Task-Free Usability Testing: Summary of UPA Seminar

On Monday night, I attended a the local UPA chapter seminar called Task-Free Usability Testing. During the session, three panelists described their experiences with a “new” approach to conducting usability tests. All the panelists admitted to having employed these techniques to a lesser extent previously – which is why I qualified “new” – but for each this was the first time they had built a structured test around it.

The technique boiled down to keeping the test open-ended, not forcing users through pre-determined scenarios or tasks. Instead, users were invited to explore the site on their own and comment. Each panelist presented a slightly different version of this theme.

The major disadvantage to the open-ended approach is lack of “hard data.” Because there is little structure to these tests, there is no way to capture accurate numbers. To me, this is hardly a disadvantage. Numbers attached to usability testing always seem like a bit of a reach anyway. (Via greenonions.com )