Date of Award
2005
Degree Name
M.A. in Psychology
Department
Department of Psychology
Abstract
Current usability testing is often conducted via face-to-face interactions. This method can be costly, both in terms of timelines and budget. However, remote usability testing has been shown to be a viable alternative, in that performance scores have been shown to be quite similar to face-to-face methods. Although performance appears similar, remote usability testing may present challenges that threaten the validity and reliability of usability testing results. Rather than focusing on the performance of users in remote versus co-located conditions, the proposed study investigates the emotional and attitudinal responses of users engaged in software usability tests. The purpose of this study was to compare users’ anxiety and satisfaction with communication in remote and face-to-face usability tests. It was hypothesized that participants in the remote condition would exhibit a lower level of anxiety and be less satisfied with the communication method. Multiple usability tasks were administered and measures were recorded at three time intervals. Responses on the Social Anxiety Thoughts (SAT) questionnaire and the Communication Satisfaction Inventory (CSI) were collected. Although there were no significant differences between the groups in terms of anxiety and communication satisfaction, methodological limitations may have prevented the detection of differences and additional research is required to explore the strengths and weaknesses of remote usability testing.
Keywords
User interfaces (Computer systems) Testing, Human-computer interaction Psychological aspects
Rights Statement
Copyright © 2005, author
Recommended Citation
Goliber, Michael J., "Emotional and attitudinal responses to remote versus co-located usability testing" (2005). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 2937.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/graduate_theses/2937
