How we use Design Thinking as a framework and guiding principle | Part VI: Test
‘The proof of the pudding is in the eating.’
Hello again! Today we will reach the end of the Design Thinking process by introducing you to phase 6: Test.
As you might remember, the Design Thinking process consists of five other phases: Understand, Observe, Point of View, Ideate, and Prototype.
Why do we need to test our prototype?
- Testing your prototype helps you to gain valuable feedback from your users/clients and to modify your tangible idea for solving problems and serving needs.
- Testing your prototype keeps costs low and saves time.
- Testing your prototype gets you in closer touch with the users of your products and services.
- Testing your prototype helps you to define requirements.
How might we set the stage for testing?
- First, you should get back to the people you interviewed in phase 2 — Observe and invite them for the Testing Date. (Rember our Pro-Tipp: Don’t forget to ask your interview partners when talking to them the first time if you could get in touch with them again, if there are further questions and if they are willing to test your prototype.)
- The Testing Date should not last longer than one hour.
- Don’t invite more than ten testers.
- If you meet the testees onsite, ensure they feel welcome: Provide cold and hot drinks, some biscuits, sweets, or fruits. If you can afford it, provide them with a monetary provision or a gift related to your company.
- Set the test space — Have the prototype ready. If you want to test a digital prototype, ensure the technical devices are set.
- Define the roles in the testing team. As described in phase 2 — Observe, the interview and the testing teams should inherit different roles: The Moderator and Time Keeper, The Question Asker, The Note Taker, The Observer, and The Listener. This helps us to get a 360-degree view of our interview partner and to focus on our roles.
How might I prepare myself as a tester?
Be clear about what you want to test. This also depends on the Types of Prototypes described in my blog article on Prototyping, where we introduced you to the mock-up of a One-Stop-Shops for clients of Public Utility providers.
With testing, our persona Paula Giegler could
- validate your concept — does she understand what is looking at and what function your prototype provides?
- Test the navigation of the application.
- Test the design and functionalities.
How might I prepare test scenarios and questions for the users?
- The test scenario gives Paula context and a task connected to the problem your service or product should solve for her.
- The questions should guide Paula toward what you want to discover and should not be too broad. You could also define a task that Paula might solve with your application, e.g., ‘Dear Paula, we know that you want to save energy and protect the climate. Our app might help you, so please — check it out!’ as a baseline; it might help you to calculate your C02 footprint and find out where you can reduce emissions.
How might I gain feedback?
Ask Paula to comment on what she is doing while using the app. You can also record the testing situation to reflect it afterward. Focus on Paula's problems and needs while she is testing.
Qualaroo suggests addressing three clusters of questions:
1. First Glance Testing
- What are your initial thoughts about this application/website?
- What do you think you can do using this tool/website?
- When would you use it?
- Is there anything here that doesn’t make sense?
2. Usability Assessment
- How would you rate the difficulty level of this task?
- Was anything out of place? If so, what was it?
- What information about the products was missing?
- Do you think the app guided you to the product perfectly?
3. Holistic Experience
- Was the application easy to navigate through?
- How was the overall design experience?
- What would you change in this application/website, if anything?
- How would you improve this tool/website?
- How would you like to rate your overall experience?
Make sure that you ask different testees the same question to ensure comparability.
How might I proceed after testing?
Now it’s time to evaluate the feedback, iterate, and modify your prototype accordingly, which might take several loops before your product is ready for the market.
Thanks for reading; stay curious and subscribe not to miss my next blog article!
Andrea Kuhfuss, Co-Founder and CEO of QLab Think Tank GmbH
