The importance of user testing for your design

What are user tests?

A user test is a research technique or methodology What is used in the user-centered design and aims to evaluate a digital product both in a design phase from scratch and in an optimization phase.

Why are user tests important?

• They help to justify A decision
• They reduce the risk to fail with the used product
• They are used to check if the product complies with user expectations
• Hace Coincide the decisions of business with real-world use
• Eliminate defects Of the product
• It allows See the success of users in their tasks
• It is useful for get reactions and comments from users about the product
• They help understand behaviors of users, not their attitudes

When to incorporate a user test?

The user test is useful both in early stages of a design to save time designing and developing a product such as for stages of redesign (check what isn't working in a product so we can improve it). It's what it's called Fail Fast, meaning that the sooner you discover possible errors, the sooner you can fix them and you will optimize both time and resources.

What can be tested?

Everything can be tested, from a paper prototype to a working website. Thus, if we are working in agile environments our objective will be to test the sooner the better. Lean UX methodologies precisely use the agile environment in UX to be able to get the most out of it in a short time. For example, if we are redesigning a website and we don't have time to make a prototype and test it, a first click test can be carried out, surveying users according to some screens that we want to validate. A prototype can be made with paper, with digital tools or with a product that is on the market.

Types of user tests

They are mainly divided into moderated and unmoderated tests; also in in person or remotely, the latter becoming increasingly frequent not only when users from different parts of the world are needed, but also because of the situation caused by Covid-19. You can also differentiate between Guerilla test from the laboratory.

Moderate tests

This is a type of test in which users are guided by a person who is asking the questions at the moment. This type of test has the advantage of power Get additional information to users as they speak and it has the drawback that users, being more aware that someone is watching them, may want to please whoever is in front of them and, therefore, the test is not as effective. They can be in person or remotely and are usually recorded on video to later analyze the results.

Unmoderated tests

Unmoderated tests must be recorded and there are multiple platforms for this. The peculiarity of this type of user test is that the user has Instructions for doing homework and that it is not necessary for UX specialists to be with the user at that time, so it reduces costs. This type of test is usually given remotely.

Guerilla test

A guerrilla test is a test that is not planned or that takes into account the user's profile beforehand, so it can be done in a way agile and quick to validate aspects of the design that raise doubts. It can be carried out on the street, in a bar or in any office.

Laboratory test

A laboratory test requires a enabled space to do this, and it has the advantage that the user has no external distractions while performing the test, but it has the disadvantage that the user may feel self-conscious about the place.

In any test we have several types of information provided to us by the user: Information that tells us about what the user says (either through oral or written words) and what they do (non-verbal language and specific actions on the interface). Both types of information are useful and you need to know how to analyze them properly by user experience specialists.

How can we help you?

If you need more information do not hesitate to contact us.