An Investigation of Influencing Factors in Co-Participation Usability Test

Abstract: The rise to pre-eminence of digital interfaces in everyday life means that it is crucial that those interfaces are user-friendly. In turn, the development of user-friendly systems demands effective methods for testing their usability. Methodologies for usability testing have evolved from traditional approaches, focused on single users, to co-participation techniques. Whilst co-participation testing demands more resources, the approach fosters a testing environment that is experienced as more natural, especially by children and elderly participants, and tends to result in richer qualitative data. In comparison with single-participant testing, co-participation can result in more honest feedback and identify a greater number of minor usability issues. This literature review therefore considers co-participation usability testing in particular, exploring the factors influencing testing outcomes, specifically gender, age, participant team composition and whether or not an evaluator is present. It pulls together the findings of a large number of comparative studies, which employ various methodologies to understand the effect of these factors on the results of usability testing. From the analysis, it can be shown that gender differences lead to distinct preferences, styles of interaction and priorities for navigation efficiency and how information is set out. Age differences are critical, as older adults frequently need longer to carry out tasks and tend to face different challenges to those encountered by younger users, because of differences in motor skills and cognition. Participant team composition is a significant factor for testing outcomes, as groups of people with diverse levels of expertise are better at spotting usability issues. Lastly, where an evaluator is present in the testing session, participant behaviour may be influenced by virtue of the observer effect, which can reduce result validity. This study is, then, a comprehensive review, which contributes to knowledge by demonstrating the combined influence of the factors reviewed on testing outcomes and by revealing how they interact with one another. Successful usability testing therefore depends on care in addressing these factors when designing and running usability tests. Furthermore, future research could usefully seek to develop more inclusive approaches to testing, which take these factors into account in effective and efficient testing procedures. These findings will be of especial interest to web designers, software developers and digital marketing specialists, fields where user experience has a direct effect on the success of a product.

Keywords: usability evaluation, co-participation testing (CP), human-computer interaction(HCI), user experience (UX)

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1006672

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