... to patrons’ needs and expectations. Traditional usability testing tends to create artificial conditions under which tasks are performed, and, while it can be instructive, it carries with it a set of weaknesses. From the patron point of view there is the pressure of being “tested”, and there are opportunities...

... if certain limitations inherent in usability studies are addressed in the research design. Design/methodology/approach – Through evaluating literature in the social sciences, this paper makes an argument for usability as a research method if certain limitations inherent within usability testing...