Product Description

Effectively measuring the usability of any product requires choosing the right metric, applying it, and effectively using the information it reveals. Measuring the User Experience provides the first single source of practical information to enable usability professionals and product developers to do just that. Authors Tullis and Albert organize dozens of metrics into six categories: performance, issues-based, self-reported, web navigation, derived, and behavioral/physiological. They explore each metric, considering best methods for collecting, analyzing, and presenting the data. They provide step-by-step guidance for measuring the usability of any type of product using any type of technology.

Presents criteria for selecting the most appropriate metric for every case
Takes a product and technology neutral approach
Presents in-depth case studies to show how organizations have successfully used the metrics and the information they revealed

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #108645 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Review
"If Tom and Bill could convince me, perhaps the worlds biggest fan of qualitative testing, that usability metrics are really valuablewhich they have, in this wonderful bookthen theres no doubt theyll convince you. I loved reading this book, because it was exactly like having a fascinating conversation with a very smart, very seasoned, and very articulate practitioner. They tell you everything you need to know (and no more) about all the most useful usability metrics, explain the pros and cons of each one (with remarkable clarity and economy), and then reveal exactly how they actually use them after years and years of real world experience. Invaluable! --Steve Krug, author of Dont Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability

This book is a great resource about the many ways you can gather usability metrics without busting your budget. If youre ready to take your user experience career to the next level of professionalism, Tullis and Albert are here for you and share generously of their vast experience. Highly recommended."
Jakob Nielsen, Principal, Nielsen Norman Group, author of Usability Engineering and Eyetracking Web Usability --Jakob Nielsen, Principal, Nielsen Norman Group, author of Usability Engineering and Eyetracking Web Usability

Review
"If Tom and Bill could convince me, perhaps the world's biggest fan of qualitative testing, that usability metrics are really valuable-which they have, in this wonderful book-then there's no doubt they'll convince you. I loved reading this book, because it was exactly like having a fascinating conversation with a very smart, very seasoned, and very articulate practitioner. They tell you everything you need to know (and no more) about all the most useful usability metrics, explain the pros and cons of each one (with remarkable clarity and economy), and then reveal exactly how they actually use them after years and years of real world experience. Invaluable!" Steve Krug, author of Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability

"This book is a great resource about the many ways you can gather usability metrics without busting your budget. If you're ready to take your user experience career to the next level of professionalism, Tullis and Albert are here for you and share generously of their vast experience. Highly recommended."
Jakob Nielsen, Principal, Nielsen Norman Group, author of Usability Engineering and Eyetracking Web Usability

"If you do any type of usability testing, you need this book. Tullis and Albert have written a clear and comprehensive guide with a common-sense approach to usability metrics."
Ginny Redish, President of Redish and Associates, Inc., author of Letting Go of the Words

About the Author
Thomas S. (Tom) Tullis is Senior Vice President of User Experience at Fidelity Investments. He joined Fidelity in 1993 and was instrumental in the development of the companys User Experience department, whose facilities include a state-of-the-art Usability Lab. Prior to joining Fidelity, Tullis held technology positions at Canon Information Systems, McDonnell Douglas, Unisys Corporation, and Bell Laboratories. He and Fidelitys 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. Tullis received his B.A. from Rice University, M.A. in Experimental Psychology from New Mexico State University, and Ph.D. in Engineering Psychology from Rice University. With more than 30 years of experience in human-computer interface studies, Tullis has published over 50 papers in numerous technical journals and has been an invited speaker at national and international conferences. He also holds eight United States patents.

William (Bill) Albert is currently a Director of User Experience at Fidelity Investments. Prior to joining Fidelity Investments, Albert was a Senior User Interface Researcher at Lycos and Post Doctoral Research Scientist at Nissan Research & Development. Over the past decade, Albert has utilized nearly every type of usability metric as part of his research. Albert has more than twenty publications, and has presented his research at many professional and academic conferences. Albert has been awarded prestigious fellowships through the University of California and the Japanese Government for his research in Human Factors and Spatial Cognition. Albert received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Washington and his Ph.D. from Boston University.

Customer Reviews

Very useful guide to usability testing
I haven't done any formal usability testing yet, but it will be a focal point of my final year project at university, so I've been looking for books that explain the process. Measuring the User Experience initially seems like a textbook full of boring statistics, but on further inspection the information inside is very practical. Tullis and Albert's book sets out to cover the whole process of doing a usability study, from planning and collecting data all the way through to analysing and presenting it.

If Steve Krug's Don't Make Me Think! is a first step into the world of usability, then Measuring the User Experience is great choice for where to advance your other metaphorical foot to next. For someone like me, who is familiar with many of the concepts but has never had a chance to apply them in a formal study, Tullis and Albert's book is highly recommended.