Usability testing is the killing field of cherished notions. (David Orr)

Wow! That’s kind of harsh. Maybe if we said “proving ground” instead.

Nah, this is way more descriptive. There are definitely times when there’s blood on the floor. 

Well, not really. But you know what I mean. It’s usually a matter of red faces, flared nostrils, big sighs, very tight smiles, killer glares … But it definitely does happen.

Face it, people fall in love with their stuff. It’s just the way human beings operate. (I don’t know, something about confirmation bias, backfire effect … You know, that sort of thing.)

And people tend to stay in love unless there’s something that happens that dissuades them otherwise. And that’s usually not a polite counter-argument in a meeting or a suggestion in an email. Sometimes, what it takes is a slap in the face. 

Hopefully, though, this won’t be coming as a total surprise. As a usability engineer with 30+ years of experience, I will definitely be giving you warning. In particular, I might speak up beforehand (if I get invited to the meetings). And, yes, when we actually start testing, we will definitely be covering what we’re seeing in debriefs (if you bother to watch the sessions, or stay afterwards).  And I’ll also be sending out those end-of-day and end-of-week topline reports as well (if you read them, that is). If, however, your first inkling that your baby may not be perfect is in the report-out, well yeah, it’s going to get a little messy. 

Recently, a designer joked before one of my report-outs that it was time for “Cliff to tear my design apart.” Now, that got me turning red a little. I helpfully pointed out that no, it was time to “get some feedback from our users.” 

Yeah, I know … It was a joke. It did give me a little perspective, though, on what it might be like to be on the other side of the bad news I sometimes have to deliver. Yup, usability is my “baby.” When someone doesn’t take it seriously, or when someone misinterprets it, I have a very similar emotional response. 

But, you know, it’s really not the same. I mean, I can make all sorts of arguments for the value of usability, and the value of usability data. On the other hand, if a usability test says that you’re baby’s ugly, there’s really not a lot you can come back with. I mean, if I’ve done my job properly, you’ve got the correct users, doing the correct tasks, on the correct system, and showing and telling you, bit by bit and piece by piece, exactly what the issues are.  

So, really, please ... just think of it as feedback.

David and I actually have a lot in common – English degrees; a mixed background in tech writing, instructional design & usability; about 30 years in the biz …