I conducted user tests for the client, Riksantikvarieämbetet. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, I planned, structured, and scoped the setup for completely digital, accessible user tests, in compliance with the new restrictions. Since it was completely digital/online, I documented the process for the client and also presented it for my co-workers.

The client, Riksantikvarieämbetet, decided on two specific scenarios on which to test, based on two different ways of searching for information.

They also contacted possible test persons. Once they had agreed on participating, I received the contact information. Since the original plan was to conduct the user tests in person, they were based in Uppsala and Stockholm. The amount of test persons was limited to three, since we were reaching the end of the project and time was limited. However, due to Covid-19, it became necessary to have digital user tests, which actually could have made it possible to test more than three since I only needed to set up everything once. This is something we discussed aftwerwards when summarizing the result and was an important lesson learned. What is good to remember, though, is that even though digital testing does not require a lot of time to prepare and perform, since it is individual work and only involves one test, it is still time-consuming work to analyze and summarize all of the tests.   

Software / Prototypes

I asked the client if they preferrrend any specific software, but, in the end, I was able to decide for myself what to use and when (except the prototyping tool, where they wanted me to use Sketch and InVision). I am aware that there is other software and tools to use when it comes to prototyping, and I prefer those instead of using Sketch, which is a pretty basic prototype tool. However, the client wanted to use the same tool they have used before, so that was the reason for using Sketch and InVision for prototyping.

I used Typeform to create online questionnaires and Lookback for user test video recordings.

Online questionnaire / Information

As mentioned above, Typeform was used for additional questions. It is an easy tool in which to create user-friendly, clean questionnaires. I added images to the questions, to make sure it was clear for the test persons to know what the questions were about. I also decided to have different kinds of questions in order to get a wider spectrum of information, thoughts, and grades. There was always an option for users to write additional information as well.

Along with the prototypes connected to Lookback for recording and a questionnaire using Typeform, I sent out an instructive e-mail to the test persons.

The e-mail included;

• An estimation of how long time the tests would take
• Instructions based on the two scenarios the client wanted to be tested
• My contact information
• Link to the questionnaire
• Links to the prototyped scenarios

Contact / Analyze recordings

The e-mail was sent with a deadline for when the tests needed to be completed: about a week later. 

Once all the tests and the questionnaires were filled in, I began analyzing the results by watching the recordings. Since there were only three participants, I decided to "transcribing" the test users´ movements, thoughts, and expressions. I had also asked them to describe aloud the steps they were taking and to explain why as they were working on the test. 

By seeing, hearing, and watching every scene/move on each view/step of the tests, I could clearly see a pattern when the majority of them had an issue or when everything moved along smoothly. Since my final documentation for the client would be in paper format, it was easy for me summarize all of the scenarios and test persons' movements after having summariazed each one.

The questionnaire answers were pretty simple to summerize as well, since the software itself gathered all of the data when it came to, for example, the gradings. It gave me the average in an answer, and then it was easy to gather all of the extra information and thoughts as an addition. I put together a document with the results, transcriptions, answers of the questionnaire, and my own thoughts about the outcome. I also explanained why I had decided to do some things in a certain way and so forth.

The document included areas such as;

• Introduction
• Purpose and goal
• About LH+P
  
• Covid-19 disclaimer (changes of conducting user test)
• How the user tests were done
• Test result
• Summary
• Limitations & work flow
• Next steps?
• Appendix

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