Overseas usability testing: A case study byJoe Dyer

Testing  abroad  almost  always  involves  working with  a  testing  agency.  Think  expensive  contracts. Translation  services  are  likely  to  be  an  additional  cost. Test  objectives  and scenarios  were  wriRen internally  before  shared with  testing  consultants. Number  of  test  objectives  in  the  usability test  plan  were  too  numerous  for  the  test. Do  all  that  you  can  to  assess  the  skills  and  abilities of  any  agency  or  contractor  you  intend  to  hire. Get  multiple  bids  if  you  can. Over  communicate  all  testing  objectives  until  they are  capable  of  being  your  proxy. Some  translated  words  were  too  literal  and  were  not reviewed  for  context  within  the  prototype. as  it  was  executed.

A long time ago in a country far, far away

Who is this for?

usability experts

Business or

product managers

Who is this for?

the morbidly curious

Who is this for?

wait, what are we talking about?

the morbidly curious

Who is this for?

is testing Different overseas?

How testing is different overseas

INTERACTIVE AGENCY

How testing is different overseas

milan

How testing is different overseas

votre haleine sent l'ail!

He says, your breath smells like garlic!

He says, your breath

smells like garlic!

4

what worked well and what did not?

Plan early & Share early

appropriate # of tasks

agency client

Maybe two conference calls and a dozen or so emails were not quite enough.

Engage early & often

Engage early & often

Maybe two conference calls and a dozen or so emails were not quite enough.

Test preparation

the prototype

go high-fidelity

Visitors are expecte

d to complain at the office b

etween the hours of 9 and 11 am

daily

lost in translation

Please leave

your values at the front desk

The genuine antics in

your room come from our family castle

Long life to it

special today:

no ice cream

our wines leave

We take your bags and send them in

all directions

The manager has

personally

passed all the

water served here

We take your bags and send them in

all directions

Come alive with the Pepsi Generation

Come alive with the Pepsi Generation

Pepsi will bring

your ancestors

back from the dead

Pepsi will bring

your ancestors

back from the dead

Salem - Feeling Free

When smoking Salem, you feel

so refreshed that your mind seems to be free and empty

When smoking Salem, you feel

so refreshed that your mind seems to be free and empty

selecting test participants

approve.

printed test scenarios

and even more issues

keeping it on the fairway

How am i

doing?

keeping it on the fairway

How am i

doing?

do you really need me to tell

you again?

keeping it on the fairway

test facilitation

the domino effect

the domino effect

the domino effect

so, why three cities at nearly the same time?

MARKET COMPARISON

LARGE medium SMALL

underscore user differences

MARKET COMPARISON

LARGE medium SMALL

i 1 Very internet savvy

2 High rate of adoption

3 Not likely to need offline help

4 market is ready for the solution

i

underscore user differences

MARKET COMPARISON

LARGE medium SMALL

i 1 more market potential

2 not likely to need offline help

3 solution has a chance to succeed with some modifications

i

underscore user differences

MARKET COMPARISON

LARGE medium SMALL

i 1 catastrophic usability findings

2 Lower rate of adoption

3 most likely to need offline help

4 solution doesn't work in this locale

i

underscore user differences

reduced travel costs

so biz managers could see market reactions

the time machine

just getting to work

the time machine

last test of the day

the time machine

just getting to work

where to eat dinner?

the time machine

last test of the day

just getting to work

All resources working on the prototypes should not

be on vacation or tied up with other commitments during the time of testing.

Consider moving to an alternate schedule.

this is no time for a vacation

daily conference calls

allow for travel time

it's just a browser, right?

4 ways to test overseas

plan it all and hire help

keynote (formerly vividence) study

4 ways to test overseas

4 ways to test abroad

outsource it completely

4 ways to test overseas

4 ways to test abroad

rogue or ad hoc testing

4 ways to test overseas

and so, in conclusion

questions?

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