Comparison of usability evaluation methods

Evaluation Method	Evaluation Method Type	Applicable Stages	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages
Think aloud protocol Think aloud protocol Think-aloud protocol is a method used to gather data in usability testing in product design and development, in psychology and a range of social sciences...	Testing Software testing Software testing is an investigation conducted to provide stakeholders with information about the quality of the product or service under test. Software testing can also provide an objective, independent view of the software to allow the business to appreciate and understand the risks of software...	Design, coding, testing and release of application	Participants in testing express their thoughts on the application while executing set tasks	Less expensive Results are close to what is experienced by users	The Environment is not natural to the user
Remote testing	Testing Software testing Software testing is an investigation conducted to provide stakeholders with information about the quality of the product or service under test. Software testing can also provide an objective, independent view of the software to allow the business to appreciate and understand the risks of software...	Design, coding, testing and release of application	The experimenter does not directly observe the users while they use the application	Efficiency, effectiveness and satisfaction, the three usability issues, are covered	Additional Software is necessary to observe the participants from a distance
Focus group Focus group A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging... s	Inquiry	Testing and release of application	A moderator guides a discussion with a group of users of the application	If done before prototypes are developed, can save money Produces a lot of useful ideas from the users themselves Can improve customer relations	The environment is not natural to the user and may provide inaccurate results. The data collected tends to have low validity due to the unstructured nature of the discussion
Interview Interview An interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -... s	Inquiry	Design, coding, testing and release of application	The users are interviewed to find out about their experience and expectations	Good at obtaining detailed information Few participants are needed Can improve customer relations	Can not be conducted remotely Does not address the usability issue of efficiency
Cognitive walkthrough Cognitive walkthrough The cognitive walkthrough method is a usability inspection method used to identify usability issues in a piece of software or web site, focusing on how easy it is for new users to accomplish tasks with the system...	Inspection Software inspection Inspection in software engineering, refers to peer review of any work product by trained individuals who look for defects using a well defined process...	Design, coding, testing and release of application	A team of evaluators walk through the application discussing usability issues through the use of a paper prototype or a working prototype	Good at refining requirements does not require a fully functional prototype	Does not address user satisfaction or efficiency The designer may not behave as the average user when using the application
Pluralistic walkthrough Pluralistic walkthrough The Pluralistic Walkthrough is a usability inspection method used to identify usability issues in a piece of software or website in an effort to create a maximally usable human-computer interface...	Inspection Software inspection Inspection in software engineering, refers to peer review of any work product by trained individuals who look for defects using a well defined process...	Design	A team of users, usability engineers and product developers review the usability of the paper prototype of the application	Usability issues are resolved faster Greater number of usability problems can be found at one time	Does not address the usability issue of efficiency

Source: Genise, Pauline. “Usability Evaluation: Methods and Techniques: Version 2.0” August 28, 2002. University of Texas.

See also