Validation or Verification Test - II

Objective

The objective of the validation test is to evalúate how the product compares to some predetermined usability standard or benchmark, either a project-related performance standard, an internal company or historical standard, or even a competitor's standard of performance, The intent is to establish that the product meets such a standard prior to release, and if it does not, to establish thereason(s) w hy. The standards usually origínate from the usability objectives developed early in the project. These in turn come from previous usability tests, marketing surveys, interviews with users, or simply educated guesses by the development team.

Usability objectives are typically stated in terms of performance criteria, such as efficiency and effectiveness, or how welJ and how fast the user can perform various tasks and operations. Or the objectives can be stated in terms of preference criteria, such as achieving a particular ranking or rating from users. A verificaron test has a sJightty different flavor. The objective here is to ensure that usability issues identified in earlier tests have been addressed and corrected appropriately.

It only makes sense then that the validation test itself can be used to initiate standards within thecompanyfor future producís Verification can accomplish the same thing. For example, if one establishes that a setup procedure for a software package vvorks well and can be conducted within 5 minutes with no more than one error, it is important that future releases of the product perform to that standard or better. Products can then be designed with this benchmark as a target, so that usability does not degrade as more functions are added to future releases.