Usability testing is a critical component of manual testing that focuses on evaluating a product's user interface and user experience. The goal is to ensure that the product is intuitive, efficient, and satisfying for the end-users. This type of testing is essential for identifying usability issues before the product reaches the market.

1. User-Centric Approach:

   • Usability testing is conducted from the perspective of the end-user.
   • It involves real users interacting with the product to identify any usability issues.

2. Usability Metrics:

   • Effectiveness: How accurately and completely users can achieve their goals.
   • Efficiency: The resources expended in relation to the accuracy and completeness of goals achieved.
   • Satisfaction: How pleasant the product is to use.

3. Types of Usability Testing:

   • Exploratory Testing: Users explore the product freely to identify any usability issues.
   • Task-Based Testing: Users are given specific tasks to complete, and their interactions are observed.

4. Usability Testing Process:

   • Planning: Define the scope, objectives, and methods of the test.
   • Recruitment: Select participants that represent the target user base.
   • Execution: Conduct the test sessions, observing and recording user interactions.
   • Analysis: Analyze the data to identify usability issues and areas for improvement.
   • Reporting: Document findings and provide recommendations for enhancing usability.

Let's consider a simple web application for booking movie tickets. The usability test will focus on the following task: "Book a ticket for a movie of your choice."

• Objective: Evaluate the ease of booking a movie ticket.
• Participants: 5 users who frequently book movie tickets online.
• Tasks:
  1. Navigate to the movie booking section.
  2. Select a movie and showtime.
  3. Choose seats and proceed to checkout.
  4. Complete the payment process.

• Effectiveness: All users were able to complete the task, but some struggled with seat selection.
• Efficiency: The average time taken to complete the task was 5 minutes.
• Satisfaction: Users reported that the payment process was straightforward but found the seat selection interface confusing.

• Simplify the seat selection interface by providing clearer instructions and visual cues.
• Enhance the navigation flow to reduce the number of steps required to complete a booking.

Task: Conduct a usability test for a simple e-commerce website where users can purchase a product.

1. Define the test objective and scope.
2. Select 3-5 participants who represent the target audience.
3. Create a task list for the participants to follow.
4. Observe and record the participants' interactions.
5. Analyze the data and provide recommendations for improvement.

1. Objective: Evaluate the ease of purchasing a product.
2. Participants: 3 users who frequently shop online.
3. Tasks:
   • Search for a product.
   • Add the product to the cart.
   • Proceed to checkout and complete the purchase.
4. Observations:
   • Users found the search functionality intuitive.
   • Some users had difficulty finding the checkout button.
5. Recommendations:
   • Improve the visibility of the checkout button.
   • Provide a progress indicator during the checkout process.

Usability testing is an essential practice in manual testing that ensures a product is user-friendly and meets the needs of its users. By focusing on real user interactions, testers can identify and address usability issues, leading to a more successful product. As you continue to explore manual testing, remember that usability is a key factor in user satisfaction and product success.