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There are many variables in designing a modern user interface and there are even more variables in the human brain. The total number of combinations is huge. The only way to get UX design right is to test it.
Elements of Usability Testing
There are many different types of usability testing, but the core elements in most usability tests are the facilitator, the tasks, and the participant.
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The facilitator administers tasks to the participant. As the participant performs these tasks, the facilitator observes the participant’s behavior and listens for feedback. The facilitator may also ask followup questions to elicit detail from the participant.
Facilitator
The facilitator guides the participant through the test process. She gives instructions, answers the participant’s questions, and asks followup questions.
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(In one form of remote usability testing, called remote unmoderated testing, an application may perform some of the facilitator’s roles.)
Tasks
The tasks in a usability test are realistic activities that the participant might perform in real life. They can be very specific or very open-ended, depending on the research questions and the type of usability testing.
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Task instructions can be delivered to the participant verbally (the facilitator might read them) or can be handed to a participant written on task sheets. We often ask participants to read the task instructions out loud. This helps ensure that the participant reads the instructions completely, and helps the researchers with their notetaking, because they always know which task the user is performing.
Participant
The participant should be a realistic user of the product or service being studied. That might mean that the user is already using the product or service in real life. Alternatively, in some cases, the participant might just have a similar background to the target user group, or might have the same needs, even if he isn’t already a user of the product.
Participants are often asked to think out loud during usability testing (called the “think-aloud method”). The facilitator might ask the participants to narrate their actions and thoughts as they perform tasks. The goal of this approach is to understand participants’ behaviors, goals, thoughts, and motivations.
Remote Usability Testing
Remote usability sessions don’t require either the participant or the facilitator to travel. As such, remote testing is a great solution for teams with limited budget, or for testing products whose users are geographically dispersed. Scheduling a series of online studies can be preferable and far less costly than traveling around the country or the world.
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In moderated remote testing, users and facilitators are in the same “virtual” space at the same time — the facilitator is watching the usability test remotely as it happens, and communicating directly with the participant via the telephone, email, chat, or a combination of methods. In an unmoderated remote session, the participant completes the study on his or her own schedule, recording the session for later review by the usability expert.
Moderated Studies
Moderated sessions allow for back and forth between the participant and facilitator, because both are online simultaneously. Facilitators can ask questions for clarification or dive into issues through additional questions after tasks are completed.
It can be difficult to know when to ask a question in a remote study, however. Silence on the other end of the line may mean that the user is confused, immersed in content, looking around the page, or distracted. It can be difficult to find the balance between letting users know you are listening and interrupting them. Although the same is true in face-to-face studies, the problem can be magnified in remote studies.
Unmoderated Studies
Unmoderated usability sessions are completed alone by the participant. Although there is no real-time interaction with the participant, some tools for remote testing allow predefined follow-up questions to be built into the study, to be shown after each task or at the end of the session. Questions can also be emailed to be completed after the user has finished her session. In both cases, questions are the same across users. There is no opportunity to ask detailed questions specific to the user’s actions.
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Unmoderated studies can also be good for tight timeframes: users can complete sessions on their own schedules and even simultaneously, rather than trying to fit into scheduled time slots.
Tips for Remote Studies
Practice the technology. Even if you’ve used your company’s tools a million times before, test them with someone you know outside the company, mocking up a real test situation. Make sure the instructions for signing in are clear. Practice sending URLs or tasks to your user and make sure you know how the technology works on your end — and theirs.
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