USABILITY TESTING TOOL

• US 20120210209A1
• Filed: 08/31/2010
• Published: 08/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toby Biddle
• Original Assignee: Toby Biddle
• Inventors: Biddle, Toby
• Granted Patent: US 9,058,429 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/234
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites

Abstract

Systems, methods and apparatus for usability testing of remote interfaces or online applications via a user test application are disclosed. A parser of the user test application receives an HTTP request for a page of the interface or application to be tested from an evaluating participant. The parser creates an iframe that contains a URL of the user test application with a task URL related to the remote interface or online application to be tested appended to the URL. An HTTP request is made to the interface or online application based on the HTTP request and the user test application processes an HTTP response from the interface or online application and transmits the HTTP response to the participant as if the participant made the request directly from the remote interface or online application.

Claims

1. A method of usability testing of a remote interface or online application via a user test application, the method including:

a parser of the user test application receiving from a participant an HTTP request for a page of the remote interface or online application to be tested;

creating an iframe that contains a URL of the user test application with a task URL related to the remote interface or online application to be tested appended to the URL;

the user test application making an HTTP request to the remote interface or online application based on the HTTP request; and

the user test application processing an HTTP response from the remote interface or online application and transmitting the HTTP response to the participant as if the participant made the request directly from the remote interface or online application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the HTTP request received from the participant is in the form of one of the following:

an action or process request;

a resource request.

3. The method of claim 2, including using a different URL of the user test application for actions or processes from a URL of the user test application used for resources.

4. The method of claim 2, including the user test application recording action requests of the participant as participant navigation actions of the remote interface or online application, which are subsequently processed by the parser.

5. The method of claim 1, including the parser processing resource requests of the participant.

6. The method of claim 2, further including the parser processing HTTP resource requests based on the HTTP response header mime type.

7. The method of claim 1, including inserting code components into an HTML document requested by the participant, which executes on the browser on the participant'"'"'s computer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein execution of the inserted code components intercepts HTML writing and modifying functions and parses the HTML or HTML node before it is written or inserted into the document.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein execution of the inserted code components intercepts any page navigation functionality and resolves the URL to an action URL of the user test application.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein execution of the inserted code components intercepts dynamic JavaScript execution and sends it back to the user test application for processing as a JavaScript file.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein execution of the inserted code components ensures that the HTML document is within the user test application task iframe and performs a redirection back to the task if the page is not within the user test application task iframe.

12. The method of claim 1, further including processing HTTP headers and modifying the HTTP headers if necessary to ensure the domain and path is within the user test application user test server.

13. A parser of a user test application for usability testing of a remote interface or online application, the parser comprising computer readable program code components configured to cause:

receiving from a participant an HTTP request for a page of the remote interface or online application to be tested;

creating an iframe that contains a URL of the user test application with a URL related to the remote interface or online application to be tested appended to the URL;

making an HTTP request to the remote interface or online application based on the HTTP request; and

processing an HTTP response from the remote interface or online application and transmitting the HTTP response to the participant as if the participant made the request directly from the remote interface or online application.

14. The parser of claim 13, wherein the HTTP request received from the participant is in the form of one of the following:

an action or process request;

a resource request.

15. The parser of claim 13, comprising computer readable program code components configured to cause using a different URL of the user test application for actions or processes from a URL of the user test application used for resources.

16. The parser of claim 13, comprising computer readable program code components configured to cause recording action requests of the participant as participant navigation actions of the remote interface or online application, which are subsequently processed by the parser.

17. The parser of claim 13, comprising computer readable program code components configured to cause the parser processing resource requests of the participant.

18. The parser of claim 13, comprising computer readable program code components configured to cause processing HTTP resource requests based on the HTTP response header mime type.

19. The parser of claim 13, comprising computer readable program code components configured to cause inserting code components into an HTML document requested by the participant, which executes on the browser on the participant'"'"'s computer.

20. The parser of claim 19, comprising computer readable program code components configured to cause interception of HTML writing and modifying functions and parsing the HTML or HTML node before it is written or inserted into the document.

21. The parser of claim 19, comprising computer readable program code components configured to cause interception of any page navigation functionality and resolving the URL to an action URL of the user test application.

22. The parser of claim 19, comprising computer readable program code components configured to cause interception of dynamic JavaScript execution and sending it back to the user test application for processing as a JavaScript file.

23. The parser of claim 19, comprising computer readable program code components configured to cause ensuring that the HTML document is within the user test application task iframe and performing a redirection back to the task if the page is not within the user test application task iframe.

24. The parser of claim 19, comprising computer readable program code components configured to cause processing HTTP headers and modifying the HTTP headers if necessary to ensure the domain and path is within the user test application user test server.

25. A method for testing remote interfaces and online applications, the method including:

providing an accessible user interface on a communications network;

providing a communication means to users;

providing a login point for users; and

providing a reporting means;

wherein a report on the interface is generated when a user accesses the user interface through the login point; and

whereby a user can generate a usability report on a website independently by using a web based application that allows the user to script scenarios and questions for usability testing and distribute these to a hand picked group or randomly generated sample of, participants.

26. A method of usability testing in an online environment including:

a first party self defining an online review means of an remote interface or online application of the first party or a third party and defining selected participants to undertake review of the remote interface or online application;

providing a plurality of second parties with a link to the online review means to undertake review of the remote interface or online application;

the plurality of second parties undertaking review of the remote interface or online application of the first party or the third party and completing the online review means; and

the first party receiving a report of the online review according to its defined online review means from the plurality of second parties that have undertaken the review of the remote interface or online application of the first party or the third party.

27. A usability tool for a party to self define a tool for determining the usability of a remote interface or online application, the usability tool comprising:

an online means having;

a definable survey questionnaire including a range of predefined analytical categories for assessing the Usability of a remote interface or online application; and

a definable selection of predefined or definable participants to undertake review of the remote interface or online application and complete the questionnaire; and

a communication means for sending the defined questionnaire to the selected participants to review the usability of the interface or online application.

28. The usability tool of claim 27, wherein the online means has:

a communication means for receiving completed defined questionnaires from the selected participants on reviewing the usability of the remote interface or online application; and

an analysis means for analysing a plurality of received completed questionnaires and providing a report;

whereby the usability tool enables self assessment of the usability of the remote interface or online application with a definable survey questionnaire including a range of predefined analytical categories for assessing the usability of the remote interface or online application and a definable selection of predefined or definable participants to undertake review of the online interface or application and complete the questionnaire.

29. A method of determining a usability tool including the steps of:

providing a plurality of categories of assessment questions in order to assess the usability of a remote interface or online application;

providing a database of test questions for each of the categories of assessment questions;

receiving user defined test questions in at least one of the categories of assessment questions;

providing a flow report for coordinating the categories of assessment and the selected test question, modified test question or user defined test question in order to undertake a usability assessment of the remote interface or online application; and

creating a questionnaire in accordance with the flow report;

whereby the questionnaire provides instructions and questions in order to undertake a usability assessment of the remote interface or online application.

30. The method of claim 29, further including the steps of:

providing receiving input means for receiving a plurality of completed questionnaires;

analysing automatically the plurality of completed questionnaires; and

providing a report on the outcome to provide a usability assessment of the remote interface or online application.