DartMedia

Usability testing is a means for measuring how well an individual can utilize an interactive initiative such as a Web site, e-mail or kiosk for its intended purpose. The process focuses on a particular objective or a small set of objectives to determine the ease of use and intuitiveness of a project’s interface and information design. Objectives often include measurable tasks such as the ability to purchase the right product and the ability of the user to easily locate and extract meaningful information.

The process is formulated to uncover design and content issues, such as people having difficulty understanding where to go on a Web site, so that developers can refine the design and maximize effectiveness at launch.

Standard Usability Testing

Standard usability testing is often utilized in the alpha stages of an interactive initiative. The testing process consists of interviews conducted with the target user group based on the intended audience profiles for the project. Interviews are conducted in a usability lab and are facilitated by a usability research expert who oversees the process.

Heat Mapping

Heat Mapping is the process of measuring eye movement as people observe an image or page to quantify what a user is drawn to. The system is able to capture the focus of the eye relative to content on the screen, allowing us to decipher what is read, what is not read, what is glanced at and what is never seen. This state-of-the-art technology is perfect for testing individual pages of an interactive project as well as testing HTML e-mails.

Usability Evaluation

Usability evaluations are best suited for smaller scale initiatives with tighter timelines. This process employs an expert consultant’s opinion in lieu of interviews and usability tests. Our evaluation is used to dissect an interactive initiative by applying best practices, previous experience and expertise as guidelines.