IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication Jan 2000

Thinking aloud as a method for testing the usability of Websites: the influence of task variation on the evaluation of hypertext

L. van Waes

Abstract

In the usability testing of Web sites, thinking aloud is a frequently-used method. A fundamental discussion, however, about the relation between the use of different variants of thinking aloud and the evaluation goals for this specific medium is still lacking. To lay a foundation for this discussion, I analyzed the results of three usability studies in which different thinking-aloud tasks were used: a simple searching task, an application task and a prediction task. In the task setting, the profile of the Web surfer, the communication goal of the Web site and other quality aspects are taken into account. The qualitative analysis of these studies shows that the task variation has some influence on the results of usability testing and that, consequently, tasks should be matched with the evaluation goals put forward.

Journal
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
Published
2000-01-01
DOI
10.1109/47.867944
CompPile
Open Access
Closed
Topics
assessment technical communication digital rhetoric
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (4)

  1. Elling et al. (2012)
    Combining Concurrent Think-Aloud Protocols and Eye-Tracking Observations: An An…
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  2. Killoran (2009)
    Targeting an Audience of Robots: Search Engines and the Marketing of Technical …
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  3. Benbunan-Fich et al. (2005)
    Web Presence Transformations in the 1990s: An Analysis of Press Releases
    IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
  4. Killoran (2005)
    ePluribus UNUM? Dialogism and Monologism in Organizational Web Discourse
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

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CrossRef global citation count: 35 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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