Remote usability testing of a Web site information architecture: "Testing for a dollar a day"

With the advance of new Internet technologies usability specialists face shortcomings in their traditional methods, specifically in connection with defining and involving representatives for different user groups and testing in as natural a working environment as possible. Usability specialists need to look for alternative ways of dealing with complexities arising from heterogeneous user groups and heterogeneous use settings. This paper explores the potential of utilizing the network itself in testing a Web site information architecture by using a remote testing technique. Following a presentation and discussion of a case-story, the paper concludes that the main problem of remote testing is analysing data. Research is needed in order to develop, test and refine methods to support this process. The paper discusses a method - use case signature - in which data is represented so as to reveal the most typical configurations of use in connection with a particular task.