Congratulations! You’ve followed a user-centric approach through every stage and developed a prototype version of your product. Yet, as Goethe’s “Faust” warns us: "Grey, dear friend, is all theory, ...".
To truly anchor your ideas, it’s essential to test your product with real users. This pivotal moment in product development, when executed effectively, can establish the solid foundation of reality upon which your ambitious product vision is able to stand.
While user testing is vital, it's important to remember that many things can go wrong in the process. So let us dive into the practice of user testing.
User Testing requires preparation
Some may think that user testing is easy. Just ask some people how they like your product and you are done, right? You could do that, but it would be a huge waste of time and effort. Good user testing needs preparation but it is worth it.
You have to think at least about the following fundamental questions upfront:
Who do you invite to the user testing?
What exactly do I want to learn or validate?
Is the testing environment set up and free of distractions?
Are the rules of the session set and communicated and confirmed with participants?
How will you document and interpret the findings?
Is there a plan to report the insights and recommendations to your team or stakeholders?
What should happen after analysing and interpreting the results?
What do you think now? It’s not as simple as it seemed, is it? But don’t worry! Let’s explore what needs to be considered for these essential questions to ensure your user testing is a success.
User Testing requires the right participants
Before developing a product, start by listening to your customers and understanding their challenges. What common issues do they face? Build a clear profile of your target audience and ask yourself: Who exactly am I creating this product for?
Based on these characteristics select a significant number of potential test users.
Ensure that within this user group there is still enough diversity (e.g. regarding age, gender, etc.) as long as it does not collide with the message of your product.
Depending on what you want to learn or validate a significant number can differ. For most user testings between 5-15 users are enough.
User Testing requires a goal
Define and clearly articulate what you aim to learn or validate. Prepare scenarios to test your hypotheses and write everything down. This document can serve as a playbook for your user testing. Do not panic if the test users do not follow exactly your script. All roads lead to Rome. As long as you are able to test your hypotheses everything is fine.
During some user testings I moderated one of the main challenges was guiding the test user smoothly through the scenarios without forcing or influencing the user experience in the testing session. What helped me was defining the hypotheses independently from each other, keeping in mind what exactly I wanted to validate and not seeing my playbook as a screenplay that the test user had to follow exactly.
In a user testing session, two roles are critical: moderation/communication and documentation. Managing both tasks alone can compromise quality, so always work in a team, assigning clear roles for each member.
Ideally, have at least two testers — one to moderate the session and interact with the test participant, and another to take notes. Prepare a template beforehand that includes the scenarios and questions, along with space to document observations and insights during testing.
User Testing requires a clear structure
Ensure the testing environment is free from distractions and fully prepared. The technology should work properly and not disturb the testing.
Allocate enough time for each session, with a realistic timeframe that allows participants to provide valuable feedback without becoming fatigued. Aim for a maximum duration of about 1 hour. Confirm the session's timing and location with each participant beforehand.
To ensure that from the technical point of view everything is working properly, I alwayswas executeexecuting the steps I wanted to test on my own. This givesgave me confidence that the testing session won’t be disturbed by technical difficulties.
In certain circumstances, you might want to keep the current status of the product development a secret to the public. If this is the case you can ask the test users to sign a non disclosure agreement before the user testing session.
User Testing requires rules
Set rules and communicate them to the test user. The following steps should always be followed and communicated in a user test:
Welcome the test user and explain to them that the user testing is a crucial moment in product development and that you are grateful they agreed on supporting you testing your product and that you appreciate their feedback.
As long as you do not test effects on group dynamics or something similar, make sure to interview only one test user at once. People tend to be not completely honest if they are part of a group or they are likely to be influenced by other user feedback if they hear it.
Ask the test users to articulate their thoughts. To think aloud. Although it might be annoying for the user it is important that they do so, because you would like to look into their head. Since this is not possible, they have to describe what is going on there.
Users should be completely honest. They should not be afraid to hurt your feelings if they criticise the product. In fact you have to communicate that you appreciate their criticism very much, since it allows you to improve your product based on direct customer feedback, which is why you are doing the user testing in the first place.
Do not interrupt the test user. Let them express what they want to say. The user testing is a safe space, where the user should be able to give feedback as genuinely as possible.
Do not judge the user for their comments or questions and tell them that they won’t be judged.
Advice: Since you want to validate hypotheses and generate insights, you should ask the test user preferably open questions and not closed questions. So no yes or no questions.
User Testing requires post-processing
The most valuable documentation from a testing session is a video recording. This allows you and your colleagues to review the session multiple times, generating deeper insights each time. In software development, the primary focus of video recording is on capturing the user’s interactions with the product, rather than recording the user themselves.
However, handwritten notes remain essential. They provide a space to note down ideas, conclusions, and real-time insights that help evaluate the session afterwards.
Once the testing is complete, compare the results with your initial goals to see if you learned or validated what you set out to discover.
After evaluating the results, prepare a presentation to communicate your findings to both stakeholders and the team.
Tailor your presentation to the specific audience, as different groups may be interested in different aspects of the results. Be mindful of who will be attending, and adjust your focus to ensure the insights are relevant and engaging for each group.
User Testing requires action
First and foremost, it’s essential to take the outcomes of user testing seriously. In a user-centric approach to product development, these results provide a valuable opportunity to improve your product and increase its chances of success. Ignoring the findings because they conflict with your vision or roadmap can result in developing a product that fails to meet the needs of your potential customers.
It’s important to collaborate with your team to learn from the results and make necessary adjustments to the product. On a strategic level, you should communicate with stakeholders about whether it makes sense to adjust the roadmap based on the insights gained from user testing.
Embrace User Feedback
With these essential tips in hand, you’re ready to embark on your user testing adventure. Remember, the waves of reality may shake your product ship a bit, but that's all part of the journey to building something truly meaningful. Don’t fear the feedback — embrace it!
After all, a product nobody wants is like a boat without an anchor; it's going to drift off course eventually. So set sail with confidence, refine as you go, and let real user insights be the wind in your product’s sails. Happy testing!
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