CT-UT ISTQB Certified Tester Usability Tester Questions and Answers

Usability reviews evaluate a system or interface against established usability principles or standards to identify potential issues before user testing. A recognized criterion for such reviews includes adherence to usability standards such as ISO 9241 or the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These standards are derived from years of research and user-centered design principles. Options A and C do not directly relate to usability. Functional requirements (option B) refer to what the system should do, not how usable it is. Hence, option D is correct as usability standards provide a consistent, objective basis for evaluating usability.

A usability requirement specifies how usable a product or component must be, often in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction, as defined in ISO 9241-11. These requirements ensure that the product meets specific human-centered design goals, such as allowing users to complete tasks accurately and quickly. Options A and C describe procedural or test setup elements, not actual usability requirements. Option B refers to personnel qualifications, which are not the same as usability requirements related to system behavior or performance.

The Equality Act 2010 (UK) is legislation designed to protect individuals from discrimination in various areas, including employment and access to goods and services—this includes digital products like websites. While it does not directly mandate WCAG compliance levels (A or AA), it implies that digital services must be accessible to users with disabilities. Organizations are required to make "reasonable adjustments" to avoid discrimination. Therefore, the most accurate and comprehensive answer is B.

To prevent usability testing from exceeding budget, active monitoring and control of project resources are critical. The best practice is to regularly check consumed time, costs, and effort against the original estimates, allowing timely adjustments to scope or resources. This is a classic quality control practice aligned with ISO 9001 principles and standard project management methodologies. Option A relates to test preparation, option C concerns reporting and communication, and option D applies after test execution. Only option B deals directly with budget control during the test.

The usability test moderator plays a crucial role during the execution phase of a usability test. Their principal task is to facilitate the test sessions by guiding participants through predefined testing tasks, observing behaviors, and ensuring that the test environment is neutral and free from bias. Defining testing tasks, however, is primarily done during the test design phase by the usability test designer or analyst, but the moderator ensures these tasks are clearly communicated and administered to participants during the session. Logging usability problems (option B) is often done by observers or analysts reviewing session recordings or notes, not directly by the moderator during live testing. Creating a survey plan (option C) and writing the usability test plan (option D) are preparatory activities generally done before the test sessions and are not the moderator's main focus. Therefore, the principal role of the moderator centers on conducting the sessions and managing task delivery effectively to obtain authentic user interaction with the system under test.

The usability tester, often synonymous with the usability test moderator in practice, is primarily responsible for interacting directly with the test participants during the usability testing sessions. This role includes communicating with participants to guide them through test tasks, answering questions without leading responses, and ensuring the session runs smoothly. Effective communication is essential to facilitate participant comfort, elicit genuine user behaviors, and capture accurate usability data.

Performing the pre-session briefing (Option A) may be done by the usability tester but is often a shared responsibility or part of test facilitation protocols. Discussing findings (Option C) typically falls to analysts or usability experts after testing sessions are completed and data analyzed. Defining testing tasks (Option D) is usually done by test designers or analysts during test planning, not during the test execution.

Therefore, communicating with test participants during testing is a core, principal task of the usability tester role.

In usability evaluations, a distinction is made between actual usability problems (where a user struggles to complete a task or is confused by the interface) and suggestions or ideas that users provide based on their preferences or perceived improvements. When a participant offers a new feature idea (such as a quick search box), this is classified as a “good idea” or “feature suggestion,” not necessarily a usability problem. It may inform future design enhancements but does not indicate a failure in usability for existing functionality.

Human-centered design, as defined by ISO 9241-210, emphasizes early user involvement, iterative design, and continuous usability evaluation. Option D aligns with this model as it begins with understanding user needs (interview users), proceeds through iterative prototyping (which allows for continuous improvement), and involves user evaluation. This ensures that the final product is shaped by real user input and feedback. Options A and B lack iteration and continuous evaluation, while option C, although partially aligned, lacks explicit user involvement in the evaluation process, focusing only on expert reviews.

Common mistakes in usability testing include:

Ignoring critical results (ii): A significant issue if findings are not acted upon.

Scheduling the test too late (iv): This can lead to usability problems being discovered too late to be addressed effectively.

Having the wrong focus (v): For instance, focusing on aesthetics instead of usability goals.

Option i ("user is too active") is not a problem—active participation is necessary. Option iii ("no observers involved") is not a typical mistake, since tests can still be valid even with recorded sessions and later review. Hence, the correct answer is A: ii, iv & v are true.