New York Public Library’s online usability tool: Infomaki

Came across the NYPL’s new online usability tool: Infomaki.

From the NYPL’s labs page:

“Our design sessions frequently result in debate about which of two words is more compelling or accurate for our users, or whether a particular button is noticeable in a particular location. When we can, we test designs on real people using paper or digital prototypes, but it is impractical to test every day; sitting down with real people is not always as simple as you’d expect, what with the schedules of busy New Yorkers…

So, we set out to create our own rapid-testing usability laboratory from scratch, and last Tuesday we launched it, in rough beta form. Nicknamed Infomaki, it’s showing a lot of potential even in its first 48 hours.

It’s not groundbreaking technology. Built on a Rails back-end (my rapid-prototyping framework of choice), it currently supports two kinds of tests: standard multiple choice (with optional “Other:” box) and a “Where would you click…?” screenshot that records click locations.”

Way more detail here: http://labs.nypl.org/2009/02/16/introducing-infomaki-bite-sized-usability-testing/

Try it out: http://usability.nypl.org/

(Via posts at IxDA /New York Public Library Digital Experience Group Labs)