This article is a companion piece to my newly launched incrementalux podcast and is based on my learning from interviewing people much smarter than I am.
In Pursuit of the Perfect Product
While user-testing has always had a place in the web development process, perhaps it's the explosion of smartphones and internet-enabled devices that has really brought user-testing into the spotlight.
In the recent past, several design methodologies have focused on feedback from the end user. Lean UX places measuring feedback as one of its core tenets. User centered design puts the user,.. well, in the center.
Being a UX designer involves a lot of testing and gathering feedback. There are now many products in the marketplace that enable us to analyze and review our users. But, before you wear out that credit card on a raft of user testing software and services, you'll need (at least) an absolute beginner's understanding of the what, when, and how of user testing.
That's what I want to tackle today!
Let's start with the easiest question to answer.
When to Test
User testing is most effective when utilized before any effort goes into development. It helps to uncover issues on a conceptual or thinking level, before you begin coding or building. It helps to do a lot of testing before you commit to building a solution.
Test early, test often is a mantra that has been hammered into all of our heads. But, testing early alone is not sufficient.
[caption id="attachment_114443" align="aligncenter" width="615"]
Meaning, the moment you have anything tangible, you begin testing with a user. The first napkin sketch or whiteboard diagram is a great place to begin your testing.
[caption id="attachment_114446" align="aligncenter" width="638"]
Paper prototypes allow you to draw and test out an entire flow. Here the user mimics their interactions with paper sketches. You, as a designer, get to test out the entire workflow and identify gaps in mental models of your users v/s the mental model of the system you built.
This phase of testing is both rapid and iterative. As soon as you identify issues, it's time for the next version to be quickly sketched and tested. Once you finish with throwaway prototypes like sketches and whiteboard diagrams, you can move on to more tangible wirefreames or photoshop mockups.
How to Test
The 5 second test
Goal: A simple yes/no test to establish whether an idea is viable
The quickest and easiest way to gather feedback on designs is the 5 second test. Show your design to your team members, friends or spouses for 5 seconds and ask them questions like:
- What do you think this design is about?
- What is the primary action you could take?
- What did you like about it?
- What did you dislike about it?
This is a great way of quickly gathering feedback on whether the design is "hit or a miss". Whether the primary purpose of a screen is being conveyed instantly or not is a big deal in the attention economy, where users are bombarded with visuals, information, data and even bullshit. However, it's very binary and does not go into finer details.
Guerilla testing
Goal: Gather feedback on a design from random people at common places
‘Get out of the building’ is a fairly common phrase heard in the design community.
Continue reading %The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to User Testing%
by Vinay Raghu via SitePoint
No comments:
Post a Comment