Usability testing is the practice of testing how easy a design is to use with a group of representative users and it’s a key to create effective, user friendly and intuitive products.
Through usability testing, you can identify any friction points or usability problems within your website or app before it goes live. As a result you can improve design to meet user needs but it should be done properly.
The 10 Essential Tips for Usability Testing will help you to streamline the testing process, avoid common mistakes and gather actionable insights whether you are testing on a website or application. These tips will ensure that your tests are efficient and effective.
With a well structured approach the time and resources can be saved and can increase user satisfaction leading to customer loyalty and increase in business performance. As even a 10% improvement in usability can significantly boost sales.
Let’s look at the 10 key tips to make your usability testing successful:
1. Test as early as you can:
The earlier you test the easier it is to make changes; thus, there will be a greater impact on the quality of the product and testing earlier helps you to identify the issue and fix it on time before it becomes costly. This not only saves cost and time but it also ensures that it meets the users expectations which can lead to higher user satisfaction therefore, it improves overall business performance because of customer loyalty.
Tips:
- You can test early through Heuristic evaluation based on Usability principles which can help identify the common issues.
- When you get the feedback from users start redesigning the product before going forward for development of a product or anything else.
- A/B testing’s variations can provide insights into what works best; it also helps in combining automated tools with real user feedback.
For example, Consider a company developing a new e-commerce website so before launching, they run a heuristic review to identify any usability difficulties. Evaluators assess the site based on recognised usability criteria such as consistency, error prevention, and user control. They discover that the checkout procedure lacks clear error signals which potentially frustrating the users so by addressing this issue early they ensure a more seamless user experience at launch.
2. Avoid judging participants:
When conducting Usability testing it is essential to make a comfortable and user friendly environment for effective teamwork and collaboration with the users as the purpose of Usability testing is to identify problems, identify areas for improvement and to understand users need not to educate or judge them.
Encourage understanding rather than judgment which can lead to increased satisfaction and problem solving as when participants feel safe and comfortable they are more likely to share ideas and contribute and it allows them to express without any fear.
As if the users are judged or criticised this can lead to change in participants behavior and they won’t share the real feedback as they may hesitate to share honest reviews about it which can prevent you identifying real usability problems. And judgment can lead to defensiveness as a result the users might argue, try to explain themselves or avoid the conversation so rather than interrupting or leading instead, show respect for different perspectives so that users feel comfortable in sharing their feedback.
For example, if you are testing a website and a user is having difficulty finding a button and you are using phrases like “you are not using it correctly” or “you don’t know how to use it”. Instead, ask something like “Tell me where you are having difficulty” or “Don’t worry, I will help you out” so this way, the users will feel comfortable in explaining their thought process which will help you to uncover real usability issues as there is no judgement in your words or tone.
Use the Think Aloud Technique:
This technique basically came from the idea that expressing thoughts can clarify thinking and improve cognitive processing. This technique enables you to discover what users really think about your design and will help you turn the usability session into actionable redesign recommendations.
This technique is used to understand a person’s thought processes as it involves users to verbalise their thoughts while using the product without interrupting or leading them as this can highlight usability issues and inform design improvements.
For example, instead of asking “Are you looking for the menu” ask them “What are you thinking right now” as a result it will allow them to share their real thoughts which will provide valuable insights into their experience.
3. Outline your objectives:
An objective is a clear goal that guides actions and decisions and a well defined objective provides direction and focus. So it’s very important to define what needs to happen next.
Before starting usability testing, think of the reason you want to test the product. Like, ” What are you trying to learn? ” Ask yourself, “What do I need to know from this session?” Then, once you understand that, identify exactly which features and areas you want to get feedback.
Your next steps should include details on the actions to be taken like which team and team members are required and when they need to be actioned as this ensures that the things are getting done on time which helps you to keep the project on track and moving forward smoothly.
Examples of Objectives for a Usability Testing project:
- Test the checkout page with 5 users to see where they get stuck.
- Identify how long it takes to complete specific tasks.
- Test the mobile version of the site with users to ensure it’s easy to use.
- Conduct tests to determine if users can find key information easily.
4. Engage The Whole Team In The Process:
It is important to engage the whole team in the process because it ensures that different perspectives are considered which helps to identify potential issues early. So involve the whole team in the testing process. Having an opportunity to observe users will help the whole team understand the problems with usability and to empathize with users.
