There is no need for a fancy research lab to conduct a usability test. By following these simple recommendations you can
USABILITY TESTING Evaluating systems to detect issues at the interface level for correction and refinement to improve the overall user experience
Why? $#@!!
Detecting usability problems in the early stage of the design/development process prevents wasting time and resources implementing features that don’t fit users’ expectations.
What? Usability Testing is a systematic evaluation of an interface in a variety of accepted principles such as Learnability, Efficiency, Memorability, Error Recovery and Satisfaction. The method focuses on observing users step by step while they try to accomplish given tasks on a digital application.
How? There is no need for a fancy research lab to conduct a usability test. By following these simple recommendations you can start testing an app or website to obtain user feedback for the next design iteration.
Write down your plan Define tasks that can actually be achieved in your app Write a scenario for each task. Let users imagine a situation they can relate to. Make additional questions around each task. What would you like to know about it?
Recruit your potential users Define an ideal persona of the target audience for your app Go for the extremes, people who might love your product and those who might not use it very often
Monday
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Run the test
Usability Testing
Make a script and introduce yourself. Explain how the activity will be conducted, its scope, and how the information will be used Use open-ended questions. Do not influence the answer. Let users talk as much as they want Record the session, video is preferred. Take tons of notes Be empathic and friendly Thank the participants for their time with a little present
Evaluate the results Look for patterns and common issues Do not take the provided feedback as literal Discuss the motivations behind the observed behavior with your team Don’t attempt to fix all the issues you found, focus on the critical errors Define a design plan for the next iteration
What’s next? Work on the issues you identified and test your app again. The following rounds of testing can have a fast turnover using paper prototyping or lo-fi mock-ups. The richness of the insights from a rough sketch are achieved through the constant iterative process.
How many should be tested? This might seem like the million dollar question, but it is actually not difficult. According to the Nielsen Norman Group, you should “test no more than five users while running as many small tests as you can afford”. Five users are enough to spot the majority of issues on an interface.
Takeaways 1
Usability testing is a great way to detect and correct usability issues at early stages of development, avoiding the extra costs of correcting issues later on.
2
There is a misconception that Usability Tests are expensive, in reality you only need ink and paper and a person willing to invest time using your app or website.
3
Allows the design team to focus on fixing critical issues detected directly from the users.
4
Usually there is a mismatch between what people say and what people do, Usability Testing addresses the latter, measuring behavior, not preferences.
References How Many Test Users in a Usability Study? http://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-many-test-users/ by Nielsen Norman Group Usability 101: Introduction to Usability http://www.nngroup.com/articles/usability-101-introduction-to-usability/ by Nielsen Norman Group Four Steps to Great Usability Testing (Without Breaking the Bank) http://www.usabilitycounts.com/2011/01/04/four-steps-to-great-usability-testing-without-breaking-the -bank/ By Patrick Neeman Universal Methods of Design: 100 ways to Research Complex Problems, Develop Ideas, and Design Effective Solutions. Method #94, Usability Testing Bella Martin, Bruce Hanington, Bruce M. Hanington. Rockport Publishers, Feb 1, 2012 http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Methods-Design-Innovative-Effective/dp/1592537561
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