Field Research and Laboratory Studies: Partners in Usability
Presentation 2
Stephanie Rosenbaum and Laurie Kantner, Tec-Ed, Inc.
Are you intrigued by Jane Goodall’s work with chimpanzees? Can you envision yourself as Margaret Mead in Coming of Age in Samoa? You can apply the field research methods of anthropology to design more successful products, systems, and Web sites. Field usability research involves observing people in their own environments—workplaces, homes, and schools—to learn their natural behavior. Field research complements laboratory testing to create a balanced user research program: Lab studies measure and compare user performance, while field studies show us aspects of audience behavior, related to context of use and environmental constraints, that can’t be observed in a usability lab. In this presentation, case histories illustrate when to choose a lab study and when to conduct field research, depending on your design issues and research goals.
Speakers:
 Whitney Quesenbery is a user interface designer and usability specialist with a passion for clear communication. She works with companies around the world to improve their Web sites and software applications and develop a user-centered design process. An active member of the usability community, Whitney is President of UPA (Usability Professionals’ Association). As Director of the UPA Voting and Usability Project, she is an advocate for the usability of voting systems. She was appointed to the Technical Guidelines Committee for the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission, where she heads the subcommittee on Human Factors and Privacy. Before she was seduced by a little beige computer into the world of usability, Whitney was a theatrical lighting designer on and off Broadway. The lessons from the theatre stay with her in creating user experiences. Whitney is the principal consultant for Whitney Interactive Design and can be contacted at whitneyq@wqusability.com.
 Laurie Kantner is a Senior Usability Researcher for Tec-Ed, Inc., overseeing and conducting a wide range of client projects using both field and laboratory methods. Her recent research includes work for Ford Motor Company, the NIH, McGraw-Hill, Yahoo!, and eBay. Laurie has served on the Board of Directors of the Usability Professionals’ Association. Her publications include UPA papers on “Field Research in Commercial Product Development” (2003) and “Balancing Rigor, Adaptation, and Mentoring: Field Study at Customer Sites to Initiate a Corporate Usability Program” (2004).
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