Usability testing tool

• US 9,058,429 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2010
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toby Biddle
• Original Assignee: Toby Biddle
• Inventors: Biddle, Toby
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, CONG LAC T
• Application Number:
  US13/503,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20120210209A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,750 Days
• Field of Search: 715/205
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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:

loading the user test application from a test server in a client browser of a participant;

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

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

the user test application making a second HTTP request to the remote interface or online application based on the task URL; and

the user test application processing an HTTP response from the remote interface or online application to the second HTTP request and transmitting the HTTP response to the participant via the iframe of the user test application 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 is in the form of one of the following:

an action, a process request or 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 task 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.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium of a test server, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable program code components for usability testing of a remote interface or online application, the computer readable program code components configured to cause:

loading a user test application from the test server in a client browser of a participant;

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

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

making a second HTTP request to the remote interface or online application based on the task URL; and

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

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first HTTP request is in the form of one of the following:

an action, a process request or a resource request.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, comprising computer readable program code components stored on the computer readable medium, the 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 non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, comprising computer readable program code components stored on the computer readable medium, the 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 non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, comprising computer readable program code components stored on the computer readable medium, the computer readable program code components configured to cause processing resource requests of the participant.

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

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

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, comprising computer readable program code components stored on the computer readable medium, the 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 non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, comprising computer readable program code components stored on the computer readable medium, the computer readable program code components configured to cause interception of any page navigation functionality and resolving the task URL to an action URL of the user test application.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, comprising computer readable program code components stored on the computer readable medium, the 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 non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, comprising computer readable program code components stored on the computer readable medium, the 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 non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, comprising computer readable program code components stored on the computer readable medium, the 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.