Testing a user interface style guide

Except for usability testing of the end-product systems, user interface style guides are rarely evaluated against their stated goals, or, if they are, the evaluation is largely anecdotal and occurs well after deployment. This paper describes acceptance testing of a style guide and related materials developed by an external consultancy. Due to the need to validate the work of the consultants, the test was carried out immediately after delivery, before the style guide had been put to use. Four developers independently designed a user interface for the same application using the new style guide. The interfaces were reviewed and compared and the experiences of the developers observed and recorded. The technique is compared with other alternatives for style guide evaluation