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UX/UI design

User tests... why and how?

Published on 19 February 2019
Illustration - Drupal user testing - Meeting at bluedrop.fr
In our previous article dedicated to UX Design, we discussed our UX approach and best practices to adopt. Today, let's focus on one of the methods of this approach: User Testing. What better way to ensure your site meets your expectations and those of your users than to test it?

In a site redesign or optimization project, it is tempting to put yourself in the users’ shoes, or worse, to think you know their needs and how they use the site. But you are not your users. That’s why user testing can be a powerful tool for detecting usability issues on your site and verifying your design choices to ensure they meet the needs of end users. These tests are a good investment and can save you time by anticipating issues before your site goes live.

However, a user test cannot be improvised! In this article, we’ll show you why it’s important to have your solutions tested by users, as well as our methodology for achieving effective results.

Why? The goals of user testing

What is the purpose of user testing?

Expert methods such as ergonomic audits are not enough to perfectly assess your site, because it’s impossible to fully put yourself in the user’s position. The main reason is that the way we use the site is different from the way users do. Their vocabulary, expectations, behavior, and habits can be totally distinct from ours. This is why user testing proves to be a highly effective method, as it allows you to confront your system with the actual usage of end users. 

Testing is recommended when you want to improve, design, or evaluate a website, an application, or even a product. Thanks to this method, almost all usability issues and areas for improvement will be identified (between 75% and 90% according to experts)! When used properly, testing can save you time and money in terms of design and development. Observing users testing your system in real-life conditions will help you accurately understand their real objectives, how they use your site, and the usability issues they encounter. The data collected will allow you to validate or change design choices well before the development phase. 

On the other hand, not testing your application means risking launching a site with usability issues or one that doesn’t meet users’ needs (and therefore won’t be used). The costs to readjust the site can be significant, as you’ll have to analyze why the site isn’t working and then make changes that could have been anticipated earlier with testing.

When should user tests be conducted?

To carry out these tests, it’s important to clearly define your end users, since they are the ones we will call upon to obtain relevant results. This constitutes the first steps in our UX Design approach (I encourage you to check out our previous article on UX to learn about this process). The testing phase comes after defining your users, after understanding their needs and expectations, and after coming up with one or more solutions to meet those needs. These solutions don’t necessarily have to be fully developed; you can run tests as early as the zoning phase! Ideally, you should work in an iterative design and test at every new step (zoning, wireframing, prototyping), thus ideate / test / modify solutions based on user feedback. This approach saves time, as changes are easier and faster to make on mock-ups than on a finished product.

Of course, it’s essential to adapt to your time and budget. If an iterative approach is not possible, it’s still highly recommended to conduct at least one testing session. Remember, some testing is better than none. If you can only do a single session, it should take place before moving on to the graphical portion of the solution, to validate design choices and simplify potential modifications.

How many users do you need?

Contrary to what one might think, quantity does not equal quality here. It’s better to spend time finding a representative sample of target users, designing a reliable testing protocol, and performing solid analysis of the results, rather than running dozens of tests. The goal is not to gather as much data as possible, but to focus on qualitative data instead. UX experts agree that after 12 participants have been tested, the number of new insights is almost zero (see curve above). A testing phase done in person generally includes between 5 and 12 users. As mentioned earlier, rather than multiplying tests, it’s better to iterate: organize multiple rounds of testing and modify your solution based on feedback from each round until you achieve an ideal solution. 

Again, we adapt based on your time and budget. Even having just one user test your product will provide relevant insights!

Our user testing methodology

In-person testing or remote testing?

Our goal is to observe user interaction with your product in a scenario as close as possible to real usage conditions. To achieve this, we offer two methods depending on your needs and expectations:

  • The first is to conduct in-person tests. One or two days are set aside for testing in a pre-defined location. This method allows for better control over the tests and enables you to gather more data on user impressions thanks to verbal feedback. However, participants must travel and be available on the same day.
  • The second option is remote user testing, which allows a greater number of tests to be conducted at lower cost. This method can also reproduce test conditions similar to real-life usage (for example, participants test from home). However, it is harder to control the tests, and results may be less reliable than with in-person testing. Data collection also takes longer (participants usually have one or more weeks to carry out the tests). Finally, it’s more difficult to gather in-depth verbal feedback on user impressions.

How do the tests work?

Each test is individual (1 participant = 1 test). The tests are created and analyzed by our UX Designer, specialist in this methodology, which is broken down into 5 steps:

  • Test planning and preparation: During this phase, we plan the tests with you (where the tests will take place if they’re in-person, how participants will be recruited, the objectives of the tests, what equipment is needed). We then prepare a test plan that could include, for example: UX questionnaires, test scenarios/journeys, an interview guide, and an observation guide (if needed).
  • Pilot testing: Next, we run a pilot test of the plan with our design team to check the test duration and anticipate/correct any problems that could arise during user testing.
  • Test sessions: This is when your users carry out the tests. Tests may be run over one or several weeks in the case of remote tests, or over one or two days for in-person tests. If tests are done in-person, it’s highly recommended that you join us during these days to better understand our work and the value of this method. If necessary, we record participants’ facial reactions, verbal comments, keyboard input, and mouse (or touch) interactions.
  • Analysis and recommendations: Afterwards, we analyze the tests and provide you with a deliverable summarizing the results and our recommendations.
  • Solution modification: Finally, if we’ve worked with you from the beginning of the project, we modify our solutions based on the results obtained.

The results achieved with this method

At the end of the tests, we analyze questionnaire responses, interviews, our own observations, and, with the help of videos, the interaction with your product. We provide you with a deliverable containing these results and our recommendations for improving your product. Finally, we improve our mock-ups based on these recommendations.

As mentioned, the results cover almost all problems your users may encounter. Testing allows us to prioritize these problems and plan the actions needed to solve them. For example, it is possible to:

See

  • The actual use of the product,
  • The mistakes made during this use,
  • The ‘drop-off’ points.

Compare

  • Your vision with real product usage.

Get

  • Feedback on the feelings and emotions of users during the interaction.

Improve

  • The site’s architecture,
  • Elements that are hard to understand (icons, text, etc.),
  • The performance and quality of the product (ease of use, user perception, barriers to use, usability issues).

To make sure your product meets users’ expectations and needs and will be adopted, it is essential to expose it to these users. The more users that test your various solutions, the higher your product’s quality and performance will be. To ensure satisfied users and an optimal solution,

Don’t hesitate, test!

Sources:

Alexandre PONS - UX Designer

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