Interface problems become an obstacle for users. Conversions and profits drop because of this, and the competitiveness of the product drops. Some inexperienced entrepreneurs believe that this happens as randomly as the results of Playamo casino India games. But it’s actually possible to avoid such mistakes. To stop looking at meager metrics and exclaiming, “Well, why are users falling off on this path?”, you can run U-tests and see for yourself.
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Usability tests help:
- Find bugs in the interface.
- Understand the sequence of user steps.
- Check how clear the interface is to the user.
- Find out why users leave the site or app.
Types of Usability Tests
An unsophisticated business representative can be scared off by the word “usability test”. It seems that this should be done only in laboratories under the supervision of researchers in white coats. The researcher invites the respondent into the office, puts on an eye tracker to monitor eye movement. It’s a good idea to connect the electrodes directly to the cerebral cortex. That’s when the truth of life comes out. Luckily, it’s not that complicated.
Remember about these types:
- Face-to-face. According to the textbook, they should be conducted in UX-labs, but if you don’t have one, any room will do. The essence of a face-to-face test is the personal presence of the researcher and the respondent in the same area. Before the pandemic, it seemed that normal UX tests could only be done this way.
- Remote. Respondent and researcher just call each other and do all the same things that are supposed to be done in a UX lab. There’s no fundamental difference, as long as everyone has their front cameras on and can read non-verbals.
- Moderated. When the researcher follows the respondent’s actions and reactions and asks additional questions.
- Unmoderated. The user independently performs tasks offered by a special service. Or simply follows a written script. The platform records the respondent’s screen and comments.
- Qualitative. Such testing shows how people use the product, how they evaluate it and what they lack.
- Quantitative. They collect indicators and metrics – how many people completed the task and how much time they spent on it.
5 Steps of Usability Testing
Brief
To formulate the purpose of the research, a brief is collected from the customer. More precisely, the brief should be formed even before all parties have realized that it’s necessary to conduct a U-test. First we formulate the goals and hypotheses, only then we choose the research method. Don’t get it mixed up.
The customer tells about the product features, problems, shares hypotheses and dedicates the researcher to the business goals. After that, all related data is collected: service attendance, conversions, audience segments.
Research Design
This stage is quite a creative process and depends on the purpose of the research, so everyone does it differently.
Introduction and Introductory Questions
- Introduce yourself. Tell who you are and why you will be trying the person for half an hour to an hour. To get the respondent comfortable, start with a little digression – ask about the person’s work, hobbies, and mood. But don’t get carried away; this is just an introduction.
- Conduct a briefing. Tell what the respondent will have to do. Don’t forget the fear of making mistakes. Explain that you are testing a product, not mental skills. If a person doesn’t understand how a service works, it’s not their fault, it’s the designers’ fault.
- Warn about call and screen recordings. Make it clear how long they will be kept. Spell out that the respondent’s data will be shared anonymously.
- Ask screening questions. Ask about the context and experience of using the product. This way, you’ll double-check that the user fits the criteria.
Tasks for Testing
At first glance, tasks are formulated simply: “You need to do action X. Let’s try to perform this task”.
But in practice, many nuances appear. For example, in usability tests for IKEA, moderators set a task to find a bookcase. Suddenly, users simply went to the search window and typed “Bookcase”. No data could be collected, except that people understood direct commands well.
To remedy this, the researchers added life context: “You have over a hundred books scattered throughout your apartment. Find a way to organize them.” Participants acted in a variety of ways: they searched in categories, typed in queries for “storage solutions” or “shelves.” “Bookcase” was rarely glimpsed. This task produced relevant results because users acted naturally and habitually.
Sampling
Respondents are selected by:
- Experience of use. Collect a sample from three groups: not used, used once, used regularly.
- Platform. Web and mobile users have different usage contexts and habits. Therefore, hypotheses regarding users of mobile and desktop versions of the product may differ.
How Many Respondents You Need
For quantitative tests, the sample is calculated individually.
Nielsen Norman Group claims that 5 respondents are enough for qualitative U-tests, but this is for one iteration. However, talking to other researchers behind the scenes, you may encounter the opinion that the information about 5 respondents is outdated. In any case, all qualitative studies are conducted before data saturation.
Results Analysis
After testing, moderators analyze the metrics and respondents’ answers.
Metrics describe numerical indicators: how much time users spent on a task, how many of them managed to complete it.
Respondents’ answers help refute or confirm hypotheses. Researchers also use them to create a list of the main problems and ways to solve them.
Preparing for Change
It isn’t always possible to solve all the problems found at once. Some changes will require significant financial outlay and time. At this stage, it’s important to prioritize.