Kortum, Philip2021-12-062021-12-062021-122021-12-03December 2Shanklin, Roslyn Ayanna. "Measuring Subjective Usability by Watching Others Use the Product." (2021) Master’s Thesis, Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/111743">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/111743</a>.https://hdl.handle.net/1911/111743The COVID-19 pandemic instituted a new norm for usability practitioners and researchers by limiting their ability to safely conduct in-person, contact-intensive usability testing protocols. This study explored one promising remote usability assessment method, Watching Others Using Video, wherein users watch videos of others using a product and then rate its usability. Previous studies found that this method results in inflated usability ratings. This study sought to mitigate this inflation by showing users different levels of product use difficulty. Participants watched videos of several products being used: a website, a digital timer, and an electric can opener; and rated them with the System Usability Scale and After-Scenario Questionnaire. Usability score inflation was consistent across products. Participants may not have reliably detected the portrayals of difficulty. Alternatively, the error severities may have been negligible. Further research is needed to understand how Watching Others Using Video can be accurately used for usability testing.application/pdfengCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.UsabilityVideo AssessmentWatching Others Using VideoRemote UsabilityThesis2021-12-06