The process of development, whether it be a mobile app or a desktop website, is a long process fraught with unexpected bumps and unforeseen difficulties. When any sort of finished product is complete, the urge to call the project done can be overwhelming. However, just like other products which are brought to market, there must first be a proof of concept. Just as a new phone would not launch without plenty of developmental testing and experimentation, your project should not simply be published right away. User experience testing is one option you have to make your newly published product even better before it even goes live.
What is User Experience Testing
Apps, websites, plug-ins, and everything else we use on our devices are built with a purpose in mind. The goal is to get people to use the product as a solution for something, whether it be entertainment or workflow. Despite this, it can be easy for a developer to overlook potentially difficult to use or understand features because of their intimate knowledge of the project. User experience testing seeks to bridge this gap by offering the product in a testing environment to real potential users who can then demonstrate the actual functionality and usability of the resource from an outside perspective. The feedback provided by the users can then be used to refine and improve your project, and the cycle can continue until all necessary changes have been made.
User experience testing is great because it offers an opportunity for you as a developer to see how people really interact with your product. It can help pinpoint holes in your design, and show you what users expect versus what they were presented with.
How to Conduct User Experience Testing
User experience testing can be difficult to set up, even though the concept is fairly simple. You must find an audience of relevant potential users who are familiar with the concepts and objectives the project was built around. With this user base assembled, you must construct instructions you want the testers to follow. For example, if you’re designing a banking website, you may ask testers to use a provided login and attempt to check their balance, move money between accounts, or other regular tasks. You may ask them to verbally explain why they are doing what they are, as well as record the on-screen activity of the tester. Finally, you can have testers provide summary feedback at the end regarding their thoughts.
No matter the specifics of what you may ask your testers to do, it’s important to consider is what information you’re hoping to get out of them. Does a specific change you’ve made need testing and feedback? Is there a feature that is potentially problematic? Once you’ve set you’re objectives, all that’s left is testing.
Lemard has all your user experience testing needs taken care of so you can focus on development. Contact us today to get started.
