title: The effects of protoype medium on usability testing.
abstract: Inconsistencies among testing methods and results in previous research prompted this study that builds upon a systematic usability testing research framework to better understand how interface medium influences users' abilities to detect usability flaws in applications. Interface medium was tested to identify its effects on users' perceptions of usability and abilities to detect usability problems and severe usability problems. Results indicated that medium has no effect on users' abilities to detect usability problems or perceptions of usability. However, results did indicate an interaction between the medium and the tested application in which users were able to identify significantly more usability problems on a higher fidelity medium using a particular application. Results also indicated that as users' perceptions of an application's usability increases, the users are less able to detect usability problems in that application. Usability testing should begin early in the design process, even if low fidelity mediums will be used.
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Mississippi State University, PO Box 9542, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA.
authors.forename: Chase
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boothe
authors.forename: Lesley
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Strawderman
authors.forename: Ethan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hosea
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D032882:Comprehension; D016288:Computer Terminals; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010209:Paper; D010465:Perception; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Fidelity; Human computer interaction; Perception; Prototype; Usability