So, what does that mean? Will the styling be Alfa or Chrysler? What about the engines?

While we don’t have any of the details yet, a girl can certainly dream. As shown on the Alfa Romeo website, their current line-up consists of 7 models:

1) The MiTo, which is a 3-door hatchback mini-car (serious front, cutesy bug-like rear)

Alfa Romeo MiTo

Alfa Romeo MiTo Rear view

2) The Giulietta (which replaces the Milano) is a five door family car (European family cars are usually a lot smaller than family cars in the US)

Alfa Romeo Giulietta front

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Rear

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Interior

3) The 159 is Alfa Romeo’s mid-size sedan…it is also available in a Sportwagon version

Alfa Romeo 159 Sedan Front

Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon

4) The Alfa Romeo GT is a front wheel drive coupe

Alfa Romeo GT Front

Alfa Romeo GT Rear

5) The Brera is a 2+2 coupe (manufactured by Pininfarina)

Alfa Romeo Brera Front

Alfa Romeo Brera Rear

6) The Alfa Romeo Spider is a roadster version of the Brera

Alfa Romeo Spider Front

7) The gorgeous Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione and 8C Competizione Spider (8C comes from 8 Cylinder), high end sports cars, round out the line-up

Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione front

Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione Spider front

Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione Spider Side

Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione Spider Rear

Alfa Romeo is said to have between 3-7 new models coming out in the next 5 years. It should be an exciting time for the Italian Automaker, and I am anxious to see what Alfa Romeo and Chrysler will bring to the US.

Ideas for Recruiting Usability Testers:

1) Look Around: We’ve had a lot of luck getting some amazing feedback from people we work near everyday. It’s a great way to introduce other people in your office building to your website and at the same time get some valuable feedback.

2) Ask the Pros: We’ve met many rock-star product and UI people at partner companies, customer companies, or even competitors. Surprisingly, many have responded when we humbly asked for their professional opinion of our site or a new design concept.

3) Be mobile: Sometimes, it is a pain for people to come into the office, so when we are flexible and offer to meet them at a coffee shop, restaurant, office, or class room….we have good luck and sometimes they will do it for free.

4) Be heard: Don’t be afraid to post on both physical (Panera Bread, Retirement facilities, Borders, etc,) and online bulletin boards. We’ve had the most success posting to Craigslist and offering a gift card to a fun store.

5) Be smart about your rewards: If you spend a little extra planning time, you can buy discounted gift cards or gift certificates in bulk.

6) Screening: If you are looking for a certain type of user, try using Survey Monkey or Zoomerang to get more information about potential testers before you invite them in.

Usability Testing Environment

1) Location: It’s best to be somewhere that the usability tester will not get distracted, but also helps if you are not in a completely quiet or lab-like environment, where the person feels uncomfortable or under a micoscope.

2) Give up all control: Let the user type URLs in and search on their own. You learn a lot about how people will actually enter your site, misspell words, use the mouse vs. shortcut buttons, etc.

3) Photographic Memory: If the user agrees, I would recommend using a screen and audio recorder…after sitting with about 5 users, things will start to blend together for you and your test session notes can be difficult to decipher, because the user is often moving faster than you can type or write (and you always want to be watching them).

4) Be clear about the time line: If a user thinks that the faster they blow through tasks, the earlier they get their reward, your results will not be as authentic. Tell them they have 5 minutes to complete a form, or that for the next 10 minutes you will be getting feedback about feature X, etc. It is also important to let them know they will be finished at a certain time, so they do not get impatient or wonder when the session will end. In my experience, 45 minutes is a great time frame for the testing and I usually plan for 5 minute prep and info gathering with a 5 minute end of test survey and a de-brief. Total time: 55-60 minutes.

Conducting the Usability Test

1) Scenarios: Develop about 10 fairly broad scenarios (ex. “You then search for a car based on your hobbies and important vehicle features.”) and a list of follow-up questions for each scenario after you have observed the user (ex. “What did you think about he list of hobbies?”, “Were the suggested vehicles reflective of what you searched for?”, etc.). This way, you can get good feedback even for people who are not very vocal. Not every person will need the follow-up questions, but they help when you are facilitating the usability test.

2) Set them at ease: Make sure the testers know that there is no wrong answer. “This is not a test. The only thing we ask is that you would use the site just as you would normally use any other site. Be honest about what you like and don’t like. You will not hurt our feelings. Learning from you is helpful and will only make our site better and our company more successful.”

3) Starting off: Resist the temptation to talk about the purpose of your company or website. You don’t want to guide the tester in any way. If you need to talk, just ask questions or talk about the process/time line.

4) Don’t help unless you have to: Sometimes it is hard to see somebody looking right at the big red button in the middle of the screen and then click on the small blue link on the top right of the page. You want to point to the screen and scream “it’s RIGHT THERE”. Don’t. Let them struggle, let them click on the wrong things and try to find their way back. When they are done, revisit and ask them why they looked at the link instead of the button. You will learn the most from these “alternate paths”.

