We evaluate and test products, interface designs, and software applications from the viewpoint of your customer. While our services do include a variety of usability evaluation methods, we view usability as only one aspect of the overall user experience. At Perceptive Sciences, we adapt our services to meet the specific needs of each project, including overall scope, market context, and constraints imposed by even the most aggressive of project timelines.
Our assessment methods are inherently flexible and can provide insight at all stages of a product’s life cycle, including:
- Early working ideas or concepts
- Prototypes (sketches, functional prototypes, paper-based designs, or clickable interfaces)
- Beta versions of a product
- Product introduction and marketing roll-out
- Continuous improvement of fully functioning end-products
We work with your team to achieve your user experience goals within your development timelines.
Expert Review
Using a set of design and usability heuristics, or accepted design principles, several of our experts can thoroughly explore and interact with your product as advocates for your customers. This method represents a relatively quick, initial evaluation to highlight where and how your product is succeeding, and where it is most likely to fall short. It should not be considered a substitute for user testing, but it is a good initial step.
Design Walkthroughs
A user walkthrough brings a small number of target users together in a moderated session to get early reactions and group input on your product. Walkthroughs are well-suited to testing concepts and emerging products relatively early within the development lifecycle. Depending on your specific needs, and on our intrinsic goal of working in step with your team, a walkthrough may also include key personnel in marketing, design, and project development. This format is particularly useful because it provides real-time transmission of data directly to the development team so that design changes can be made more quickly and implemented more accurately.
User Testing
Our preferred method of user testing is to conduct one-on-one product evaluations with a user that is representative of the target customer. These sessions can be done either in a highly controlled laboratory setting or on-site, when the context of use is an important consideration. This proven format removes many of the bias and demand characteristics associated with traditional market research methods and in-house evaluations. During testing, a team trained in cognitive psychology, human behavior sciences, and information sciences collect both quantitative and qualitative data on users’ overall experience with your product. These data typically include, but are not limited to:
- Customer impressions and comments
- Satisfaction and frustration levels with the product
- Nonverbal responses
- Performance and response durations
- Success and error rates
- Time spent on a particular product-related task
- Path analyses and click counts
- Task sequencing
- Decision criteria
- Importance Rankings
Our well designed evaluation projects and testing studies provide the reliable data that our researchers need to build a statistically reliable interpretation of your product’s performance in the eyes of your target customer. This approach can be extended to address a variety of evaluative needs, including:
- Discovery of minor, severe, and “show stopping” problems
- Benchmarking the quality of new and existing products
- Comparing your product with its competitors
User Experience Services
Accessibility review: Expert assessment of a website is performed to ensure that it is in compliance with section 508 mandates for web accessibility by the disabled.
Competitive benchmarking: This method involves performing an End User Test on the same core tasks with your company's product and with those of 1-2 competitors.
End user test: Typically a 1-on-1 test in which qualitative impressions and quantitative data (time-on-task, success rates, visits to documentation, etc.) are collected as users interact with an interface or software application to complete a set of realistic tasks. Variations: can be conducted using early page sketches, screen-shots, or emerging prototypes; remote users in distant cities or countries can be tested over the Web.
Heuristic evaluation (expert review): A review of a product, interface, or software application by a team of usability and design experts; a best practices list of heuristic guidelines is used to uncover potential usability problems; Variations: can be augmented to include assessments of potential issues and conflicts that might be encountered as products are migrated cross-culturally.
Out-of-Box-Experience test: This methodology allows the end user to interact with a product from the first experience of opening the box all the way through set-up and core task performance. Measures such as time-on-task, success rates, and visits to documentation are collected as users interact with the product to complete a set of realistic tasks.
Task analysis: This method builds a thorough understanding of the key tasks customers or users are trying to accomplish with a product, including all the necessary steps, constraints, and proper sequencing of sub-tasks.
User profiling: This method builds a complete understanding of the target customers’ mental model, including their demographic and psychographic background, as well as their needs, goals, and values as they pertain to a specific product or software application.
View a complete list of the services we offer.