Usability testing on the knee

I have been interested in the topic of usability and interface design, scripts, characters for quite a long time. But I do not do it professionally. Up to this point, I was content only with knowing how this is done “in an adult way” , and the conviction that “in an amicable way” projects should be developed through UI testing (test first;). But, as usual, there was no further talk and sad sighs.
It all started with the fact that once again discussing the project, features and future plans, I took it and blurted out: "Let's go to the institute and check on the students."



Before we had time to turn around, it was “tomorrow”, it’s time to go. And in our country, in the best traditions, nothing is ready.
There are 2 laptops (Ubuntu), one with a camera. Normally only XVidCap is written from the screen. They brought the video to the monitor and moved the browser a little to one side to write the screen and the video of the person (XVidCap catches the output of the video), but the sound does not plow. A video without sound is not relevant. There was no time to dance with a tambourine. We decided to write only the screen without video and sound.
Till 2 o'clock in the morning we write scripts for testing. Time affects, mercilessly cut the banter that breaks through in the script. Someone smart said that boys need to write on behalf of girls and vice versa. Cursing, writing and printing 2 options.
Wrote a little story in the form of simple tasks:

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 You are going to company, as usual, ride on Saturday.  Climb on Yandex, watch the weather, and there ... Storm warning, hail, and yes even a thunderstorm.  And all the misadventures on Saturday, and on Sunday a clear, clear sky.

 * Change the date of your event.
 * Warn all participants that the date is being transferred.
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Noticed the time - I pass everything in 10 minutes.
Now to sleep, to get up tomorrow at half past six.
')
Morning. Under the drizzling rain we run to the university (we have our own people there;)
The university is a stronghold of science and civilization. There are no outlets, the Internet - even more so. I took skylink with me. At the second attempt, the connection trace ran - there is a connection. (On the rights of anti-advertising - I hate skylink, but it helps out as a backup. Yes, I know that there is yota, etc.)
We were not lucky with the audience, sat in the dining room in the corner. Turned around, tested, exhaled and called the first person ...

A little introductory, give a small pile of tasks and freeze behind the back ...
I, frankly, prepared for a sophisticated torture when a programmer is shown how people use and cope with what he created. But, nothing, all the guys coped with the task and opened a bunch of rough jambs and inconveniences. Our main hit was “Move your event to the created group” - the cursor is torn around the entire interface, links and buttons. And then he freezes on the cherished link, whispering to himself, clenching his fists: “Well, come on, click!” - no, he left ...
At first, the first laptop gave up, and then the second one crashed in the process of testing, the benefit is that right at the very end.
Emotions going wild.

Everything.

Breathed out. Relaxed.
Found an empty audience, with a power outlet this time. And while the impressions are fresh, they drove off all the videos again, stopping, discussing and recording the report. Fixed a bunch of jambs, thoughts and ideas.
Who cares, our log . Just do not throw bricks - there is already no living place.
And now the conclusions:

• We had a lot of fun! (But God forbid you smile next to the invited person.)
• We did it! What many just sigh, we took and did. Yes, as amateurs. Yes, on the knee. But we did it, and what we learned and understood is now part of us. I am now not only TDD , but also UI-test infected.
• Now we will regularly conduct such trips. Normally set up to capture video and sound. Rewrite and expand scripts. The world has changed ...
  We have 2 mobile stations, scenarios and all data for testing are in the repository. I can, for example, come to a cafe, build something up , immediately catch a couple of people, record a video, and send it to my colleagues. Already yesterday I received from a friend: “Hold the video. For groups - to kill us, for an eye - 2 to snatch. ”
• It is easy. Yes, damn it, it's easy. So much so that I can not justify those who spend a lot of money on development and promotion, but do not bother to catch a dozen people to see how they will work with it at all. Not to mention seriously thinking about “interaction design”.

Who knows what's next? That's right, take and do.
Links will not give. I haven’t got out of the console for a long time and I don’t know the latest publications. Is that “ usability testing on the cheap ” for general development.
In general, if you wish, you will find a bunch of material on this topic. There are many companies that do it professionally if you don’t want to do it yourself. The main thing to start.

Make a step.

Ps Thanks to all the participants, the institute, and the teacher, who allowed to steal a couple of students.

Pps Created a usability group testing on the knee
We meet and test our projects, show each other, see where and how users stumble. Learn from the mistakes of others.
All interested can see how this process looks with all the artifacts. Learn from each other and hone technology.
I suggest professional studios to invite to their test sessions.