THE ART OF USABILITY TESTING: THE GUERRILLA METHOD

Presentation by Ben Andrus and Laura Evans

Introduction: BU Libraries and Usability

• 3 libraries open to students; Bartle open 24/5; high demand for library space and resources• Is our website easy

to use? • In the past…

What is “Guerrilla Usability Testing”?• It’s a sneak attack—get them where they live/work/play• It’s quick—no advertising or recruiting• It’s flexible—sample can either be random or targeted• It’s cheap—because it’s quick, participants are satisfied with

a small reward; also, it can be done without expensive equipment• It’s effective—elicits honest results from users

Our Methodology

• Identify areas of investigation• Create tasks for users

to complete• Decide what info to

collect on “Libraries’ Website Usability Study” form

• IRB Approval• Schedule staff to

administer the tests (7 members of Usability Working Group)

The Test

• Set up in the lobby of Bartle Library• Two staff members,

two laptops, two questions in two sessions a day• Observers recorded

the actions of users

The Test

• Entice students as they walk by• Each student

asked to do one task, so it took less than 5 minutes of their time

The Results

• 224 total users

• Between 9 and 24 students of all levels performed each task

Sopho-more, 33

Junior; 71Senior; 87

Graduate; 22Staff; 1

The Results• Co-chairs tabulated the actions of users for each

task as well as the comments of observers

• Wrote report on findings, identifying problem areas and usage patterns

The Results: Some Interesting Conclusions

• FindIt! is used for everything

The Results: Some Interesting Conclusions

• MegaMenus are cluttered and terminology is unclear

Takeaways and Future Directions

• Guerrilla method worked well for us• Easy to scale according

to your resources• Dividing tasks among

more users prevents fatigue and enables more diverse user base

• Get outside of the library? Take laptops to dining halls, dorms, etc.• Apply this usability

method to other library services beyond the website

Questions?

Contact us:

• Laura Evans evans@binghamton.edu• Benjamin Andrus

bandrus@binghamton.edu