Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Basic Structure for Writing a Usability Report or User Interface Study

To improve UI study reporting and methods, in general use the following structure:

Introduction
Describe what the comparison sites are:
Use the site's "About Us" or other mission statement, goals, to determine who the users are.
Describe the methods used for analysis

Call out specifics, be explicit.
1. Personas
2. Scenarios
3. Use Cases
4. Testing – tabbing, screen readers etc
5. Results
6. Recommendations

Also important are such things as aesthetics, use of color, and where the fold is, include screenshots for clarity.

Include even a brief conclusion, spell check and have an editor, cohort or friend review your work.

If you have to deliver negative news, in your analysis call out the good points first, and keep a positive sense of humor. Be prepared for the site owners, organizations, or managers not to be guided by your advice.

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