Twitter Usability…
Twitter usability… huh, new phenomenon? Not quite.
- My thoughts
- Why
- Why Not
- Short Story
- Takeaways
In all honesty, I think there is real value in pursuing usability testing via Twitter. Call me crazy, or slightly crazy; I’d like to consider Twitter a usability phenomenon because of the endless number of variables that could present themselves anywhere. Moreover, should I feel compelled to use Twitter as a resource, a tool to improve my ideas? Why or Why not?
“Why” …Perhaps I need to get out more, see who is doing good things with Twitter as a usability forum. I need to pick my head out of the “sand,” wake up and smell the proverbial rose. Sandy beach or not, my design inspiration comes from my environment; poof next idea. So, am I on to something here? A way for me to change my sites and update them on the fly based on Twitter comments? Well, I’ll start with this:I encourage all of you and those around me to provide feedback and constructive criticism. =)
“Why not?” Who knows, time?
(Let’s say we lived in the world of Utopia)
Utopian World: a time in space were time was irrelevant
Me: “I’m not sure Twitter would allow me to keep my finger(s) on the pulse(design/development world)… So, I got to thinking, how can I utilize this Twitter thing to improve my site.”
Utopian World: It’s free, and any number people can partake in the test, and they opt in if they want to participate. Betcha you can’t name another way to perform a usability test and gather data in 140 characters ?
Me: “It’s FREE! FREE usability testing; it’s not everyday you have something of such great value, just fall into your hands.”
Utopian World: “Right, so get on board, quite lollygagging around and get to it!”
The End
So, what am I getting at here? Here are some potential points to think about:
- Do you think Twitter is sustainable way to usability test fans or even customers? How do you cost out Twitter usability testing? Assuming you have one or more persons to usability test?
- How can I measure the importance of that test? Would I reuse the data collected by the test? Example, I was asked to “place a tree in the background” how would I truly measure the value of this lofty idea?
- How often should I review my usability Tweets? How can I baseline Tweets that I already have? Can I compare them overtime?
- So, I’m a designer, a designer who is interested in working with Twitter(or just a general audience of folks who I may not know, or associate my design too); how can I use Twitter to usability test my designs?
