Rufus strengthens usability offering with research lab

30 March 2006

Leading brand and digital agency Rufus Leonard has enhanced its already impressive user-centred design capabilities with a dedicated state of the art in-house usability lab, opening on 10 April.

While usability and accessibility has always been a focus at Rufus Leonard, over the last 18 months the agency has experienced a significant increase in demand for user testing as an integral component of its website projects. In order to enhance its offering, the agency will now be able to fulfil this requirement with a permanent in-house facility conducting both user research and testing as part of its ongoing quality assurance process.

The lab is packed with the latest monitoring and testing equipment to ensure a complete research and validation process. Researchers and testers will use the suite for either 1-2-1 user testing or small focus groups. Clients will be able to monitor the tests from the comfort of the adjacent observation room and will also receive DVD recordings of the session.  Plans for a mobile lab are in the pipeline for later on in the year.

The testing will be facilitated by Sean Joyce, a usability consultant with over 15 years experience.  Sean previously a freelance usability consultant for Rufus Leonard now joins as Head of Usability. 

Darrel Worthington, a founder of Rufus Leonard and Head of Information architecture said: “We’re looking forward to having the appropriate in-house facilities and skills to build on our existing usability experience. It will allow us to gain even greater insight into our clients customer needs, providing the design team with valuable feedback throughout the site development lifecycle”.