[drupal-devel] reviews needed

[Kobus Myburgh]

As promised:

Even though this was very informal, and not audited, and of course, putting the students on the spot (which didn't give them time to think about this), I did the "usability testing". I wrote down on the white board in front of the computer room (50 students seating and some standing around):

(Don't comment on the validity of the URLs)

www.nwu.ac.za/admin/node/34/spider/23
www.nwu.ac.za/library

1. URL
2. Custom URL
3. Path
4. Custom Path
5. Custom URL Path
6. URL Path
7. Short name
8. Alias

Then I asked:

"If you are presented with the above two web addresses, it would obviously be easier to remember the second one than the first one. Now imagine I have set the two to go to the exact same address. If the first one is called URL, what will you call the second one?"

I had 34 responses, as follows:

3 - URL
8 - Custom URL
0 - Path
0 - Custom Path
7 - Custom URL Path
0 - URL Path
13 - Short name
3 - Alias

Then I decided this is not very useful, so I tried another approach:

"If I present you with the following words to make up a name for this second web address, which words would you use?"

1. Path
2. Alias
3. Short
4. Name
5. URL
6. Custom

(I then proceeded to cycle through these words, and counted how many would use the specific word in the name. I didn't restrict the number of votes an individual can make, because, obviously, they can have more than one word in the name.)

The votes were as follows:

Path - 22 votes
Alias - 6 votes
Short - 30 votes
Name - 20 votes
URL - 9 votes
Custom - 5 votes

If my "quick and dirty usability testing" means anything, the obvious choice for the name would be one that contains the words short, name and path, such as:

Short path
Short name

Regards,

Kobus


>>> ITBJDM at puknet.puk.ac.za 10/5/2005 4:21:31 PM >>>
> Perhaps someone can do some actual usability testing with some of these names, 
> so that we're not just arguing back and forth over nothing?

Leave this to me. I will provide feedback in roughly 15 minutes. I have access to a full computer lab of students at this very moment.

Kobus