A Web Based System for Usability Project Planning and Testing

Usability has become an important consideration for product development, and as a result, there is a growing need for systems and tools that can support usability test projects. However, few studies so far have developed such systems and tools. During a usability test project, many participants take up different roles, such as project managers, usability testers, and subjects. We implement a web-based usability test system with which a project manager can manage and control all participants and documents throughout the entire usability test process, from the design of a usability test project to the analysis of the test results. A usability test generates many documents, such as subject agreement forms and before/after questionnaires. Since many different subjects can participate in a usability test, consistency during testing with different participants and efficient document management are the keys to success for a usability test. Since all users that participate in usability test projects can access web-based usability test systems through a web browser, regardless of the place where they are, the reliability of the testing results can improve since the tests are conducted in the locations where the target products are meant to be used. In particular, our system is useful for disabled individuals who cannot move.