29.6.07

Site Review testing technique

I've allways used this "technique" and just glad to find a description of it. (Since i rarely take the time to describe such things myself)

A site review is basically an
unstructured inspection by a third party, typically focusing
on the site's usability and aesthetics.

Read the whole thing here

I think i have two levels of Site Review; Free-form, where i just browse a site as i would have done, being a normal user/visitor. And the more structured function specific approach where i focus on the different flows and it's functions on a website - in the order a visitor would normally encounter them.

The first approach is of cause flavored by my background to some extend and would never replace actual user-tests, but more a technique to be used in the early stages before launch.

The second makes way for iterative reviews of specific flows or functions within a flow, and would often prove the most thorough of the two.

Trying to make a reviews findings structured - because i was asked to by a friend ;) I've taken the time to make a template document with the following simple structure:


Page: [Page name or entire URL]

Screenshot: [An entire or partial picture of the page in question]

Issues: [List of issues]


Solutions: [List of possible solutions to each of the found issues]


I try to keep only one screenshot a page, making it easier for the author to scrap ones that have been corrected or dealt with.

Also on each page i put a date and time along with a page number to make sure the many pages a test might amount to has some structure, which often follows the flow of the test, making the page number quite important in understanding the entire test.

I'm also experimenting with having a Scope: [which specific part of the web page is reviewed and with what kind of angle] (eg. user perspective – flow from the profiles page after first log in)

This translates to a test conducted upon the first log in after registering on the page. Log in being excluded from the test.

This structure should be used in both the free-form and the more structured Site Review.

Update to this post: I've made a Document template, which works well using MS-Word macros. I've put the document online here (without macros)

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