Usability test: definition, types and steps to carry it out successfully

It is always advisable to optimize the UX of a website to increase organic traffic. Before this necessary process, it is essential to carry out a validation of the usability of the web.

It describes below, what it consists of, how it is carried out and what kind of measures must be implemented to achieve an optimal result with the corresponding modifications.

What is a usability test?

In technical terms, the result of quantitative and qualitative research that allows us to know how the end user sees a given web page. It is important to remember that any site on the Internet has a specific purpose. The UX, or user experience, will be more positive the fewer obstacles there are between what that person wants and what is offered. Thus, usability tests should always be carried out:

• Before carrying out the development.
• To adjust the development of the page to the real needs of its potential users.
• When there are discrepancies regarding the design or focus of the page.
• To evaluate whether UX services are really effective.

When is such a test carried out?

Usually, when the page is being created, new ideas are being matured or prototypes are being created or existing ones are being evaluated. Participants in the tests must be accompanied by researchers and designers who are experts in UX to correct errors as they occur.

The procedure is to ask a group of users to perform a specific task. They should take note of mistakes and successes. The most important values are:

• Ease of use.
• The efficiency of each section.
• Malfunctions .
• The level of satisfaction.

Types of usability testing

The techniques to check the usability are diverse, which favors that you can choose the most appropriate for each case and even bet on its joint use.

In-person or internal usability testing

Participants are encouraged to access the website from a computer or device controlled by UX experts. The most appropriate thing is to have people outside the company to better know their real reaction to the page. In this case, the most used techniques are:

• Eye Tracking. It analyzes what are the points to which the participants look on each page.
• A/B tests to compare the effectiveness of two different designs.
• The classification that determines the value of each structure, label or ease of navigation.

Unattended remote testing

It is a suitable option to use other types of tools on the Internet and thus access a greater number of users. The results are much faster and the participants are always in an environment they know, so they will act more naturally. The usual thing is that you bet on tools such as:

• RealEye or Gazepoint to detect, through a webcam, the points to which the user’s gaze is directed.
• Optimal Workshop helps, through cards, to know how the contents of a website should be classified, following the technique of card sorting or tree test.
• VWO and Convert are well suited for A/B testing.

Monitored remote usability testing

It is a variant of the previous type, but in this case the behavior of users is monitored in real time. In these cases, the results are always excellent, but without forgetting that you have to use tools of proven effectiveness such as Userlytics or Lookback.

When selecting which is the most appropriate type for each website or digital product, it is very relevant to know what the process of carrying out one of these tests consists of. Each page requires a specific type of test as now demonstrated.

The steps to follow to perform a usability test

It is always advisable to maintain an order so that the process is more efficient. The respective stages are described in the following sections.

Planning

The starting point is the writing of the test instructions for the participants. Everyone should know what their role is and what exactly they have to do. Likewise, it is necessary to review what are the resources available so that the test can be carried out.

Find participants

It is recommended that this is a group with a minimum of four people and a maximum of six. They must have the characteristics of the typical client of the company as indicated by a previous segmentation work. Before starting the test, you have to know more about how they access the network and also about their preferences regarding the pages they usually visit. Thanks to their participation, it is possible to detect around 70% of the errors on a page.

Preparation

After the first interview, it is time to tell those who participate what their tasks will be and how long the test will last. It is best to encourage users to:

• Browse all the pages.
• Perform some search and assess the result obtained.
• Check if the content is of quality.
• Give your opinion about the color of the website and its design in general.
• Complete a form and comment on its usefulness.

The test

After the previous step, it is time to submit a questionnaire that must be reviewed repeatedly. It is always positive to have an employee to decide what the selected questions will be. The final objective is to check if the page is understood and if, in case of doubt, there are sufficient elements to solve them. Before the start of the test you should ask if everyone knows what they have to do and how to rate their experience.

Then begins the process of observation and analysis of the behavior of each person. Whoever monitors the test will only have to observe and never give clues about how to perform any of the proposed tasks.

The Bottom Line

It is important to approach the analysis from the point of view of the quality of the information received. As long as the participants have been fully involved, the result will be satisfactory. It is recommended to detect which errors are highlighted by the majority.

The final report should include both the errors made and the possible solutions to correct them. We hope that the above information can be used to carry out a usability test on any website as a basis for correcting the corresponding defects.