5) Keep focus: If a tester gets distracted by something on your website or wants to talk about their new puppy, take note and gently guide them back to the task at hand.

6) Don’t be emotional: At a start-up, often times the people who work on the product are the same people hearing about what people hate. Remember that you are building the product for the user and not your personal taste. Be thankful for their honesty.

7) Don’t lead: Be careful when introducing concepts or designs to the user. For example, instead of asking “Do you like this design or the new design better?”, stay neutral and don’t talk about which is newer: “Tell me what you like and don’t like about each design. Which do you prefer and why?”

Take good notes: The data you gather during usability testing is valuable and you may need to refer back to it at times. Keep good records.

I love attending Auto Shows…not just because of the shiny new cars, but because you can really see people get excited about designs, features, and how it feels to sit in a certain vehicle.

Although the New York Auto Show is smaller than the Detroit International Auto Show (NAIAS), there was much to see.

2010 New York International Auto Show

Here are some of my thoughts as I walked through the show:

1) Ford Focus: I have seen this vehicle many times before, but every time I see it in person, I am amazed at how beautiful it is.

Ford Focus

2) Ford Transit: It is cool to me that a commercial-type vehicle like the Ford Transit is the 2010 Truck of the Year, and I wonder if we will see any families adopt this vehicle as an unconventional way to drive their family around?I think it would be fun to drive one, just to be different.

Ford Transit

3) Ford Taurus: For a sedan, I was blown away by the enormous trunk.

Ford Taurus trunk is huge!

4) Volvo XC90: I think this is a sharp vehicle and hope more vehicles will bring back the SUV “Tailgate”. It is such a classic and classy look.

Volvo XC90 Tailgate

5) Chevy Aveo: Smart gets a lot of attention, but there are a lot of other low priced options.

Chevrolet Aveo

6) Chevy Volt: Wow! I think GM did a great job with this design and it’s such an exciting direction for them.

Chevy Volt Side View

Chevy Volt Hatchback

Chevy Volt See-Through Rear

7) Chevrolet Corvette: It was fun to watch the crowds swarm the Corvette. People were taking turns sitting inside while their friends and family look photos and told them how great they looked. Little kids flock to this vehicle too. So much energy!

Corvette crowd at NY Auto Show

8 ) Cadillac: The Caddies definitely were definitely flaunting the grills… and New Yorkers were loving them.

Cadillac luxury grill

Cadillac tough grill

9) Acura ZDX: I think the Acura ZDX is beautiful, especially from the rear…and it reminds me a bit of my dream car, the BMW X6. After sitting inside, I learned that it was difficult to get in and out of the backseats.

Acura ZDX Rear

Acura ZDX Rear Headroom

10) MINI: MINI is still so cool and fun…and people get so emotional when they see them.  I loved their display and I think people do think of MINI’s as their little pets. I liked their cardboard box idea too…so clever.

"Please do not feed the MINI"

11) VW Routan: There were lots of families looking at the Routan, including these 2 cute kids. I wonder if it will be a contender?

VW Routan Minivan

VW Routan Cute Kids in Seatbelts

12) Nissan Leaf: I hope Nissan’s Electric Vehicle, the Leaf, does change the world !

Nissan Leaf Electric Vehicle

Nissan Leaf Rear Design

13) Hyundai: Kudos to Hyundai’s designers. The vehicles are looking good and are reflective of what US and European customers are buying today.

Hyundai Sonata front view

Hyundai Sonata side view

Hyundai Sonata rear view

Hyundai Genesis Coupe

14) Land Rover: How can you not love this vehicle?

Beautiful Range Rover

15) BMW: The new 5-Series is slammin! I am a big fan of the Gran Turismo package too.

BMW 5-Series

Hope you enjoyed the photos. Would love to hear your thoughts/comments or see your photos, which are undoubtedly better than mine.

At the 2009 Orange County Auto Show, honk.com reviewers Oneyda & Tracey take a look at the new 2010 Prius.

The women sit inside the Prius and evaluate all of the interior features:

• The Toyota Prius dashboard design seems plain compared to the Honda Insight.
• The 2010 Prius interior design looks better that the previous generation Prius.
• Prius has a great interior color palette.
• There is a place to store your purse / handbag in the 2010 Prius.
• The Prius glovebox has dual storage compartments.
• The Prius Interior is roomy for passengers, Toyota has really maximized the space.

While walking around the exterior of the Prius, Oneyda and Tracey discuss:

• The storage area of the Prius is great for luggage, extremely large.
• There is a sun-cover for the back window area that is very useful.
• The design looks good, it is very practical.
• The Toyota Prius is trendy in LA and also very eco-friendly.
• The Prius gets 51 miles per gallon in the city, which is great for cities with a lot of stop and go driving.
• Toyota should bring down the price of the Prius.