Choosing Usability Research Methods

Abstract

This paper describes why and how human factors practitioners should employ a combination of research methods for user data collection, rather than relying on only one or two such as heuristic evaluation and laboratory testing. The paper presents three case studies of multiple-method usability research projects: alternating usability testing with ethnographic interviews in a longitudinal study of a clinical information system; two parallel usability research efforts for a small company with a limited budget; and contextual inquiries followed by group interviews of experts, then by usability testing. The authors believe that combining research methods is more likely to increase the strategic penetration of human factors within organizations.