Prepare 6 key steps for user testing

Web page Production WEBJX article introduction: prepare the necessary steps for user testing.

Preparing a user test requires stunning preparation. Here I list 6 key steps, which are the necessary stages of readiness.

1. Create a user test plan

Identify the aspects of your site that need to be evaluated, and create a list of approximately 6 tasks. Each task includes the following:

• Scenario- This is the note that the participants will read. It needs to include the goals of the task and the imagined environment, something that can make the scene feel real. For example: "Next week is your friend's birthday and you're going to buy him a birthday present." You know he likes action movies. Please buy the latest Batman DVD for him. ”
• Stop condition- the page or degree at which the participants in the site represent the completion of the task. This can help you determine objectively whether a task has been completed.
• the right approach- it is useful to document the correct approach that the participants should take to reach their goals. If the host is sick on the day of the test, his colleagues can help with the test, even if he is unfamiliar with the product site.
• possible Issues- there may be a dozen points on a page that need to be evaluated, and it may be difficult to keep all these points in mind when testing. Therefore, for each task, a list of possible problems can be summarized for reference during the testing process.

Finally, share the test plan with customers, project stakeholders, or project sponsors, and check whether the plan includes every goal they want to achieve.

2. Recruit participants

Recruiting is one of the most important things to do right. If the participants are not able to represent the target user , then the results of the test will not be trusted. If they are late for a test or are not at all, they need to reschedule the test plan.

Create a recruiting profile for people you want to participate in user testing. Your recruiters need this to make sure they're invited to the right people to participate.

Ensure that participants understand the accurate and understandable roadmap of the test site. Give them a phone number so they can notify others when they are delayed on the way. Finally, give them a call the day before and make sure they know the exact time of the test and the route to the test site.

3. Check the site under test

Be as familiar with the site or prototype as you want to test. The more familiar the test, the smoother it will be.

If time permits, the test will be arranged 3, 4 days after the date on which the site is scheduled to be completed. In many cases, design and development can be delayed and have an indirect impact on upcoming usability tests.

When conducting usability testing, suspend all development work on the site being tested. You don't want to be tested. The site changes when the test is in progress, especially if the problem arises because of technical reasons. Try to keep a local version of the machine you are going to use in case there is something wrong, such as a network connection.

4. Arranging test equipment

Book The test equipment in sufficient time to ensure that all the equipment is free during the test. Setting up a test environment one day in advance.

Try to put the test in the lab where the customer or project-related person can observe the test through a single mirror. It is thought that observing tests is an interesting thing and can help them build up a sense of identity with their users. This is a good chance for people to agree to invest in usability. At the same time, try to arrange the test where it can be recorded, so that you can refer to it later.

If you do not have a suitable laboratory, you can hire from a company that carries out usability testing and market research. Webcredible is the laboratory that rents London.

5. Preparation note list

At the beginning of each test, there were a lot of things to explain to the subjects, and it was usually easy to forget one or two of them. For example, the video, want the participants to think aloud, you do not evaluate their performance and so on. Prepare a list of considerations to write down the things you want to remember, and refer to them before each test begins.

There are other things you would like to do before you start, such as starting/stopping video, and deleting browser history (so others don't see the links that previous visitors have visited). Write these things into the list of caveats.

6. Conduct Test exercises

Conduct a drill with a colleague. In the real place where the test will be conducted, check that everything is ready and working properly. Exercises all test plan contents to ensure that the prepared test scenario is understood by others and can be completed within a specified time (usually 1 hours)

Conclusion

When conducting user testing you want nothing to go wrong, and customers and project stakeholders are satisfied with your work. These 6 steps will help you prepare for usability testing and keep things going smoothly.