Completing the User Testing
User testing involves having users test your product to identify any potential issues or areas of confusion. To complete user testing, select a group of representative users, provide them with the product, and observe them as they try to follow your task prompts. Analyze the user testing results to identify areas of improvement and recommendations.
What to Do
1️⃣Pick the product you want to test and make your testing plan. Your testers need access to the product, so consider if it is physical or digital. You also need to observe and listen to their interactions, so find a quiet place you can do the testing.
2️⃣Pick the usability methods to test the product. These might include tasks (remember from the lab activity!), interviews, focus groups, or surveys that include interaction with your product. The goal is to collect data on how real people think about the product’s usability.
3️⃣Create your scorecard to keep track of the quantitative data. This will be your time, error, and success metrics.
4️⃣Write open-ended questions to ask each participant. An open-ended question is a question that cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”. It requires the participant to provide a more detailed and thoughtful response. Please make sure to use open-ended questions in your test to encourage deeper engagement and feedback. These will give you more to write about in the usability report memo.
5️⃣Plan your tests. Try to keep each test around 20 minutes long because you don’t want to take too much time from people’s day. Decide if they will use your computer, their computer, or a lab/library station. You can also conduct your tests over Zoom/Teams with people not in the area, as long as you can see their screen.
6️⃣Recruit the participants and conduct the tests. YOU need to complete the scorecard because this is YOUR research. Observe and document everything that goes on for all SIX (6) participants.
You need to ACTUALLY test your content on 6 people. You can ask classmates, stop people in the library, talk to folks in the dorms, and use your student organizations/clubs as long as they fit the target demographic of your product.
Be Ethical
Use the informed consent form. on your usability tests. This ensures your participants know what they are helping you with and better mimics the ethics of a real test for companies with actual liability and privacy concerns. Then, conduct your testing clearly and reasonably to respect your participants.
- Schedule sessions at various times and locations: Offer flexibility to accommodate different student schedules.
- Keep sessions short and engaging: Aim for 30-60 minutes and use interactive methods to keep participants motivated.
- Provide clear instructions and expectations: Explain the test’s purpose, duration, and format beforehand.
Tips for the Testing
- Choose the right participants: The participants in your usability test should be representative of your target users. This means they should have the same needs and goals as those who will be using your product. Your target users are students with access to Microsoft 365 applications so that you can use almost anyone on campus for the testing (roommates, friends, classmates, random folks in the library).
- Set clear goals: Before you start your usability test, you need to set clear goals. What do you hope to learn from the test? What specific usability problems are you trying to identify? You should create tasks that require users to read your eBook and see if your instructions help them navigate the app.
- Observe the participants: During the usability test, you should observe the participants as they interact with your product. Pay attention to their actions, their facial expressions, and their comments. YOU are the one to fill in the scorecard–not your participants. It is your job to document metrics and make notes.
- Ask questions: After the participants have finished interacting with your product, you should ask them questions about their experience. This will help you to understand their thoughts and feelings about the product. You will need to ask at least three open-ended questions and document the feedback.
- Analyze the results: After completing the usability test, you need to analyze the results. This will help you identify usability problems and improve your product. You will create a SWOT analysis with things to keep, cut, or revise from your eBook design.
Your main task is straightforward: plan some tests to see if real people can follow, understand, and use your eBook. You are measuring if they are able to complete the tutorial and respond to questions about your content.
Planning and Running the Test Resources
- Tutorial: Filling in a Usability Scorecard to help you plan the elements of your testing process
- Guide: Usability Starter Kit resources from Digital.Gov
- Tutorial: Usability Test Demonstration from digital.gov. Start around 35 minutes
Analyze and Discuss Your Work
You can compare my examples while listening to the commentary on the process. As you watch the commentary videos, evaluate and compare your work to my points.
