Using real-life people to test the design and flow of your website.
Have you ever wondered why the same issue keeps cropping up on your website even after countless tests using a variety of different programs? While testing with products such as Hotjar will give you a basic approach of how users are behaving on your website, you will always be left wondering whether there’s more to it than meets the eye. Here at NIU, we can help you understand WHY.
What is Usability Testing
We are talking about the power of usability testing here. Usability testing is the process of testing your website with real-life people by getting them to complete a list of established tasks on your website. In turn, they will be observed and monitored, and all their interactions will be noted. The goal here is to understand if your website is usable and intuitive enough for users to accomplish their goals and expectations from your website. Usability testing will help you understand your audience and, in turn, design a good product.
How Does Usability Testing Work?
Companies who offer usability testing focus on the aesthetic design and user flow testing. They can help you figure out what’s wrong with your website or app in the time it takes to ask five people. Starting from a standard process using programs like HotJar and Google Analytics to get a basic understanding of your website, they will then take it to the next level by using live people to test your website.
What differentiates usability testing companies from these tools is the fact that usability testing can improve your website by knowing what a live person would do from start to finish when interacting with your website. They can help you test the flow of information, product discovery, on-boarding and conversion, payment processes, and so much more.
By inviting participants, sourced to match your demographics, the session will involve the participants being asked a couple of introductory questions before giving them scenarios and tasks. Throughout the test, they are encouraged to speak out loud and describe how they are feeling when experiencing your website and to point out anything they are having issues with. As this is happening, the testing company will take notes about their observations.
Why is Usability Testing Useful?
By fixing these issues that the usability testing highlights, you can launch your product and/or website with the reassurance that your audience is going to like it. You will have removed the pain points that could make your audience go elsewhere, and with a good experience, they are likely to use the product and website more and tell more people about it. This will have a positive impact on conversions and revenue. It is a win-win situation!
Different Types of Testing
Testing varies depending on your brand or business. Depending on what type of testing you want to perform, and how big or small your business is, there is a usability test that can help you.
Some of your options will include the choice to watch live as the testing happens which is great for you if you want to dig deeper and see any unexpected behaviours.
In turn, the company will provide all the session videos to you that will include suggestions on improving the UX of your website. These videos will be extremely useful to share with colleagues who could not make it to the session or anyone of interest.
With your test, you can also choose to get a summary or a detailed report of the events that happened during the test. In the short report, you will find a list of the main issues that were observed. In the detailed report, you will get more information about the observations, what is good and what can be improved with your website or product and what is causing an issue with the usability of your product. The report can also include timestamps from the participant videos and suggestions for improvements.
Whether you are looking to test a section of your website, a specific product, play testing, eCommerce flows or app testing, usability testing will be beneficial for your company if you want more insight and improvement in the future.
