Philips started with the production of lightbulbs in 1891 and now the company employs around 80K people in more than 100 countries. McDonald’s used to be a small hamburger restaurant in San Bernardino, and it has become the largest fast-food chain in the world.
Decades and centuries of experimentation, trials, and errors took giant companies to evolve into what they are today. Errors, testing, innovations, and then testing again led them to discover the difference between “good” and “bad” UX.
In this blog, we’re going to shed some light on the process that determines the success and evolution of companies and products — UX usability testing.
UX testing: what it is and why it matters
When users land on a website for the first time, it takes them three seconds to evaluate the website’s design and usability and decide if they stay or not. If they like everything, during the next ten seconds they will assess its layout, navigation, and content. Is everything clear? If yes, we proceed to study the content and perform the actions — buy something, subscribe to receive updates, make a call, etc.
However, if a person visits the website for the first time and faces any hiccups within the first 15 seconds, they are most likely to exit the page without further exploration.
It can be one annoying pop-up window asking for a phone number for a callback, for example.
Not to make such mistakes that can cost new customers and additional expenses on development, companies decide to test UX design.
What exactly is usability testing?
Usability testing or user experience testing is the process of accumulating qualitative and quantitative data from test users to improve the effectiveness and functionality of the product.
There are three main elements of the process: the facilitator, the tasks, and the participant.
The facilitator plays a key role in guiding the testing session, while the tasks assigned to participants help assess how well the product meets user needs and expectations. The participants provide valuable insights by interacting with the product and sharing their experiences.
This collaborative approach allows for iterative improvements and ensures that the final product aligns closely with user preferences and requirements.
The importance of choosing the right method and tool in UX testing
Usability testing UX helps to tackle the fundamental issues of the software development process if the method is chosen correctly.
Before selecting a user research approach, you need to consider various factors such as your available resources, the demographics of your target audience, and the specific goals of your research, which are essentially the questions you seek answers to.
The three main categories of usability testing include:
- Moderated vs. unmoderated
- Remote vs. in-person
- Explorative vs. comparative
Different stages of the design process and different goals require various user experience testing methods. So, the first thing one needs to do is ask themselves a question: “What information do I need to gather about users to progress with this project or feature?”
It’s vital to keep in mind that the usability testing tools and methods you choose will determine whether the research will be relevant and actionable.
UX testing methods
Various usability testing methods help answer specific research questions. The testing UX method you pick will depend on what information you need, your budget, and time strains.
Here are the most popular user experience testing methods.
# Lab usability testing
As the name suggests, this is a usability test method conducted in an especially equipped place and administered by a moderator. The participants complete the tasks on desktop or mobile devices while a moderator supervises a process, answers questions, and replies to users’ feedback in real-time. Usually, stakeholders are also present during the sessions to make their own notes.
This kind of software usability testing provides in-depth information about real-time interactions with the product and issues the users face. The drawback is the price which usually starts at 500$ per half-day and a rather limited number of participants: from 5 to 12.
# Guerilla testing
Guerilla testing is one of the simplest and cheapest usability test methods that you can apply to test your product. A facilitator goes to a public place, for example, a park, and randomly chooses the participants. They are asked to run a quick usability test frequently in return for a small gift.
This method is perfect for the early stages of product development to check if you’re moving in the right direction. It allows you to gather opinions and personal impressions about the product. Though, bear in mind that the users you come across in a public place are not always representatives of your potential target audience.
# Phone interview
This is a budget-friendly and easy way to gather information from a large number of participants, frequently from different geographical locations. The process looks like this: a facilitator calls and gives instructions to users on how to perform certain tasks on their equipment. Later, the feedback is collected as the participants’ electronic behavior is recorded remotely. Phone interviews enable business owners to collect big amounts of data in a short period of time with minimum expenses.
# Card sorting
Card sorting is a popular user experience testing technique that helps to find out if the layout and navigational structure of your website or application match the way your users think. A facilitator places the concepts such as content, features, etc., on cards, and participants are to put them into different groups and categories. As soon as the cards are sorted, the participants explain their logic. It’s a relatively simple and inexpensive method to get feedback about your website’s navigation structure and layout.
# Session recordings
This method helps to find out what features are the most interesting and challenging for the users. The actions of the anonymized users such as scrolling, mouse clicks, etc., are recorded and then analyzed.
Session recording helps in understanding the biggest problems the users might face while interacting with your website, figuring out the places they stumble in, or the pages that are immediately left. One of the best usability testing tools for this method is HotJar.
# 5-second test
This UX testing method helps to estimate how successfully a website design conveys the main message to the target audience. The participants are asked to have a quick look at the website and afterward are asked a list of questions. For example, what is their impression of the website design, what main parts of it can they recall, etc. A 5-second test is useful before launching a product to see what kind of first impression it gives to the audience.
# First-click
The main objective of first-click testing is to assess the ease with which users can locate essential navigation elements to complete a given task. Participants are asked questions such as “Where would you click to buy this product?” while the software records their mouse movements.
This testing approach gathers comprehensive data on user expectations and determines the most effective positions for menus and buttons. Analyzing the duration it takes users to make decisions shows how intuitive the website design and navigation framework are.
# Prototyping
Prototyping is evaluating the preliminary version of the software with a group of target users to identify any issues in its design, functionality, and UX. The users are asked to complete a series of tasks using a prototype of the digital product, defining their ability to navigate within it effectively. Analyzing the outcomes of these tests enables one to identify logical flaws in the structure or design and make necessary adjustments.
Prototype design requires significantly less time to create and modify compared to retesting, redesigning, and recoding the final products. Therefore, we consider prototyping and prototype user testing an indispensable phase of the product development cycle.
