ID+Ch+14+Qs


 * Questions for Chapter 14 of Interaction Design, "Evaluation Studies: From Controlled to Natural Settings**" **by Yvonne Rogders, Helen Sharp, and Jennifer Preece:**
 * 1) Product evaluation studies can be conducted in many types of environments along the spectrum from artificial environments (e.g., controlled laboratories) to the natural setting in which the product is being used. How can the environment where an evaluation study takes place affect the outcomes?
 * 2) What is usability testing? What is its purpose? What are some reasons for conducting usability tests for products?
 * 3) What are some benefits of conducting usability tests in controlled laboratories?
 * 4) What kinds of data are collected from usability testing?
 * 5) What are some factors that influence the types of methods used to collect data? What kinds of data can be collected in a laboratory setting? What kinds of data can be collected in a natural setting?
 * 6) What techniques can be used to collect information about product features that its users like or dislike?
 * 7) How can data be collected about how products are used in their natural environments?
 * 8) Two general metrics employed in usability testing are time and number. What are some example features of a product (e.g., a website) for which time and number can provide information about its usability?
 * 9) What are some quantitative measures that can be obtained from usability tests?
 * 10) How many users should be involved in a usability study for a product? What factors can affect the number of users in a usability study?
 * 11) What are some characteristics of usability labs, such as those built by corporations such as Microsoft and IBM?
 * 12) What are hypotheses in the context of experiments for usability tests? What is the benefit of establishing and testing these hypotheses?
 * 13) What is the relationship between independent variables and dependent variables in hypotheses? How can these variables be controlled to measure aspects of product usability?
 * 14) What are experiments and how do they relate to hypotheses in usability tests?
 * 15) What are field tests? What is the purpose of a field test?