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Usability Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3
Elsevier's User Centered Design Group, as of 2002:
Back row (left to right): Chris Jasek, Ravinder Bhogal,
Andrew Ferguson, Spencer de Groot, Ted Gies; Middle
row: Giles Forrester, Xiaomu Yang, Eric Le Van Quyen,
Tom Noonan, Frans Heeman; Front row: Nymphaea
Notschaele, Heather Williams.
Not pictured: Anne Wilson, Stephan Stipdonk.
During this year’s ACRL, at a session entitled ‘Beyond Usability: Not Just a Pretty Interface’, Carol R. Hunter, University of Virginia Library, called for vendors/publishers to better inform librarians about efforts to improve the usability of their products. To that end we thought that you might like to see our answers to the questions she posed:
LC: Do you have an employee whose job it is to do usability testing?
Jasek: Yes, our User Centered Design Group has 14 staff worldwide. The group’s aims are to: understand users, their tasks, and their work environment; design user interfaces that enable users to achieve their goals efficiently; and evaluate product designs with users throughout the product lifecycle.
LC: Is there a formal usability lab?
Jasek: There’s one formal lab in-house but as we test in many geographic locations we may rent facilities, or visit users in their work settings.
LC: If so, how is it designed?
Jasek: All the labs we use are specially designed. A moderator sits with participants, following a prepared script. One-way mirrors allow observation and video conferencing facilities and close circuit monitors are often available if needed.
LC: Who do you test?
Jasek: We test a mixture of end-users (70-80%) and librarians (20-30%).
LC: How do you select people to involve?
Jasek: Selection is made on a number of criteria. Potential candidates are contacted by a moderator, screened, and asked if they would like to participate.
LC: Do you conduct testing on a regular basis?
Weertman: On average at least twice a month - this includes testing for ScienceDirect, as well as for other products/ad hoc projects. One special project last year was to evaluate the accessibility of ScienceDirect with visually impaired end-users at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
Our Design Partner Program is another project, developed to create more personal partnerships with users who we can ask for future input on product design and enhancements. If readers are interested in taking part please sign up at http://dpartner.reedelsevier.com/ucdDPartner.asp
LC: When was your interface last tested?
Weertman: In the case of ScienceDirect there are two product releases per year and two test sessions per release: 1) concept testing - prior to making decisions on what will be in the forthcoming release this provides end-user feedback on features/ functionalities being considered. 2) usability testing - during the ‘design’ phase of each release this ensures any new features/ functionalities are incorporated into the product in the most user-friendly manner and do not negatively impact usability. The last feature/functionality test for ScienceDirect was this May.
LC: Last redesigned?
Weertman: Usability testing on ScienceDirect has been undertaken since the very beginning so there has been no complete redesign. The user interface was extensively holistically tested in September last year and results indicated that users find the site easy to use and helpful in finding relevant articles on ScienceDirect.
LC: How are test results integrated into design changes?
Weertman: Test results are the basis for design decisions.
LC: What changes to the interface are in the works?
Weertman: Too many to mention in detail here but one key challenge for ScienceDirect is the incorporation of new content types such as reference works and book series into the user interface. 
Contributed by Charlotte Dewhurst, Senior Marketing Manager, Account Development & Channel Marketing, Elsevier, San Diego, USA
