Multiple Facilitators in One Study: How to Establish Consistency
Provides guidelines, with case study examples, for establishing consistency in multiple-facilitator studies. Presented at the 2010 Usability Professionals’ Association (UPA) Conference.
Can I Hear You Now? Designing the User Interface of a Product Improves Cell Phone Reception
Describes how TecEd, working together with engineers and industrial designers, created and tested the UI for a new product that improves cell phone reception in people’s homes. The project culminated with field usability testing of a functional prototype in two single-family houses with non-technical users. Presented at a 2008 World Usability Day event.
Learning about Users When You Can’t Go There: Remote Attended Usability Studies
Describes a method for conducting usability test sessions remotely and presents details on facilitating remote user sessions based on two case histories. In the Proceedings of the 2008 IEEE International Professional Communication Conference (IPCC).
A Clever Startup: Combining Qualitative and Quantitative UX Research
This article describes how TecEd helped a young startup company collect both qualitative and quantitative research data to inform their decisions about a social networking website for movies. In User Experience volume 7, issue 2 (2008), the magazine of the Usability Professionals’ Association.
Shoes for the Shoemaker’s Children
A usability company redesigns its website to market itself and better support clients, associates, prospects, employees. The process involves obstacles and benefits that give fresh insights into customer experience and usability processes for customers and practitioners. The process — and the site — demonstrates how usability works when it happens at home. Presented at the 2006 Usability Professionals’ Association Conference.
Balancing Rigor, Adaptation, and Mentoring: Field Study at Customer Sites to Initiate a Corporate Usability Program
Describes how TecEd mentored new usability staff at a client company in performing a field usability test with the client’s customers. co-authored with the client company. In the Proceedings of the 2004 Usability Professionals’ Association Conference.
Ethnographic Interviews Guide Design of Ford Vehicles Website
Describes ethnographic interviews with vehicle buyers to learn how they make purchase decisions. Despite a tight schedule, limited budget, and difficulties in finding suitable participants, we obtained valuable data that helped J. Walter Thompson refine the Ford Vehicles website. In the Proceedings of CHI 2003.
Combining Usability Research with Documentation Development for Improved User Support
Describes two case studies where TecEd leveraged usability research and documentation activities to create solutions that met the needs of both our clients and their customers. In the Proceedings of the 2002 Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Documentation (ACM SIGDOC).
When the Field is Far Afield: Multiple-Country Observations of Complex System Use
Describes the challenges of usability studies of complex systems that are used internationally, based on a case study of a multinational company’s enterprise-wide call management system. In the Proceedings of the 1998 Usability Professionals’ Association (UPA) Conference.
Multiple-User Testing: When One Person Can’t See Everything
Describes the pros and cons of the methods used in designing two usability tests where constraints prevented observation of all participants by one person. In the Proceedings of the 1997 Usability Professionals’ Association (UPA) Conference.
Testing the Sizzle of the Steak: Usability Testing of Packaging
Provides the rationale for usability testing the packaging of high-tech products, including lowered support costs, improved customer satisfaction, and increased sales. In the Proceedings of the 1997 Usability Professionals’ Association (UPA) Conference.
