Human Factors: What's The Difference Between 'Summative' And 'Formative' Usability Testing?
This article was originally published in The Silver Sheet
Executive Summary
Human factors studies can be "summative" or "formative," and the two types typically call for different numbers of study participants. Summative testing is a form of device validation, while formative usability tests are lightweight studies usually conducted early in the design process. Experts weigh in.