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Usability Tests: Valuable and Easy!

Usability tests are like cleaning the garage: You know there will be great benefit, but getting started seems so daunting, and once you have done it, you wonder why you didn't do it sooner!

My team at work just did our first ones. They were surprisingly easy and valuable. Then today,  Five Techniques for Getting Buy-In for Usability Testing was posted by Christine Perfetti of User Interface Engineering. Numbers 1-3 in her article perfectly capture our experience:

1. Start Testing Right Away

Start testing. Start doing it right away. We've found there isn't any one experience more beneficial to design teams than running a usability test. I'm still amazed by how quickly development team members recognize the benefits of usability testing once they've actually seen it in action. ...

2. Debunk the Myth that Usability Testing Is a Big Production

... Usability testing isn't rocket science. The organizations that do the best job of incorporating usability tests into their existing process understand that testing is not a big deal.

... our recommendation is to start simple: Test on a computer in your office cubicle and start testing with someone, even a co-worker, to begin gathering data. A usability test doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to happen.

3. Start Testing Early in the Process.

...

We will do this often.

A reasonable test is 3-4 test subjects (customers, random customer-like people within the company, etc.) in front of a PC and you, standing behind with a clipboard. Encourage the subject to tell what he is thinking and you have the essence of a usability test!

Hell of a lot easier than cleaning the garage!

For more on usability testing, I strongly recommend User Interface Engineering's website.

Take One: Strategies for Minor Pain Relief

"Take two aspirin and call me in the morning."

Why two?

Though the standard adult dose of most pain relievers is two tablets, try just one, especially for a minor ache. It may be all you need and a lower does reduces the possibility of side effects.

More advice on pain relievers:

• Take it sooner rather than later. An ache is much harder to control once it's raging. You can certainly overdo it — you don't want to go running to the medicine cabinet for every little imagined twinge — but if you know a genuine ache is coming on, a small dose early may do the trick.
• If the pain is persistent or stronger, take one each of ibuprofen (e.g. Advil) and acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol). They work via different mechanisms and taken together, can be more effective. 
• Be extra careful with acetaminophen (Tylenol) because in rare instances, overdose can wreck your liver.

The important thing is to know your body and figure out what works for you. With experimentation, you can take a lower dose, less frequently.

More hints: Lifehacker on how to stop headaches before they star

Replace All Your Club Cards with One!

Tired of carrying all the club and discount cards? At justoneclubcard.com, you can enter all your cards and it produces a single image with all the bar codes. Print it and voila: One card fits all! Example:

It's free and requires no registration. Seems pretty safe, since the site does not know who you are and does not include cards that allow you to buy things.

No-Knead Bread Update

I updated the No-Knead Bread article. I still love this recipe. After making a dozen loaves, I have refined the recipe and method. I also removed the protracted discussion about the wet, gummy middle since that's now resolved and the refinements are incorporated in the method.

Do try this: It's like having a French bakery in your neighborhood.