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When it comes to usability testing, there are two worlds: the idealized version where extensive tests are conducted using fancy frameworks, and the reality. In there, designers are often behind schedule, over budget, and rely on assumptions due to a lack of resources. If you're working in a small to middle company, and especially a startup, that's likely your case.
However, with some clever hacks and practical advice, even small organizations can run effective usability tests without breaking the bank. With the help of Eleken's designers, we learned how to get the most out of usability tests with minimal time and money – and we're ready to share!
What is Usability Testing?
Usability testing is a method used to evaluate how easy and user-friendly a product is by observing real users as they interact with it. The goal of usability testing for SaaS is to identify any usability problems, collect qualitative and quantitative data, and determine the participant's satisfaction with the product. During a usability test, participants are asked to complete specific tasks while observers watch, listen, and take notes. This process helps uncover areas where users may struggle, allowing designers to make necessary improvements to enhance the overall user experience. You can use various usability metrics to assess your product. Usability testing ensures that it meets the needs of its intended users and functions effectively in real-world scenarios.
Why is User Testing an Important Part of the Design Process
Skipping SaaS usability testing can be tempting, especially when resources are tight. However, the consequences of not testing can be far more costly in the long run.
1. Ensures the Product Meets Real User Needs
Usability testing helps validate that your product is designed for actual users, not just based on assumptions made by the design team. Even the most talented designers can misjudge user needs because they are too close to the project. By testing with real users, you can discover if users understand the interface, can easily complete tasks, and find the product valuable. This ensures the product truly aligns with user expectations, leading to higher satisfaction and retention.
2. Identifies Usability Issues Early, When Fixes Are Cheaper
The earlier you identify usability problems, the easier and cheaper they are to fix. Catching issues in the design phase prevents costly rework or redesigns later in development. Consider usability testing as an investment that reduces long-term development costs. For instance, if a feature confuses users during early testing, you can correct it before the development team spends time coding a flawed solution.
Studies show that fixing a usability problem in development can cost up to 100 times more than resolving it during the design phase.
3. Provides an Outside Perspective that Designers Might Miss
Designers often become too familiar with their work to notice potential usability problems. Usability testing brings in fresh perspectives, helping to uncover pain points that may not be obvious to the design team. This outside feedback can reveal hidden barriers that affect the user experience, such as confusing navigation, unclear instructions, or overlooked accessibility issues.
Even testing with just a few users can be incredibly revealing. Jakob Nielsen's research suggests that testing with five users can identify up to 85% of usability problems.
4. Validates Design Decisions and Prioritizes Improvements
Usability testing offers a structured way to validate design choices, making it clear which features are working well and which need refinement. This insight is crucial for prioritizing changes that will have the most significant impact on user satisfaction. For instance, if multiple users struggle with the same task, it becomes clear that this area should be a priority for improvement.
Create a user testing feedback loop where feedback is regularly incorporated into design updates. This iterative approach ensures that each version of the product improves based on real user data.
5. Helps Bridge the Gap Between the Designer's Intentions and the User's Experience
The ultimate goal of usability testing is to ensure that the final product delivers an experience that matches both the designer's intentions and the user's expectations. Without user testing, it's easy for discrepancies to arise, leading to frustration and dissatisfaction. Testing helps to bridge this gap by making sure that design choices resonate with the people who will actually use the product.
Many successful SaaS companies, like Slack and Trello, conduct extensive usability testing before rolling out new features. They use feedback to fine-tune their designs, leading to more user-friendly interfaces that drive higher adoption rates.
6. Improves the Overall User Experience and Market Success
In the end, usability testing is not just about finding problems—it's about ensuring the product’s overall success in the market. Testing uncovers opportunities to enhance the user experience, leading to increased user satisfaction, positive reviews, and higher customer retention rates. Even simple tests with a small group of users can yield valuable insights that make a big difference.
Prioritizing What's Important
We won't admit it in a conversation with a design professor but not all aspects of usability testing are equally important. When resources are limited, it's crucial to focus on the elements that will provide the most valuable insights. Here are some key areas to prioritize:
5-second-test
The 5-second test is a quick way to gauge users' initial reactions to your design. Show your design to users for five seconds and ask them what they remember. This helps identify what stands out and what might be confusing. By capturing the first impression, you can understand what elements of your design are immediately clear and attractive, and which parts might need more clarity or emphasis.
This test is particularly useful for assessing the effectiveness of visual hierarchy, branding, and key messaging.
Keep in mind that the users don't necessarily start interacting with your app from its homepage. So for repeat tests try showing not only the homepage but the lower-level pages as well.
Task completion
Focus on tasks that users need to complete. Ask them to perform specific actions and observe their behavior. This reveals whether your design is intuitive and highlights any obstacles users face. By setting up realistic tasks, you can see if users can navigate your product effortlessly or if they encounter roadblocks. This method is essential for identifying usability issues that could frustrate users and lead to task abandonment. It also helps in understanding how well your design supports user goals and whether any steps are overly complex or confusing.