Methods that are not classified as usability testing
Usability testing mainly involves people trying out and using a website to see how well it works. The methods below aren’t exactly usability testing, but they can still be helpful when used together with it to get better results:
# A/B testing
A/B testing stands for the comparison of two variants of the webpage or application to see which one performs better. How does it work? Different segments of website visitors are shown different versions of the webpage in order to figure out which of them drives more conversions. Gratefully to A/B testing business owners can find visitor pain points, reduce bounce rate, and favorably redesign their website.
# Heatmap analysis
Heatmaps visually represent users’ reactions on different pages of your website, for example, where they click, how far they scroll, and so on. It’s one of the fastest ways to visualize and analyze large amounts of data as all the values are depicted by color.
The data gathered from visitor behavior insights can be used to tailor the website to align more closely with visitors’ expectations, thereby enhancing conversion funnels, improving conversion rates, mitigating bounce rates, or increasing sales, among other objectives.
# Acceptance testing
Acceptance testing typically occurs at the end of the software testing process. Users go through a series of steps to check if the software functions properly. While this test focuses on technical quality assurance rather than assessing user-friendliness and efficiency, it remains a crucial step in developing a thoroughly vetted product.
# Focus groups
Focus groups involve bringing together a small group of individuals to discuss a particular topic. This method is effective for gathering opinions on a product or service, though it may introduce bias if certain participants dominate the conversation due to being more vocal or persuasive than others.
UX Testing tools
Despite the importance of testing usability, there are not so many good UX testing tools available on the market today. To get straight to the point, here is our list:
# UserTesting
Best for: customer experience narrative features.
Key features: Card sorting, tree testing, usability testing, prototype testing, sentiment analysis, and template library.
UserTesting has been on the market for a while and is famous for its advanced targeting options. Depending on the package you choose, features may include mobile and website testing, prototype testing, integration and collaboration tools, card sorting, tree testing, and more.
The platform offers a template gallery, which provides pre-made test templates that users can customize and expand upon to create their own tests without starting from scratch which significantly streamlines the test creation process.
# Hotjar
Best for: visualizing user behaviors with heatmaps.
Key features: heatmaps, screen and clicks recording, host moderated user testing interviews.
Hotjar is a helpful tool for websites, providing heatmap analysis and behavioral insights. One of its key features is session recordings paired with heatmap analysis. Using this tool, you can watch session recordings to observe user interactions firsthand and identify any issues with your products.
Additionally, Hotjar offers surveys and feedback polls directly on your website, allowing you to gather valuable user feedback in real-time.
# Optimal Workshop
Best for: conducting tree tests.
Key features: Card sorting, tree testing, online surveys, and first-click testing, qualitative research, automated analysis.
The Optimal Workshop user experience testing tools include card sorting, tree testing, first-click testing, online surveys, and a qualitative research tool. The platform has two standout features: Treejack and Reframer. Treejack helps figure out where people get confused on your website. With Treejack, you can test site structures fast and tweak your current design to make it better for users. Plus, Treejack gives you helpful insights automatically, so you can make smart decisions based on data.
Reframer can be used with lots of qualitative research data. You can organize and see how different observations connect to find important user insights. Optimal Workshop also has a built-in research archive to store and use what you’ve learned from customers.
# Userlytics
Best for: testing concept wireframes and prototypes.
Key features: card sorting, tree testing, first-click testing, A/B testing, prototype testing, and moderated user interviews.
Userlytics is one of the oldest user experience testing tools that boasts being for more than 14 years on the market. With Userlytics you get the opportunity to test your concept sketches and prototypes, even before your product launches. The tool helps you target the right audience using advanced demographic filters. For example, if your app targets women in their 30s who live in the USA, you can create a specific test audience to receive tailored testing responses.
Userlytics features include integrated multimodal testing, which combines screen recording, audio feedback, webcam recording, and eye-tracking. It also supports virtual reality testing for apps and prototypes designed for Oculus.
Other integrations include Adobe XD, Axure, and Figma.
# Maze
Best for: prototype testing, content, and copy testing.
Key features: prototype testing, first-click testing, heatmaps, A/B testing, surveys, clips, guerilla testing, card sorting, and wireframe testing.
Maze serves as an ongoing exploration tool used for product teams. It’s particularly suitable for unmoderated tests as it seamlessly integrates with popular design platforms such as Adobe and Figma, enabling prompt feedback on your most recent prototypes.
With a variety of useful functionalities, including survey templates for gathering participant feedback on prototypes, Maze simplifies the testing process. Additionally, after testing concludes, Maze facilitates data sharing through convenient visualizations and reports.
# UserZoom
Best for: revealing user pain points.
Key features: first-click tests, tree tests, card sorting, surveys, remote usability testing, participant recruitment, reporting hub, live intercept.
UserZoom offers diverse user research techniques, including remote usability testing, questionnaires, card sorting, and tree testing to gather actionable insights throughout the product development journey.
UserZoom facilitates understanding of user behavior through screen recording and task-based testing. Its robust analytics and reporting tools help conduct quality data analysis, identify trends, and get actionable insights.
It has an extensive participant pool of over 120 million users, allowing access to individuals with diverse industry backgrounds for UX research. With enterprise-level scalability, UserZoom suits large-scale usability testing projects and organizations with substantial user bases.
It integrates with Figma, Google Analytics 360, InVision, Marvel, Mixpanel, Tableau, and others.
Conclusion
With so many usability testing methods available, it might be difficult to choose the one that will fit your particular product. But that’s the problem everyone faces.
At QU’ARTE, we understand the importance of good and relevant UX testing.
Our digital transformation strategies are guided by a solid grasp of our users’ needs, challenges, behavior, and perspectives. We analyze how real users interact with your product to identify areas of confusion and find opportunities to improve the overall user experience.
Feel free to contact us if you need help with any stage of UI/UX design.