However, it is not necessary to involve whole team you can involve some of them in the testing session or you can just record the session and share it with everyone so that no one feels left out or uninformed as a result every member of the team can contribute to discussion or any decision and every member of the team will be invested to improve the product.
5. Think about Quality not Quantity:
Many companies don’t test their product as they think that it will be too costly or it is time consuming but the truth is that Usability Testing saves both time and cost in the long run as it identifies the issues early and fixes it before it becomes too expensive or before it needs too many changes.
However, Instead of testing so many users you can just focus on a smaller group of users who are your real target audience as this allows for deeper insights and more meaningful feedback which makes it easier to identify issues without being overwhelmed by data.
Or you can just simply select few users who fit your criteria which includes demographics, experience level and special needs and include mix users with different levels of familiarity with your product also, consider the devices or platforms being tested as diversity in your user group also helps uncover a wide range of insights which ensures the testing results are relevant and actionable.
6. Be patient:
Let the participants attempt to complete the task on their own even if they are having great difficulty. However, watching people struggle is very hard but this is how we can learn what needs to change to make the product better and where the users are having difficulty. So by staying patient you will explore the user’s understanding further.
For example, if the user takes an unplanned route through your app so don’t correct them you just have to show patience by waiting to see what happens as this is valuable learning.
7. Always ask for feedback:
Even if the testers have taken the tests you should take feedback as they feel that their feedback is important so a positive approach keeps users engaged also, repeated tests can provide more valuable insights.
By getting feedback from users helps to uncover the blind spots and ensure a more accurate understanding of user challenges as a result it promotes collaboration and leads to improvements in the design. Therefore, encourage open and honest feedback by creating a user friendly environment where users can freely share their real experiences.
8. Continuous testing:
Testing at all stages ensures you identify issues early and helps you to save cost and resources whether it’s before a design, during a design or after a design.
- Before a design: Usability testing can help you identify the biggest pain points in the current version.
- During a design: Usability testing helps test prototypes to redesign features before full implementation or before launch.
- After a design: By getting feedback and by testing sessions you will have the knowledge of how real users use the product which will help you to do further improvements.
- Analyzing your results:
- As you will have a lot of data after a successful usability evaluation study, now it’s time for analysis to draw conclusions and find actionable insights. If you have a clear goal then it is the easiest part in the usability testing. 40% of users struggled with the registration form, taking longer than expected or abandoning the task.
9. Minimise distraction:
When testing the users or when watching the sessions remotely you can easily get distracted by emails notifications, messages or by any news or updates.
It’s important to take tests by switching off your phone or by taking tests in a quiet environment and ensuring clear instructions to keep users engaged as by reducing distraction it can help both to focus on the task leading to more accurate feedback and better insights into usability issues. Or otherwise, you may miss important details and draw incorrect conclusions about what’s happening in the research.
For example, you can just simply switch you mobile phone to Aeroplane mode as a result you won’t get any calls or messages, also, you can mute your phone for a while or go to the settings and turn of the notification button and IOS have “Do not disturb” mode do IOS users can simply click on that.
10. Stay positive:
It’s important to stay positive as a positive attitude helps to create a comfortable environment where users feel encouraged to share information without fear or judgements. So encourage users by appreciating their input and reassure them there are no right or wrong answers.
Remember that always Focus on learning from mistakes rather than seeing them as failures as the participant will get motivated and encouraged to talk deeply about it which is helpful for the business.
For example, If a user struggles with a task, instead of saying, “You did it wrong,” say, “That’s interesting! What were you expecting to happen?” This keeps the conversation constructive.
However, Usability testing is an important step towards developing user-friendly, intuitive, and successful products. By detecting and resolving usability issues early on you can save time, money, and improve customer satisfaction which leads to increase in engagement and business success. Even minor adjustments can have a major impact as a 10% increase in usability can significantly increase sales and customer retention.
By following these ten usability testing tips, you can streamline the testing process, prevent common pitfalls, and gain valuable insights that lead to greater improvements. Whether it’s testing early, involving the team, remaining patient, or minimising distractions, these tactics will help your usability tests be effective and meaningful.
Now it is your turn! Begin applying these usability testing best practices today to elevate your product to the next level. Have you ever done usability testing before? Please share your experiences and insights in the comments!
