The purpose of usability testing in user experience (UX) design is to uncover problems and point to areas that could be improved. Design is an iterative process, which means that repetition is built into the timeline to create the best experience possible.
Why Test the Product on Users?
In usability testing, a researcher asks participants to perform tasks with isolated parts of a design and makes observations of their behavior. The users can also give feedback on the experience. Usability testing comes toward the end of the design process but should be repeated whenever design changes are made. The main goal of usability testing is to uncover problems users have with the design, reveal opportunities to improve it, and learn about how the users interact with it.
The UX Design Process
The UX design process is based on the questions why, how, and what. The process starts with research to discover why the user experience is what it is. The goal of this phase is to understand what the user wants from the experience. The Designer conducts surveys and interviews to discover the motivation and goals of users.
The definition phase involves using the data collected along with analytics to create a detailed description of the user experience. This phase involves creating user personas, flowcharts, and mapping to uncover patterns and trends.
Once the patterns emerge, design enters the third phase in which team members generate ideas about how to solve problems and improve the experience. A rough sketch of the product is developed, and from that come wireframes and prototypes.
The next phase is testing the product or website to see the user experience is what was expected. Depending upon the test results, the product will be redesigned to address problems found during usability testing. Repeated usability testing can also uncover new problems caused by some of the design fixes.
Types of Usability Testing
There are two types of usability testing: qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative testing looks at the quality of the user experience. Insights, anecdotes, and user feedback are what researchers are looking for here. Qualitative testing is the most common type of study.
Quantitative testing looks at numbers and metrics and is most often used to test the time it takes users to perform a task or whether or not they were successful.
How to Conduct Usability Testing
To conduct a usability test, you need three basic components: a facilitator or the person administering the test, the tasks, and the participant. Most user testing is done in-person in a conference room, but it can be performed remotely using video conferencing software.
In some cases, you can also do remote unmoderated testing that uses software to records users’ responses. Some advantages of this type of testing are that you can have many more users than moderated testing; you aren’t constricted by time zones, and you can get data faster. Some disadvantages of unmoderated testing are that there is no one to explain the process to participants or answer questions, and users are often less engaged and do not perform as well on tasks that require imagination, emotional responses, or decision making when another human is not present.
For in-person testing, it is a good practice to have two people, one to interact with the participants and another to observe and take notes. The tasks will be specific, real-world activities that the users would do to accomplish a goal such as how do you find contact information for the company or how would you order lunch using this app. Choose
Realistic users as participants. They may already be customers, or they may simply fit into the defined user group. It is important to instruct the participants to “think out loud” and describe what they are doing during the testing.
How Many Users Do You Need?
Start with a small number of users. Usability expert Jakob Nielsen recommends five users because you will see what you need to see with that number. More is a waste of time and money. As Nielsen describes it, the information from user 1 is new, and then you will see some of the same and some new with user 2. The same is true of user 3. By the time you test user 4, there is a lot of overlap between the participants, and by user 5, the trend is clear.
At this point, Nielsen recommends taking the results of the test and improving the design, then testing again with another group of five users. Repeat the testing and design iteration process as long as the budget permits. Quantitative usability studies require more users than qualitative because you are looking for metrics in these types of studies.
The more skillful you become at usability testing, the smaller number of users you will need. When you are less experienced, it is better to use more test subjects to get clear results. Sometimes it can be difficult to discern what the users are doing, and in a situation like that, using more subjects can help you identify what is going on and make a well-supported recommendation.
Cost of Usability Testing
The cost of usability testing can vary quite a bit. Simple studies with a small number of participants can be economical, with the only extra cost being incentives for the participants. Other costs might be if you need to bring in extra personnel or equipment, and if you need to produce a detailed report.
Testing using paper prototypes can save money. These are page representations drawn on paper, one per screen. This is a good way to test layout and information architecture, as well as content, structure, and flow. You can use hand-drawn or. Printed pages. This is a good and inexpensive way to do some testing in the early stages of design or when looking at new iterations.
Where to Learn UX Design
If you would like to learn more about UX/UI design to switch to a new career, one of the best ways to do that is to sign up for classes. You can choose classes that meet in-person or online to learn design software and other applications. Some people prefer to attend brick-and-mortar sessions when learning new information, but that isn’t always available. Live online classes have a similar set-up with a real-time, remote instructor who can answer questions and take control of your monitor—with permission—to show you how to do things. Training is part or full-time and available weekdays, weeknights, or weekends.
The best way to prepare for a career shift to a field like UX design is to enroll in a bootcamp or certificate program. These are intensive training courses that run from a few weeks to a few months and another plus of training is that you will leave class with a professional-quality portfolio that you can show to prospective employers.
Conclusion
It’s easy to learn UX design and start a new career. Check out Noble Desktop’s UX design classes. Choose between in-person sessions in NYC at Noble’s location or sign up for live online UX design coursesand attend from anywhere. Use Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me to find other UX design bootcamps in your area.