[Usability] Need user testing materials

[Karim Nassar <Karim Nassar NAU EDU>]

The motherboard of my mother's computer has fried[1], rendering the
installed Windows2K worthless[2]. I am leaping at this opportunity to
convert her to GNOME since I am a fan, a wannabe human factors kinda
guy, and I am sick of the maintenance calls. I expect that she will be
traumatized for a few days, then wonder how she lived without it.

This provides me with a wonderful opportunity to perform a user test. I
have about 5 days in which to prepare, and that is not enough time to
create a proper user test protocol alone, given the occupation with the
rest of my life. 

A) Is there any dying need for a usability test that a ~60 year old
woman of slightly above average computer savvy could satisfy?

B) Are there any 'official' gnome usability protocols available? I know
that Sun did some testing around a year ago, but I can only find the
reports, not the test materials. 

C) Any requests? Ideas?


(As an aside, anyone know of a replacement for Turbo Tax? Especially one
that integrates well with GNUCash? I suspect that come February, she is
gonna miss the Quicken->Turbo Tax data exporting wizardry, and I will be
doing some dual boot/data conversion fu then...)


Karim Nassar

[1] Windows fatal error.
    I am the blue screen of death.
    No one hears your scream.

[2] A crash reduces 
    Your expense computer
    To a simple stone.