Event: Remote Usability Testing

Date:
October 29, 2003 (Wednesday), 7:00 p.m.
Dinner at 6:00 pm at the Pines of Florence, 2053 Wilson Blvd., for those who would like to join us.

Location:
Sapient, 1515 North Courthouse Road, 7th Floor, Arlington, VA 22201

Description:
Remote usability testing refers to various methods by which usability testing is conducted without the test administrator and the test participant being co-located. Web teleconferencing tools now allow usability tests to be conducted with real-time interactions between the test administrator and the remotely located participant - similar to a traditional face-to-face usability test, as well as without real-time interactions, i.e., with test participants exercising the product at their leisure and with the infrastructure capturing information such as the users' clickstream and online survey responses for later analysis.

This presentation will describe and show examples of both of these types of remote usability testing, discuss the pros and cons of both approaches, the relative advantages and disadvantages of remote testing versus traditional in-person testing, and describe the decision process for choosing between traditional and remote testing. Members of the audience are encouraged to share their experiences with remote testing approaches and to contribute to a listing of best practices.

Speakers:
Dick Horst, Userworks, and Amy Thurston, Sapient

Dick Horst, Ph.D., CPE is the founder and President of UserWorks, Inc. UserWorks is a Maryland-based human factors engineering consulting firm specializing in usability engineering and user interface design. Over the last five years UserWorks has increasingly focused on web usability. Its clients are drawn from the government, private sector and non-profits, with the majority of the work in recent years involving U.S. government projects. Mr. Horst's research background is in experimental psychology and psychophysiology. He has Masters and Ph.D. degrees in Experimental Psychology from Carnegie-Mellon University and certification as a Professional Ergonomist from the Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics. His role at UserWorks is largely one of business development and project oversight, although he continues to support some projects in a hands-on technical role. Over the last several years, UserWorks has increasingly utilized remote usability testing. Most of its experience has been with real-time interactions with remotely located participants, but it is now starting to also work with infrastructures for orchestrating non-real-time remote studies.

Amy Thurston is a Senior Associate of User Experience for Sapient. She has supported a variety of Federal government and Fortune 500 clients on projects involving accessible Web site design, strategic Web site development, and usability evaluation.

Registration:
Please register in advance for this event.

To register:
Send email with your name to by Tuesday, October 28 at 5 pm. After that time, walk-in registration is required.

Cost:
Free to UPA DC chapter members
$5 to non-members (including national members who are not chapter members) in advance by 5 p.m. Tuesday, October 28
$20 at the door

Payment options:
We can take cash or check at the event. We prefer that nonmembers pre-pay by sending your check (for $5) to:
UPA-DC Metro
c/o Lynn Baumeister
9039 Sligo Creek Pkwy #1715
Silver Spring, MD 20901

We can give you a receipt if you like at the event.

Directions:
See the Sapient website for directions.

Directions to dinner:
See the Pines of Florence website for more information, or get a map of 2053 Wilson Blvd.

Contact with events-related issues.

UPA DC Metro maintains a code of professional ethics to encourage the free expression of ideas and assure the security of our members and guests. We reserve the right to exclude or remove any individual and to limit meeting attendance if necessary.