International Remote Usability Evaluation: The Bliss of Not Being There

摘要

This paper describes the planning and implementation of a cross-border usability test that was to be executed in five European countries. The usability evaluation was designed by the Usability Group at Helsinki University of Technology who also performed the testing for the Finnish partner. In the other countries the usability tests were to be implemented by teams of subject matter specialists with very heterogeneous disciplines ranging from software engineering to social sciences, gender equality and vocational counselling. This paper describes the level of materials and training prepared for the remote usability testing and discusses its adequacy both via test personnel satisfaction and comments, and by comparing the found usability problems and observed phenomena in the test sessions between the test executed by the usability experts and the subject matter specialists.