe users using it and redesign the product to fit their needs. If we want to understand why something works the way it does, we will read the book. If you want to convince developers that a particular design is confusing to users—invite them to watch a usability test. If you want to learn how to turn on your iPod, ask me and I will show you. Observation allows us to become more effective in what we do best—design the user experience.
I’m David Dick, and I’m talking usability.
See also Getting Started with Usability, Usability Interface, Vol 5, No. 2, October 1998.