Beyond the Usability Lab Conducting Large-scale Online User Experience Studies

Usability testing and user experience research typically take place in a controlled lab with small groups. While this type of testing is essential to user experience design, more companies are also looking to test large sample sizes to be able compare data according to specific user populations and see how their experiences differ across user groups. But few usability professionals have experience in setting up these studies, analyzing the data, and presenting it in effective ways. Online usability testing offers the solution by allowing testers to elicit feedback simultaneously from 1,000s of users. Beyond the Usability Lab offers tried and tested methodologies for conducting online usability studies. It gives practitioners the guidance they need to collect a wealth of data through cost-effective, efficient, and reliable practices. The reader will develop a solid understanding of the capabilities of online usability testing, when it?s appropriate to use and not use, and will learn about the various types of online usability testing techniques.

1. Introduction to online usability methods2. Planning your study3. Designing your study4. Launching your study 5. Data preparation6. Data analysis and presentation7. Building your own online study 8. Online solutions9. Ten tips for a successful online study

This book is written for usability specialists, user experience researchers, market researchers, information architects, interaction designers, business analysts, and managers who are looking to learn about the capabilities of, and gain experience with, online usability testing.

William (Bill) Albert is Senior Vice President and Global Head of Customer Development at Mach49, a growth incubator for global businesses. Prior to joining Mach49, Bill was Executive Director of the Bentley University User Experience Center (UXC) for almost 13 years. Also, he was Director of User Experience at Fidelity Investments, Senior User Interface Researcher at Lycos, and Post-Doctoral Researcher at Nissan Cambridge Basic Research. He has more than twenty years of experience in user experience research, design, and strategy. Bill has published and presented his research at more than 50 national and international conferences, and published in many peer-reviewed academic journals within the fields of User Experience, Usability, and Human-Computer Interaction. In 2010 he co-authored (with Tom Tullis and Donna Tedesco), “Beyond the Usability Lab: Conducting Large-Scale Online User Experience Studies,” published by Elsevier/Morgan Kauffman.
Thomas S. (Tom) Tullis retired as Vice President of User Experience Research at Fidelity Investments in 2017. Tom was also an Adjunct Professor in Human Factors in Information Design at Bentley University since 2004. He joined Fidelity in 1993 and was instrumental in the development of the company’s User Research department, whose facilities include state-of-the-art Usability Labs. Prior to joining Fidelity, he held positions at Canon Information Systems, McDonnell Douglas, Unisys Corporation, and Bell Laboratories. He and Fidelity’s usability team have been featured in a number of publications, including Newsweek, Business 2.0, Money, The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times.
Donna Tedesco is a Senior User Experience Specialist with over ten years of user research experience. She has published and presented at local, national and international conferences, and is co-author with Bill Albert and Tom Tullis of the book, "Beyond the Usability Lab: Conducting Large-Scale Online User Experience Studie