Usability lab

A usability lab is a facility that has the equipment to perform usability tests. In such laboratories, usability (English for serviceability) of products is checked by giving subjects products and they can solve problems with the products. The tested products can be, for example, everyday objects, or media products. Instead of using the finished product, such tests are often performed with a prototype in order to use the experience gained to feed into the further development.

Construction

Such devices usually consist of several rooms, but at least from a test chamber in which the subject is located, and from an observation room where the action can be followed.

Between observation and testing room one-way mirror are often attached that allow the observer unnoticed to follow from the observation booth a test without distracting the subject. Alternatively, the test room through cameras can be detected and the events are transferred to the observation room. To different cameras, microphones, and recording devices are required to detect for example, the eye movement of the subject.

Usability laboratories differ in their application context and the context of use. So there are special laboratories a office environment, simulate a living room, a vehicle or an operating room.

See also: The experimental operating room at the University Hospital Tübingen - a special usability laboratory for medical

Artifacts of laboratory tests

In the evaluation of laboratory tests should be noted that several factors influence the outcome compared to the examined real-life -changing. Typical examples are:

• That users be interrupted in laboratory tests not phone calls, family and colleagues
• That users are optimal PCs, current installations and standard office facilities available
• Users can already clearly distinguish themselves with their willingness to sacrifice leisure for such a test of the mass

And other so-called artifacts of this method of investigation ( by Jakob Nielsen ).

To avoid this, ( industrial production plants, eg ) is resorted to "On - Site Visits" or on-site tests, especially at narrow groups of users or specific contexts of use.

Benefits

Laboratory tests are still in use but especially for very large samples to exact video recording or the collection of quantitative data on demand.

In the laboratory, recording software and hardware can be installed (see installation), you usually can not build up on the spot.