Assumption is the mother of all… pitfalls
It takes time to teach yourself to stop assuming. When designing it’s very easy to place yourself in the user shoes and imagine how the user will interact with a product. However, you are not the typical user. You know the product too well, or you have invested too much time and emotion into the development of a product or prototype.
How to stop assumption — start testing
In order to get a solid idea of how user’s interact with a product, you should observe how they use the product. A user test is a good way to see where the pitfalls are. If you haven’t run a user test before, then I would encourage you to do so. They are easy to set up and can be kept inexpensive.
There are a few reasons to run a user test. You could be at the beginning of a project and would like to compare competitor products with your own. Ask the user to perform a task on a competitor site and your site, you will begin to notice any features that are confusing.
When you begin the user test you should reassure the user, make the applicant aware that they are not being tested, and that the site is being tested. Encourage them to keep an audio dialogue of their actions and thoughts as they go through the test.
Another great reason to do a user test is when you finish your prototype. You can upload your concepts into invisionapp or marvelapp and have an interactive prototype. This way you can ask the applicants to navigate through your prototype and record any pain points that they might have. You can compare the experience with that of your competitors. This type of research is called qualitative research.
What you need to start user testing
In order to perform a user test you will need a screen recording software such as silverback for MAC and Camtasia for pc. Your computer should also have a camera and mic. Generally, I use silverback when doing a user test. I set up my laptop in a quiet office where the candidate feels comfortable. Then I would explain what the test is about and put them at ease by asking them a few introductory questions. I would be seated beside the user as they go through the sites so I can observe what they are doing. By then end of the test, you will have a recording of the users interaction with the site. The more tests you do will give you a better insight into the user flow of a site. After you have a few tests completed you can start comparing videos and notes.
Analysing the data
This can be tricky. When I first started user testing I had sheets of paper with scribbles that I could hardly make out. It was tough getting the useful information from it. What I have started doing is keeping a table of the applicants and the questions or processes that they are asked to do. That way I can quickly compare the different data and highlight the similarities. I would also keep a pen and paper to hand if I need to draw a diagram to signify anything of importance. I would love to hear how other designers are documenting there data, leave a comment or PM me.
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