Introduction
When we talk about effective UX research, we often relate it to money. We are of the opinion that huge budgets aren’t necessarily required for effective UX research. UX research has become a critical step in creating an app/website. The UX research experts are leading the way in the creation of user-oriented apps to make sure that the UX design is friendly and people actually have positive user experience while navigating a website or app. One important aspect of UX research is prototype usability testing. In this article, we will connect the dots between UX research and prototype usability testing.
Importance of UX research
For any organization that is about to launch an app or website, UX research is critical. For a company that is just warming up to enter a very high-competition market, UX research matters even more. Suppose a new company can provide a better UX design and user experience than a giant existing company. In that case, it might have a shot at competing with that larger company.
Low-cost effective UX research, possible?
Well, to answer this in one line, yes. Low-cost, effective UX research is possible. Many low-cost methods can prove as effective as high-cost methods. Organizations with an element of scarcity in their budget may prefer launching the product without performing prototype usability testing and reviewing the UX design. This is the worst mistake you can make. You risk everything if you launch a product without performing prototype usability testing. It can severely harm the reputation of your organization.
Through UX research and prototype usability testing, you can identify the flaws in the design and user interface.
We will discuss some shortcuts that may cut the budget and enable you to maximize the effectiveness of UX research without spending too much.
Exploring data
We know that most major companies conduct user testing and UX research before launching their apps. Learning about those companies’ approach to UX research can prove to be helpful to you. If you have a food delivery app, you can search the web for UX research on that app. You can explore data to find some answers that may help you understand user behavior and journeys. These answers will help you build user personas. User personas are the profiles of people who are your app’s probable target audience.
The vastness of prototype usability testing
>Prototype usability testing is a process that can empty your pockets. Usually, the concept is that the more the number of users participating in the prototype usability testing, the more accurate are the results. However, many researchers have proved this fact to be an over-statement. Huge companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft can go around spending millions on their testing because they are not short on budget.
However, suppose a small startup is to launch an app and wants to run prototype usability testing. In that case, they can invite 5 people via remote usability testing platforms and observe their behavior online. No need to book a lab for testing. Analyze their opinion and ask them to leave a feedback. This is the best way to conduct usability testing on a limited budget.
A/B prototype usability testing as UX research
This is another method to cut the cost of expensive user testing. In this process, a company basically makes two slightly different prototypes and asks two different groups of users to evaluate one over the other. Each group evaluates each prototype’s usability and user experience. From the provided feedback, UX designers can select the design that will perform the best for users. Since it involves two prototypes, it is called A/B prototype usability testing.
Online UX research & prototype usability testing
There is literally almost nothing in UX research and prototype usability testing that you can’t do online. For example, to conduct prototype usability testing, there is no need to call the participants to a particular place at a particular time. Save costs by conducting the testing online! The users will also be comfortable sitting in their offices or at home, taking an hour off to participate in the testing process. The point is to conduct everything online that you can. If you want to ask users questions regarding your app, you can do that online via surveys by making questionnaires. This is one of the most common methods to get answers from people. Filling out surveys is much easier than answering someone live.
Conclusion
We have discussed some methods to save money while conducting UX research and prototype usability testing. Budget should not be an excuse for skipping these processes. Always make sure to conduct user testing before launching an app!
Is low-cost, effective user research possible? The answer is yes, and there are several ways to cut the budget while not compromising on the quality of research and testing. We have discussed them in detail, explaining how they work.
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Tim Rotolo
Shruti Goli