VisualEditor/Portal/Why/User Test Data/sco

Aes pairt o oor preparations fer the launch we ran ae groop o uisers fae UserTesting.com throoch ae set o tasks, first uising the VeesualEediter n than uisin the Wikimaurkup. Some o thaim haed tried tae eedit in the past; n monie were total newcomers. The screept fer the tests is available (in Ingils).

Uisin the soorce eediter
''"This autæmateecie luiks confusin n owerwhelmin."  "Thaur wis tons o foreign jargon amidst the content n it luikt nathing lik hou the real page luikt."'' "I dinna want tae hae tae lairn ae new leid jist tae eedit Wikipædia."

Whan presented wi the soorce eediter, uisers tended tae hae the same set o proablems. Monie o thir centred roond identeefiein whit thay were expectit tae chynge; wi sic ae lot o the maurkup, thay foond it diffeecult tae identeefie things in the maurkup luik that matcht whit thay'd seen whan readin the rendered page. Uisers were worried aes weel bi the clutter o the eeditin interface, pairteecurlie the mass o buttons at the bottom o the "hain page" windae.

Uisers struggled tae unnerstaund the wikimaurkup foond in ae moderatelie-sized airticle; whan thay managed tae identeefie bits, it wis awmaist entirelie fae comparin thair memrie o the renderit page til the indiveedual wairds, n luikin at the formattin aroond thae wairds (fer example, notin that aw o the heiders haed equals signs, n thus determinin that equals signs makit the heiders wairk). Wi yin exception, ilka uiser foond the soorce eediter inteemidatin n wid opt tae na uise it.

Uisin the VeesualEediter
''"Ah'v gien up in the past cause it seemed ower confusin. Wi the [VeesualEediter] it seemed lik oniebodie can feegur it oot." "The [VeesualEediter] feels mair lik eeditin ae waird document n is na aes inteemidatin aes the [source editor], that feels mair like eeditin code."''

Several proablems were raised wi the VeesualEediter. Monie uisers foond the eikin o airtins tae be confusin, sommit that we'v seen n ar evaluatin, n (aes knawn) the VeesualEediter wis slaw tae laid fer some testers.

Several ither (nou fixt) bugs, lik proablems wi hainin the page, frustratit uisers aes weel. Houever, aw-bit-yin o the testers concluidit that thay preferred uisin the VeesualEediter til uisin the soorce eediter, yin o thaim myndin that "[with the VeesualEediter] Ah'd be mair liklie tae eedit. That interface wis ae lot easier tae unnerstaund n Ah had mair confeedance that the chynges that Ah wis makin were the chynges that Ah wantit tae mak. Ah lik that Ah had aen opportunitie tae luikower the chynges n mynd thaim aes weel."

Relatit pages

 * The screept uised fer the tests (in Ingils)
 * "Editing makes me feel stupid", video from the usability initiative, 2009