Feedback on specific elements
Instead of asking general questions, prompt users to interact with specific elements and describe their expectations. For example, "What do you expect to happen when you click this button?" This provides concrete feedback on whether your design meets user expectations. This approach helps in pinpointing exact areas where the design might be failing to communicate its function or purpose. By focusing on individual elements, you can gather detailed insights into user expectations and perceptions, making it easier to implement targeted improvements. This method also helps in verifying whether the interactive components of your design are intuitive and meet user expectations.
Practical Tips for Effective Usability Testing
Running a usability test doesn't have to be a complex process. There are various usability testing methods that allow you to streamline and simplify your work.
Recruit on social media
In a perfect world, you'd be able to test on your intended target audience. In reality, anyone is better than no one. If you have a highly technical product, of course, it's best to go for people with some background knowledge – or to explain to them what's going on before starting the test so they are familiar with the main concept. Still, you don't need to go far to get the participants.
Use your social media networks to find them. A quick post asking for volunteers can yield several willing testers. This method is free and leverages your existing connections. Social media recruitment is particularly useful for small organizations with limited budgets. It allows you to reach a diverse group of users quickly and easily. Engaging your social media followers in your testing process can also build community and create a sense of involvement in your product development.
Start with clear goals
How to conduct usability testing that matters? Define what you want to learn from the test from the very start. Clear goals help you focus on the most critical aspects of your design and ensure that the tasks you set align with your objectives. This clarity prevents you from wasting time on irrelevant details and helps you gather meaningful data. Well-defined goals also make it easier to communicate the purpose and importance of the test to your team and stakeholders. Knowing what you aim to achieve guides your entire testing process and ensures you stay on track.
Simplify your questions
Avoid leading questions that might influence users' responses. Instead, ask open-ended questions that prompt users to explain their thoughts and actions. For example, rather than asking, "Do you find this button useful?" you might ask, "What do you think this button does?" This approach encourages users to provide more detailed and honest feedback. Simplified questions help uncover genuine user experiences and pain points, leading to more actionable insights. Keeping questions straightforward also makes it easier for users to engage with the test, resulting in better quality feedback.
Use paper prototypes
In the early stages of design, use paper prototypes to test ideas quickly. This low-cost UX usability testing method helps you iterate on your design before investing time in high-fidelity prototypes. Paper prototypes are easy to create and modify, allowing for rapid experimentation. They help you validate concepts and gather user feedback early in the design process. By identifying and addressing issues with simple sketches, you can avoid costly changes later. Paper prototyping encourages creativity and helps ensure that your final design is user-centered.
Use a rainbow spreadsheet
This collaborative tool helps you track observations during the test. Assign a color to each participant and mark whether they encountered specific issues. This makes it easy to identify patterns and prioritize fixes. The visual nature of the rainbow spreadsheet allows for quick assessments of common problems across different users. It also facilitates collaboration among team members, as everyone can easily see which issues are most prevalent. By organizing data in this way, you can more effectively plan and implement design changes.
Analyze efficiently
Reviewing test videos can be time-consuming. Use timestamps to quickly locate key moments and focus on the most significant insights. Google Sheets or analogues can help organize and analyze data efficiently. By noting down the exact times when important events occur, you can skip directly to these points during analysis. This method saves time and ensures that you don't miss critical feedback. Efficient analysis allows you to spend more time on making improvements and less time on sifting through raw data.
Use remote testing tools
Tools like Maze and Lookback are excellent for conducting remote software usability testing. Maze is great for unmoderated tests where users complete tasks on their own, while Lookback allows for moderated sessions where you can interact with users in real-time. These tools enable you to gather feedback from users regardless of their location, broadening your reach. Remote testing is cost-effective and convenient, as it eliminates the need for physical meeting spaces. It also allows for flexibility in scheduling, making it easier to fit testing into busy timelines.
Iterate based on feedback
Usability testing is an iterative process. Use the feedback to make improvements, then test again to ensure the changes have resolved the issues. This cycle of testing, refining, and retesting helps you continuously enhance your design. By iterating, you can gradually eliminate problems and optimize the user experience. Each round of testing builds on the last, leading to a more polished and user-friendly product. Iteration also demonstrates to stakeholders that you are committed to quality and user satisfaction.
How to Use ChatGPT for Usability Testing
Leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT for usability testing can significantly streamline the process, offering new ways to gather feedback, simulate user interactions, and identify potential usability issues early. Here’s how you can incorporate ChatGPT into your usability testing strategy:
1. Simulating User Personas and Scenarios
ChatGPT can help you identify potential usability issues from various perspectives. By describing your user persona (e.g., a tech-savvy professional or a non-technical customer) and specifying tasks you want them to complete, it can generate responses that mimic how a real user might interact with your product.
Imagine you are a new user who just signed up for my CRM app (see the screenshots attached). Try creating a new project and adding a task. What questions or difficulties might you have?
2. Generating User Feedback Based on Common Usability Heuristics
You can describe specific elements of your interface, and ChatGPT can point out potential issues based on common design principles, such as consistency, error prevention, and visibility of system status.
