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Web Site Testing Firm Launched
In the UK Graham Farrant, formerly Operations Director at NatCen, has set up Your Site Check, a firm which applies cognitive methodologies to test and evaluate web sites.
 Farrant joined NatCen (National Centre for Social Research) in 1990 in a research role, and latterly served as Operations Director with overall responsibility for the firm's telephone interviewers, fieldworkers, and coding and editing staff.
During his career with the company, he was jointly responsible for the introduction of cognitive research methods, and his new business applies these techniques to test web site usability on real users, pinpoint problems, and unpick them to find practical solutions.
Cognitive usability testing of a web site makes visible the mental processes people go through when carrying out a particular task or activity. For example, the firm can identify where on the site users are looking for information, how much they are taking in, whether they are making assumptions, and why they are taking a particular action.
According to Farrant, if a site has a usability issue, cognitive research shows exactly how and why it occurs.
His firm offers three levels of service: full testing with a detailed report; a usability review; and a quick usability check.
Farrant told DRNO that he was enjoying being immersed in qualitative research. 'It's a bit like detective work, in that you must observe and listen very closely to people, probe unobtrusively to tease out information, think hard and make connections, and write up a clear report to describe the problems and offer solutions,' he explained. 'At heart, usability testing is about helping to solve problems, and that's what makes it so rewarding.'
The new firm is online at www.yoursitecheck.com .
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