Requirements case study Requirements case study 2 Usability testing case study Design case study Process Integration case study

Prototyping and Usability testing

Following a series of scoping meetings, Amberlight worked with Ask Jeeves stakeholders in order to define the classes of differences that search engines can have, and review/combine psychological models of search behaviour.

With these dimensions in place, a variety of partially working prototypes were developed by Ask Jeeves. Amberlight instituted rapid and cost-effective testing of these prototypes with both users and non-users of the existing Ask Jeeves system. Measures of usability were made, and the users' expectations and perceptions of differing ways to present search results were assessed.

Findings from any given round of tests were then incorporated into a new set of quickly developed prototypes, and tested again with an equivalent sample of users and non-users. This iterative approach is the core of ISO guideline 13407, and it ensures that expensive mistakes are not made on the final product.

Outcomes

The new development received a warm response, and measurably improved the searching process for new and existing users. Ask Jeeves were able to work to a user-centred design lifecycle with an absolute minimum of increase in their workload.

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