Usability testing is a critical skill to master for professionals who want to enter the world of UX design. It is a proven method that helps companies evaluate their product’s functionality and pave the way for an exceptional user experience.
Companies conduct different types of usability testing and collect actionable insights that improve their product’s life cycle. Certified UI UX testing experts are highly sought after by companies to increase the ease of use of their products. Skilled design experts improve customer satisfaction and drive the brand’s message through their products.
Besides, looking at the increasing use of technology and access to 5G, the demand for user-friendly digital interfaces and products is already high. So, the need for talented usability testing experts is only set to increase in times to come.
If you want to build a career in UI UX testing, consider taking a UI UX certification program that equips you with the nuances of a design-centric approach and the various usability testing methods.
What is usability testing?
Usability testing is the process of developing methods to optimize your products by observing users as they interact with them. An example could be optimizing the website to be intuitive, responsive, and user-friendly so that users positively engage with the web page. It is a UX research method that emphasizes the product’s usability from the consumer’s side. It involves a product-focused approach that requires the feedback of potential users to see how exactly the product works for them.
This process helps the organization uncover the hidden pain points and the barriers to the excellent usability of the product. You can also learn about your user’s behavior and preferences as they progress in using your design. It helps discover opportunities in the design aspect you may have overlooked in your research process.
You can try different usability testing methods at any point during the design process. However, it is recommended to test your initial ideas earlier and more often. The more you test, the more you learn about the needs of your audience and their expectations and optimize the product for the end consumers.
Types of usability testing
There are three main categories of usability testing.
Moderated or Unmoderated
The moderated usability testing type involves a moderator that guides the users through the testing process. The moderator answers participants’ queries and records observations from the testing process.
In the unmoderated technique for usability testing, the users complete the tasks independently using various usability testing tools without the involvement of a moderator.
Remote or In-Person
In-person usability testing occurs with the participants in a physical location and provides a controlled testing environment. It allows the researchers to dive deeper into their audience’s reactions and better understand the changes that must be made in the design.
Remote testing enables the participants to evaluate the product from a remote location. They can use familiar devices to experience the product’s user interface and record their activity through screen sharing or other usability testing tools to provide feedback.
Qualitative or Quantitative
Qualitative usability testing focuses on the ‘Why’ aspect of the product or interface. It involves diving deeper and gaining insights into the user centric thoughts and feelings while using the product. The usability testing tools in this type of testing could be close observation, interviews, and surveys. This approach follows a more in-depth technique for usability testing where the UI UX testing expert learns more about the users’ specific needs, problems, and expectations.
The quantitative approach of usability testing focuses more on gathering numerical data about users’ experience, and analysing quantitative metrics, like time taken to achieve the task goal, error rates, satisfaction rates, etc. It is an excellent method to gather benchmarks and statistical reports of the product.
Usability Testing Methods
The usability testing methods are geared towards uncovering the behavioural findings of the users as they interact with your product. The five essential usability testing methods are elaborated below.
Performance Testing
It is one of the most common approaches to usability testing, and numerous design certification programs emphasise the significance of this method. The researcher provides the users with specific tasks to complete with the product. During this process, they can interview users and see their responses about their experience with the product.
Card Sorting
This method helps to structure your site or product according to the psychological understanding of your users. You give your users blank cards labelled with short descriptions of your main sections and ask them to sort the cards according to the labels that go best together. Card sorting allows you to mirror the information architecture according to your users’ thinking.
Tree-Testing
In this UI UX testing approach, you create a tree or visual information hierarchy and ask your audience to complete it. Consider a usability testing example where you might ask your users to accomplish an X goal with this product. Where should you go to achieve the goal? Observe how easily users can find what they want through that tree.
5-second Test
The 5-second test is another prominent testing strategy among the usability testing methods where you expose your users to a small portion of your digital product for a short span, like 5 seconds. Then you ask your users what element they found exciting and what took their attention away. It is a wonderful method to collect extensive quantitative data about your users’ first impressions of your product.
Eye Tracking
You track where your users’ eyes land on the interface’s screen through various screen-tracking tools. This testing method ensures that users are drawn to the areas that convey the most valuable information.
Conclusion
Usability testing methods and UX research profoundly impact the design process. Investing in usability testing tools is crucial to facilitate your team to implement the testing process swiftly. Professionals with advanced certification in UI UX testing have a winning edge over their peers to bag attractive job opportunities in their dream companies with an average salary package of nearly 5 lakhs.