2.2.1.2 Black box testing - with user involvement

For tests involving users, methodological considerations are rare in SE literature. Rather, one may find practical test reports that distinguish roughly between field and laboratory tests. In the following only a rough description of field and laboratory tests will be given. E.g. Scenario Tests. The term ``scenario'' has entered software evaluation in the early 1990s . A scenario test is a test case which aims at a realistic user background for the evaluation of software as it was defined and performed It is an instance of black box testing where the major objective is to assess the suitability of a software product for every-day routines. In short it involves putting the system into its intended use by its envisaged type of user, performing a standardised task.

In field tests users are observed while using the software system at their normal working place. Apart from general usability-related aspects, field tests are particularly useful for assessing the interoperability of the software system, i.e. how the technical integration of the system works. Moreover, field tests are the only real means to elucidate problems of the organisational integration of the software system into existing procedures. Particularly in the NLP environment this problem has frequently been underestimated. A typical example of the organisational problem of implementing a translation memory is the language service of a big automobile manufacturer, where the major implementation problem is not the technical environment, but the fact that many clients still submit their orders as print-out, that neither source texts nor target texts are properly organised and stored and, last but not least, individual translators are not too motivated to change their working habits.

Laboratory tests are mostly performed to assess the general usability of the system. Due to the high laboratory equipment costs laboratory tests are mostly only performed at big software houses such as IBM or Microsoft. Since laboratory tests provide testers with many technical possibilities, data collection and analysis are easier than for field tests.