Web sites aren't HTML. They're not visual design. They're not content. They're not usability. Web sites are the total experience people have of them.
Great sites don't succeed because they are easy to use. Great sites don't succeed because they have great content, good visuals or a great value proposition. Great sites succeed because they have all of these things.
When we do usability testing we test more than just ease-of-use. We're probing on brand, whether people get the site's value proposition, and whether they're seeing the kind of content they're looking for—in addition to whether a navigation label makes sense, or whether they can figure out how do find their next step in a multi-step registration process.
Results
Even if you're new to usability testing, chances are you understand that usability testing will reduce your overall development costs by helping you find problems with your site before they really start costing you money, because, for example, nobody can find the download button, or only 30% of prospects "get" your registration page. And you'd be right.
But are findings really ever that earth-shattering? Even though we've done thousands of usability tests, we always learn something new. We never come out of a study with less than 30 findings. And there are always showstoppers like "Wow, I can't believe people didn't understand our value proposition".
There are intangibles too. What we find is that once teams drink the usability Kool-Aid, usability testing becomes an indispensable part of the development cycle, not just a nice-to-have add-on. It's a product-shaping exercise, not just testing. (Thinking about it like this also tends to minimize the pain that naturally happens when we see our designs put in front of real people for the first time.)
The Best Time to Test
Lab-based testing and remote testing can be done at any point in the development life-cycle. We often test non-functional prototypes, wire-frames, or even just concepts that haven't been built yet. Whatever you have, we can put it in front of users and get meaningful feedback. (Keep in mind that we gather different data depending on the state of the prototype or concept we're testing.)
Validation
Usability testing uncovers why users are having a problem, where the problem is, and what users expect. But too often we forget that usability testing is also about validating what is working right. Finding out what works and why it works is just as important as finding out what is wrong.
The Basic Package
Lab-based testing is the gold standard. Lab-based testing involves inviting real people into a research facility one at a time and watching them do stuff on a site (or prototype).
It sounds simple but we're there with our lab coats on and with our experience to make sure everything gets captured the way it should. Along the way an amazing thing happens: teams start to see the web site or mobile app the way real users do.
We go where you need us. Our lab equipment is portable. Meet us at a focus group facility (we’ve worked with most of them), invite us to your offices (we can test there too).
The Gold Package with Options
Eye tracking can be combined with lab-based testing to get data on where people are focusing the most attention.
Remote testing is a lot like lab-based testing but without requiring participants (or a team) to go anywhere. Rather than holding the tests on specific days or in one or two locations, we interview and record users in their native habitat using a remote user testing web technology.
Usability Testing Deliverables
In most of our usability testing projects we deliver a combination of the following items depending on the needs of the project.
- Full analysis and report
- Actionable findings and recommendations
- Top-line report
- Heat maps
- Highlights video
- Success rates
- Strategic Blueprint
- Remote viewing
- Management presentation
Costs
Typical costs start out at around $15k and go up from there depending on the deliverables and the number of participants. To get a quote just get in touch. We will set up some time to talk with one of the partners about your unique needs and we will write up a proposal.
The Typical Project Plan
Every usability project runs with the following steps.
- Project strategy and goals kick-off conference call/meeting
- Develop participant screening questionnaire
- Recruit participants
- Develop research design and discussion guide (parallel with recruiting)
- Interview and observe participants
- Analyze and report on results
Most usability projects require at least 3 weeks from sign-off to final report. This is to allow for enough time to recruit participants. In a pinch we can execute faster, when the scope is limited.
We manage all logistics and closely supervise the recruiting process. Your team weighs in on the research design and your team will be invited to the facility to observe the sessions.