How your organisation can prepare for Usability Testing
Usability testing is an essential step in the UX design process. It allows us to ensure that a product or website meets the needs of our users. By identifying and correcting usability issues, we can improve the overall user experience and increase customer satisfaction. Additionally, usability testing helps to reduce development costs by detecting and correcting errors before they are implemented. It involves observing people as they try to use your product, and then analysing their feedback, using the things we observe to provide a better experience by identifying areas for improvement or giving users more of the design choices they respond well to.
Carrying out a successful usability testing session requires careful planning and organisation. Often, these testing sessions will require time, a budget and considerable planning to conduct which is why it is important that you set yourself up for success so you can get the most out of your usability testing. Without doing the correct preparation, you risk running a session that fails to give you the insight you need into user preference which could result in the time and effort put into the session being wasted entirely.
This blog post will explore how you can ensure you get the most from your user testing sessions.
10 steps you should carry out to prepare for user testing
When it comes to conducting a successful user testing session, preparation really is key. The Nielsen Norman Group have identified 10 steps to follow, which will set you up for a successful testing experience:
1) Draft your research questions
This step will help you to understand what you’re hoping to learn from the user testing session and make sure that everyone involved in organising the testing session is clear on the aim of the tests.
2) Choose the right participants
Selecting people who match your target demographic for your usability test. You will need to decide what kind of participants you will need based on the research you want to conduct, planning this in advance can help you find the people you need quickly and allow you to select participants with the test purpose in mind.
3) Put together a screening questionnaire
A screening questionnaire will allow you to ask questions to the participants that will help you decide whether they are suitable for your tests. This step will ensure that you have the people that you need when it comes to running your testing session.
4) Create a consent form
No matter what kind of research you are carrying out, it’s essential to get consent from your participants. Collecting consent before carrying out user testing is an important step to ensure that the participants are aware of their rights and the context in which they are taking part.
5) Write your tasks
Prepare detailed instructions for each of the tasks that participants will be asked to complete during the user testing session. This step will ensure that the participants are clear on what they are being asked to do during each stage of the testing session.
6) Send a reminder email about the user testing session
This will help ensure that your participants will show up to the session and will give you an opportunity to share any details such as location or time so your session runs smoothly.
7) Test your design
Testing your design prior to your usability testing session will ensure that no time on the day is wasted by needing to fix technical issues.
8) Run a pilot test (optional)
A pilot test is a small-scale test that happens before a larger testing session, this allows you to smooth out any issues you may have so your final testing session is as successful as possible.
9) If you are having observers, ensure that they are prepared
This could include ensuring your observers are aware of the etiquette they must follow, or providing details of how follow-up feedback may be collected. Giving your observers this information in advance will allow them to provide better feedback post-test and carry out their role more efficiently.
10) Use the information from the first 9 steps, to create a facilitator guide to share will all facilitators
Ensuring that your facilitators are familiar with the goals and aims of the user testing session will make sure that they know what they are looking for and will help them to critically observe the participants thus setting you up for a successful feedback session.
Conclusion
User testing is an important step when it comes to ensuring that we are delivering the best end products. With so much to gain by carrying out this process correctly, it should be a top priority to ensure that we do as much preparation as possible to ensure we host a successful feedback session. By following these steps, you can ensure that you are well prepared for hosting a user testing session so you can make the most of your time with users, collect valuable feedback from your participants and learn how you can improve your service offering.
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