[Sigia-l] User Test Cost - Does this sound reasonable?

[Jared M. Spool]

Ziya wrote:
>That Developers design apps is not news, in fact, it's by far the norm,
>especially in the enterprise world where I hang out.

We agree.

I don't hang out in the enterprise world, though. These days, I'm in the 
Fortune 500 web site world. Apps are a new thing in this space and aren't 
the mainstream.

In my world, most apps are outsourced. The developers don't even work for 
the same company. Often multiple companies are involved.

It's very complex and it's a field of consulting all its own.


>I see that as a gigantic problem. If you are in the testing business and do
>not care who hires you and to what end this may not bother you. If you are
>interested in the overall quality of the entire app design, it should.

I hear that you see this as a problem.

Quick correction though: I'm not in the testing business. I'm in the 
research business. Clients hire my company because they need to know 
something they don't currently know. We find it.

We don't have to worry about who hires us because we charge a lot of money. 
It pretty much self selects. People only hire us as a last resort, for 
something absolutely critical, that they can't get anywhere else. (That's 
what makes it fun.)

>It should because testing (alone) does not equate to good design and just
>because a company that lets Developers design their apps purchases testing
>services doesn't necessarily mean the apps are now going to be better.

I don't presume to be an expert in how Fortune 500 companies should 
structure their development teams. It's not my expertise.

I wouldn't tell a client how to run their development group any more than I 
would tell them how to run their accounting department or their 
merchandising department.

In my world, I've learned that a bit of humility about what you know and 
what you don't know goes a long way.

If I was deeply embedded in the app development world, like you, I bet 
things would be way different. That's why I'm not surprised you find that 
your world has a different environment than mine.

Jared

Jared M. Spool        User Interface Engineering
http://www.uie.com    jspool at uie.com

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