Amberlight IVR Research Methods
Amberlight offer a range of IVR research methods, so you can find out directly from your customers how they feel about using your IVR, whether it's just a early concept or a fully functional system. A selection of the methods we offer is listed below:
We typically develop our IVR prototypes using Voice XML (VXML), which can be derived from almost any kind of requirement document you provide, e.g. flowcharts, use-case diagrams or simply just a textual description of the desired functionality.
The prototypes are hosted on a remote server and are each given a unique phone number, allowing testing and evaluation from any location. This allows you to check up on the development of the prototype as it happens, so you can be closely involved in the design process. It is straightforward to build two or more variants of a prototype and test them comparatively in a user study.
Amberlight have the facilties to record and edit prompts
for use in your prototype. The accent and prosody used
by the voice-over artist has a big impact on your customers'
perceptions of your company and this is something we
can investigate in comparative studies.
The most common type of usability evaluation we carry out is lab-based user testing. We recruit participants within your target customer-base and invite them for one-on-one evaluation sessions, where they typically carry out set tasks and discuss their opinions and feelings about your IVR system.
Our equipment allows both sides of the telephone conversation to be recorded, in conjunction with video footage of the participant's face. From this footage, we create highlight video clips that demonstrate the key usability shortcomings of your IVR system. We also have a viewing room from which you can watch and listen into the study via TV link-up.
If your IVR system is used as part of your customers'
day to day lives, it is appropriate to use a diary study
to look at the long term implications of your IVR design.
In a diary study, participants are asked to keep a diary
of their usage experiences over a period of time (e.g.
two weeks), either on paper, online or by depositing
a voicemail. These diaries are then analysed and the
participants are invited back in for depth interviews,
to dig deep into their experiences, needs, and opinions
about the effect your IVR system has on their everyday
lives.
Since
our IVR prototypes are given a real telephone number,
they can be accessed from anywhere. This makes them
ideal for online survey evaluation testing, where repsondents
are asked to call the number, carry out a task and then
fill in a web-based questionnaire. While not as in depth
as face-to-face testing, it can be a faster and cheaper
method, and is particularly appropriate when the tasks
given are simple in nature.
If you do not have the budget available to involve real users in your usability review, you can instead have a heuristic evaluation carried out. This method involves an experienced consultant reviewing your IVR, focusing on the typical tasks a real user would carry out, and critiquing the design with reference to best-practice examples and standards compliance.
