(Image source: le Rouge)
Usability testing is an important part of the design process. It lets you peek into regular users’ heads and see what they like and dislike, and where they get confused or lost. Without usability testing, it’s hard to know whether your designs will work at all.
Doing a usability testing study can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. With remote user testing tools like TryMyUI that take care of all the groundwork and facilitation, usability testing is as easy as pie. Here are 5 reasons why:
1. Don’t leave your seat
You can run an entire usability testing project without ever leaving your seat right in your own office. With remote tools, you set up your test online, then testers anywhere in the world record themselves trying out your designs. No need to rent out lab space or go out and recruit testers – you can collect and view all the data right there in your browser.
What’s even better is that you’re not limited to testers in your immediate area. Wherever your target audience may be, you can find them and get their feedback.
Not even baking a pie is so simple – at the very least, you’ll have to leave your house to get the ingredients from the grocery store.
(Image source: Easy cherry pie)
2. Finish in hours
Since all the hassles of planning and facilitation are taken care of, the only time you need to spend is on setting up the specifics of your test and waiting for the results. Four-step setup makes prep work easy:
1. Choose the test parameters (device type, interface type)
2. Write your scenario and tasks
3. Select surveys to use and other data forms to collect
4. Pick the demographics of people who will take your test
For tests with broad, easy-to-find demographics, results typically come in within a matter of hours. Compare that to this apple pie recipe, which takes about 3 hours to complete. Not bad!
(Image source: Fresh peach pie)
3. No external hardware required
Whether you’re testing designs for desktop or for mobile phones and tablets, everything is software-based. There’s no need to purchase external cameras or build complex mobile testing rigs. Not only does this minimize expenses, it also makes for cleaner, more accurate recording.
You don’t even have to provide devices for people to take the test on, since they use their own. Even to make a pie you need hardware like spoons, bowls, whisks, and pans.
(Image source: Strawberry rhubarb pie)
4. Scale up easily
Remote usability testing allows you to test at a high volume and collect statistically sound data. That’s not only because it’s a more cost-effective solution, but also because there’s no additional time or materials investment for you. You can send the same test script out to 5 users or 50, and the results will come in.
Plus, quantitative datasets and helpful online tools like video annotations and the UXCrowd make it easier to sift through large amounts of video data and analyze and share your findings in a timely manner.
On the other hand, if you want to make lots of pies, your needs will scale linearly: many times the ingredients, and an industrial oven!
(Image source: Blueberry pie)
5. Create something that everyone will love
By testing your designs with real people, you get to see how they can improve to meet users’ needs. When you incorporate this information back into your designs, you can create a product that’s intuitive, enjoyable to use, and highly effective.
In other words, sprinkle some usability testing into your work and everyone from customers to stakeholders will love it as much as apple pie on a summer night. Well, maybe almost as much.
To see how you can improve your website or app, sign up for a free remote usability testing trial and collect your first result on us. It’s as easy as pie.
