Overview

Evaluation methods

  • Heuristic evaluation
  • Cognitive walkthrough (standard and streamlined versions)
  • Pluralistic walkthrough
  • Usability test
    • Exploratory test
    • Assessment test
    • Validation test
    • Comparison test
    • Think-aloud variant
  • Questionnaires and Subjective Usability Scores
  • Interview (e.g. during the debriefing)
  • GOMS hierarchical analysis
  • GOMS Keystroke level model
  • Cognitive modeling
  • Automatic methods (e.g. CogTool)
  • Remote methods

Characterizing the evaluation methods

  • When
  • Where
  • Level of needed expertise
  • Which usability objectives (e.g. Utility, Efficiency, Effectiveness, Learnability, User Satisfaction)
  • Cost (resources, time, number of practitioners)
  • Requires human participants?
  • Type of method
    • Nielsen and Mack categories (automatically, empirically, formally and informally)
    • Direct (e.g. observation) versus indirect (e.g. user query)
  • Level of detail (e.g. broad overview versus focussed specifics)