Usability testing is a technique that can help you gauge customer satisfaction, improve your product, and reduce design costs.
What is Usability Testing?
Usability testing is a type of user research that helps developers identify problems with their products before release. By testing with real users, developers can get feedback about the product’s design, function, and usability. This feedback can help developers make changes to the product before it goes to market, which can save time and money.
There are many different types of usability testing, but all follow a similar process:
- The test administrator sets up the test environment and recruits participants.
- Participants are given tasks to complete using the product being tested.
- The administrator observes the participants as they use the product and takes notes on any problems that occur.
- After the test is complete, the administrator analyzes the data and writes a report detailing the findings.
- The development team uses this report to make changes to the product before release.
Usability testing is an important tool for any development team, as it can help identify potential problems with a product before it goes to market. By taking the time to test with real users, developers can save time and money in the long run.
Who Benefits from Usability Testing?
Usability testing is a process whereby a company or individual assesses the user-friendliness of a website, app, or other product. In other words, usability testing helps to ensure that your product is as user-friendly as possible. But who benefits from usability testing?
The answer is: everyone! Usability testing benefits both the companies who commission the tests and the users who use the products being tested.
For companies, usability testing provides valuable insights into how users interact with their products. This information can be used to make improvements that make the product more user-friendly and improve the user experience. In turn, this can lead to increased sales and customer satisfaction.
For users, usability testing can make a big difference to their experience of using a product. If a product is easier to use as a result of usability testing, then users will find it more enjoyable and satisfying to use. This can lead to increased loyalty and advocacy for the product.
When to Use Usability Testing
Usability testing is a powerful tool that can help you improve your website or app. But it's not always the right solution. In this blog post, we'll discuss when you should use usability testing and when you might want to consider other options.
When you need to make major changes to your website or app
If you're considering making major changes to your website or app, usability testing can be a valuable tool. It can help you identify potential problems with your redesign before it goes live.
When you're launching a new website or app
If you're launching a new website or app, usability testing can help you identify any potential problems users might have. By doing usability testing early on, you can avoid potential issues that could cause user frustration down the road. Also early testing can reduce development costs.
When you want to understand how users interact with your site or app
Usability testing can help you understand how users interact with your site or app. This information can be valuable when making decisions about future changes or redesigns.
When you want to improve an existing feature
If there's an existing feature on your site or app that isn't working well, usability testing can help
How to Conduct a Usability Test
Conducting a usability test doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. With a little planning and preparation, you can get valuable feedback about your product or website from your target users.
There are two main types of usability tests: moderated and unmoderated. Moderated usability tests are conducted in-person or remotely with a facilitator, while unmoderated tests are conducted remotely only, often using software that records user interactions.
with moderated tests you get to ask the all important why? questions at the moment the user is doing them. If you see a user doing something unexpected on the site you can ask, via the moderator, why, what etc whilst the task is still fresh in the participants mind. With unmoderated testing you cannot ask questions live and in the moment or even at all.
No matter which type of test you choose, there are a few basic steps you'll need to follow to ensure that your usability test is successful.
Define your goals. What do you want to learn from the usability test? What are your specific objectives? Be as specific as possible so that you can measure the results of the test against your goals.
Choose your participants carefully so that they match your typical user.
Choose a good usability studio to help with your testing, as they are experienced and expert in this field, taking away any bias that will occur from doing it yourself.
Conclusion
Usability testing is an important tool for any business that wants to create a user-friendly product. By testing with real users, businesses can get valuable feedback on how to improve their products and make them more user-friendly. Usability testing can benefit businesses of all sizes, from small start-ups to large corporations. If you're not already doing usability testing, we encourage you to give it a try — it could make a world of difference for your business.
Contact us at Use Ability today and let us help you to make really usable products and services. www.useability.studio