Usability test

What is Usability test?

Usability testing is a type of qualitative research applied to websites, applications, e-commerce, digital platforms, or physical products.

In this type of research, we recruit people who represent the target audience of a product, plan tasks for them to perform, and then track and measure how they perform these tasks.

When to apply?

Ideally, usability testing should be applied continuously.

Since we know that day-to-day realities can prevent this continuous monitoring, a usability test can be applied at 4 stages of a product’s development:

At the beginning of the idea or prototype, when the product is still being created;
At the design or development stage, when the product is already taking shape;
Just before or just after the product launch;
When the product has a certain life span.

The sooner we apply testing to a product, the more we can improve it.

What are the types of usability test?

There are four types of usability testing:

Face-to-face with mirror room (when the client accompanies the application);
Face-to-face without a mirror room;
Moderated remote;
Unmoderated remote.

Generally, the more user interaction we have, the more insights and information we can gain.

What is the ideal number of participants?

According to a 1993 study by Jakob Nielsen, a usability test should ideally have five users of each profile. With this number, it is possible to discover at least 85% of a product’s usability problems. Beyond this number of participants, the cost-benefit of the project is not so interesting.

Nielsen argues that we learn as we test with each user. In the first test, we have an overview of the product; in the second test, we will already have common points with the first test, and so on. By the fifth test, we already have a broad view of all the necessary improvements.

What are the steps in a usability test?

Generally speaking, a usability test is basically composed of 6 stages:

Definition of the target audience;
Definition of tasks;
Recruiting;
Pilot test application;
Application of tests;
Production and presentation of the report.

Clients

Check out the opinion of our partners

The whole process carried out by Tuia is very well structured and brings us very significant results. I rate it as a good experience. The suggestions for change and improvement that are sent to us in the report through the analysis of the user responses are always considered in our refinement meetings.