Does this layout follow the principles of Jakob Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics? What improvements could make it more user-friendly?
3. Brainstorming Usability Testing Questions
ChatGPT can help you brainstorm effective questions to ask users during the testing process. You can prompt it to suggest questions tailored to different stages of the user journey, such as onboarding, task completion, or error handling.
What are some usability testing questions I should ask during an onboarding test for a new SaaS platform?
4. Analyzing Usability Test Results
Once you’ve gathered user feedback, ChatGPT can help analyze the results, identify common themes, and suggest actionable improvements. You can input user comments, session transcripts, or survey data, and ask ChatGPT to summarize the most frequently mentioned issues and recommend design changes.
Here are some comments from a recent usability test: [Insert user feedback]. Can you identify recurring issues and suggest potential solutions?
5. Creating User Testing Reports and Recommendations
After usability testing, ChatGPT can assist in drafting user testing reports, summarizing findings, and outlining recommended design changes. You can provide ChatGPT with raw testing data, and it can help you structure the report, ensuring that key insights and actionable steps are clearly presented.
Based on these usability testing results [Insert key findings], help me create a report (in table format) that summarizes the main issues and suggests changes to improve the user experience.
Real-Life Usability Testing Examples from Eleken
When we were working on Stradigi redesign, we invited four existing users. We created a new design for the main user flow and built an interactive clickable prototype. Before the session with each user, we explained our main goal and the task they were supposed to complete. As they were completing the task, we attentively observed each of their clicks and took notes of any difficulties. For a rigorous, by-the-book usability research, four people is hardly enough to make any conclusions. But the fact is, even this testing allowed us to make quick changes during the design process and avoid some of the pitfalls – especially considering how complex the product is.
The specifics of Eleken's subscription-based model means that we can't always get in touch with our client's users ourselves. Still when our clients are willing to collaborate, we can get valuable feedback even second-hand.
For example, when we were working on Populate, the client showed our prototypes to their user bases, the doctors. It was extremely valuable in shaping our design. For example, here's the page that allows the user to fill in the visit information. It doesn't look fancy and from a design viewpoint the dropdown windows might look like too much. But they allow the doctors to fill in the forms without touching the keyboards, which saves quite a lot of time. We wouldn't have considered this without the user input.
The same is the case with Glow Labs. Their product manager was in close contact with clients, and their feedback influenced our design. As a relatively small change, we made the buttons bigger and brighter for an easier interaction. But there were also major ones as together with the development team we had to come up with brand new features.
Tools to Use
At Eleken, we've honed our usability testing process to be efficient and effective, even with limited resources. Here are our primary tools:
- Maze is an excellent tool for unmoderated tests where users can complete tasks on their own time. It provides detailed analytics and heatmaps to help you understand user behavior and identify problem areas in your design.
- Lookback allows for moderated sessions where you can interact with users in real-time. This tool is great for getting immediate feedback and observing users as they navigate through your design, providing deep insights into their experience.
Some of the useful tools our there also include:
- Five Second Test helps you capture users' first impressions of your design by showing it to them for five seconds and then asking what they remember. This quick test is useful for gauging what elements of your design stand out the most.
- Helio offers a suite of tools for both unmoderated and moderated usability testing. It helps you gather feedback on your design through surveys, heatmaps, and user tasks, making it a versatile choice for comprehensive usability research.
- Optimal Workshop provides a range of usability testing tools, including card sorting, tree testing, and first-click testing. These tools help you understand how users categorize and navigate your content, improving information architecture and user flows.
- OpenHallway is a user-friendly tool for remote usability testing that allows you to record and observe users as they interact with your design. It’s easy to set up and doesn’t require users to install any software, making it accessible for participants.
- UserTesting is a popular platform that connects you with a large pool of test participants for both unmoderated and moderated sessions. It provides detailed video recordings and analysis tools to help you gain insights into user behavior and preferences.
- Lyssna (ex-UsabilityHub) offers various quick tests, including the five-second test, click tests, and preference tests. It’s designed to provide rapid feedback on your design decisions and is particularly useful for iterative design processes.
- UserZoom is a comprehensive user research platform that supports a variety of testing methods, including usability testing, surveys, and card sorting. It provides robust analytics and reporting features to help you make data-driven design decisions.
- Hotjar combines usability testing with behavior analytics, offering tools like heatmaps, session recordings, and surveys. It helps you understand how users interact with your site and gather feedback to improve their experience.
- Dovetail is a qualitative research tool that helps you analyze and synthesize user feedback. It’s particularly useful for organizing and sharing insights from usability tests, making it easier to communicate findings with your team.
Conclusion
Usability testing doesn't have to be a daunting, resource-intensive process. By prioritizing key elements, using streamlined methods, and leveraging the right tools, even small organizations can gain valuable insights into their designs. Remember, the goal is to bridge the gap between the ideal and the reality of usability testing, ensuring that your designs meet user needs without breaking the bank.
With these tips and tools, you can conduct effective usability tests and create products that delight your users. And if you want to be sure the design will be efficient, user-friendly and intuitive, drop us a line to discuss how Eleken can help you.
