Conducting Your Usability Test

Doing your own usability test? Here is a complete overview

Welcoming the usability test subjects
Welcome all your test subjects and thank them for coming. Host them properly so they feel at ease: use your most amicable people, make sure the usability test subjects have refreshments and snacks, find out and address any concerns they have, etc. Assure them the product is what is being tested, not them.

Tell them the agenda:

• Tell them what is in the waiver, that you'll be taking notes, and that their privacy is well protected. Be sure to answer any concerns they might have.
  Get their basic demographic information.
• Give them an outline of what the usability test is: you will ask them to complete tasks that are essential to the functionality of the website or interaction. Assure them that problems or roadblocks they encounter are fine, and these need to be found in order to help you improve the interaction.
• Tell them that at the end, you will also ask for general impressions of the interaction and its functionality and any other thoughts you might want to share.

Completing tasks/ task-based questions
Have computers ready with a browser open. As the usability test facilitator, you will guide and observe them to perform simple, predictably common tasks. You will encourage them to think out loud and outline as much detail of their reactions and actions as possible. You will ask them questions about thought processes and decisions without being leading or interruptive. You will take notes, or have notes taken.

When leading the test, speak in as plain English as possible (keep techspeak to a minimum!), be positive and encouraging or at least neutral and ask questions that are as open as possible such as "what do you think, now?"

Stay focused on eliciting responses in a pertinent, objective, observant, patient, professional manner. Make note of the click stream, of all verbal and non-verbal responses and of all reactions through to and after their completion of the tasks. Wait for the usability test subject to signal to you that he or she is done with the task and record all observations up to that point.

Exit questions
Once the usability test has been completed, hand them a sheet of exit questions.  Give them a few minutes but remain close by in case they have any questions or concerns, or even afterthoughts and further informal observations about the interaction. You may want to go over any of their reactions or responses at this time as well, in order to fill out details of your own observations as well. In our experience, users feel relief that the usabilty test is over and some thoughts flow more freely at this time.

It's time to match your findings with your budget and begin perfecting - or certainly improving - your interaction. Set priorities on tasks, beginning with "must be fixed" and descending to "okay as is, but nice-to-have improvements." As you create the list, consider solutions including those that may have been offered by your usability test subjects. Be mindful of the best solution, whether that may be a simple graphic or added content or a dev task.

As much as possible, involve developers and designers in the process. If you can have them observe usability tests, that is ideal. However, keep them away from the test subjects, of course. Before proceeding with the test, you may want cull some notes from Interpix`s description of our own usability testing process.

Have a look at our list helpful usability resources.

Or go back to in-house testing cautions (page one of this mini-guide) or back to usability testing essentials