Run usability tests on drupal installation

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Run at least three sessions to test the usability of installing drupal.

To do this you will need 3 or more volunteers who will evaluate drupal's
installation pages.  It is important that everyone understands that drupal
is being tested, not the evaluator (your volunteers).  The evaluator can
not pass or fail.

Ask each of the volunteers to install a drupal 6 site.  Provide them with a
scenario that will inspire them to do it realistically.  e.g. "You have
been asked to create a website for your soccer club".

You might like to provide a more detailed scenario and more detailed tasks
for them to complete.  See the UMN formal usability testing plan [1] for
ideas on how to do this.  Your scenario and tasks should give the evaluator
a clear goal and help inspire creativity when it's required, like for
creating the site name and slogan (which incidentally is not being tested
but is required to complete the evaluator's tasks).

To familiarize yourself with the tasks and usability tests, it is useful to
do you're own test and report before running the tests with evaluators. 
This will help you gain confidence with finding issues and taking notes on
them.  It's also important that you test that the tasks can actually be
completed without your interference during the test.

While observing new users, take note of:

  what the evaluator wants to do first
  where the evaluator gets lost or confused
  what the user expected
  where the evaluator spends their time in the first 30 minutes of the session
  where the evaluator spends their time in the first few seconds of each
new UI / page
  when and where they search for help
  where they search for help

Perhaps the most valuable information from a usability test is knowing what
the user expected.  This makes it easier to discover usability bugs and
suggest solutions.  You should spend some time immediately after each test
(while it's still fresh in the evaluator's mind) debriefing the evaluator
to find out their answers to the above questions.  You might find that you
misinterpreted their behavior.  Some evaluators find this difficult and
begin to feel like they are being tested.  If this is the case, don't
pressure them to give you better feedback but help them to relax, remind
them no answer is right or wrong and ask simpler questions about how they
felt emotionally about the tasks they found difficult.  If the evaluator
can't give you good feedback then don't persist.  You still have notes from
watching their behavior, right?

Write a report that summarizes your findings.  We're looking for a level of
detail and format similar to Factory Joe's Usability report [2] on drupal 6
beta 1.  See also the reports from GHOP tasks #8 [3] and #7 [4].

There are two completed GHOP tasks that are usability tests like this one;
#7 [5] (d.o [6]), and #8 [7] (d.o [8]).  The installation screens have had
a number of improvements since those tests were done.

Before planning your usability tests read about how to do usability testing:

  http://www.uxmatters.com/MT/archives/000183.php
  http://openusability.org/
  http://keycontent.org/tiki-index.php?page=Usability+Tools
  http://factoryjoe.pbwiki.com/FeedbackForDrupal6

Deliverables: This task is complete when the report has been submitted to
by the student, and reviewed and approved by the mentor or other
appropriate drupal community member.  The report should be made available
in a widely available format like plain text, html or PDF.  

You may include screenshots for bonus points.  These could be annotated
using flickr's annotate tool.  (Tag them with drupalui [9] if using flickr.)

Bevan [10] is the owner / mentor of this task.

[1] UMN formal usability testing plan http://groups.drupal.org/node/7929
[2] Factory Joe's Usability report
http://factoryjoe.pbwiki.com/FeedbackForDrupal6
[3] #8 report http://swizzy.frih.net/projects/52/drupal-usability-test-report
[4] #7 report http://ijailbreak.com/drupal.html
[5] GHOP #7
http://code.google.com/p/google-highly-open-participation-drupal/issues/detail?i
d=7
[6] d.o #7 http://drupal.org/node/197219
[7] GHOP #8
http://code.google.com/p/google-highly-open-participation-drupal/issues/detail?i
d=8
[8] d.o #8 http://drupal.org/node/197221
[9] drupalui tag on flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/drupalui/
[10] Bevan http://drupal.org/user/49989

Original issue reported on code.google.com by b.ru...@gmail.com on 19 Jan 2008 at 3:57

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Work location: http://drupal.org/node/211815
Task idea / source / forge: http://drupal.org/node/211802

Original comment by b.ru...@gmail.com on 19 Jan 2008 at 4:04

• Added labels: DrupalIssue-211815

[GoogleCodeExporter]

I claim this task.

Original comment by danielsk...@gmail.com on 20 Jan 2008 at 3:31

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Ok danielskeenan, this is yours.  Please post your work to the issue at
http://drupal.org/211815

Remember that this task must be completed by midnight Feb 4 PST to get credit 
for the
task.

Original comment by acli...@gmail.com on 20 Jan 2008 at 3:43

• Changed state: Claimed
• Added labels: ClaimedBy-danielskeenan, DueDate-2008-01-27

[GoogleCodeExporter]

It's http://drupal.org/node/211815.

See my comment there.

Original comment by b.ru...@gmail.com on 20 Jan 2008 at 7:28

[GoogleCodeExporter]

I just wanted to check in and see how this task is coming along.  Could you 
please
post the progress you've made so far to the issue for this task on drupal.org 
please,
so we can make sure you're on the right track.

Now that it's too late to claim another issue, we'll allow you to work on this 
task
until the final deadline of midnight PST on Feb. 4, 2008.  However, tasks must 
be
*reviewed* by this deadline as well, so it would be great if you could get your 
work
to us as soon as possible so we can start the review process.

Thanks

Original comment by acli...@gmail.com on 26 Jan 2008 at 3:51

[GoogleCodeExporter]

Just a reminder that there are only about 3 days left to go to get this work
completed, reviewed, and marked complete. If we don't see some work from you in 
the
next 24 hours (even if it's partial), it's going to be difficult to close this 
task
by that time. :(

Original comment by webchick...@gmail.com on 31 Jan 2008 at 10:49

• Changed state: ActionNeeded