Why you should always test with users

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Why you should always test with usersand why gorillas are better than nothing

‘guerrilla’ is

@quiffboy @DigitalPondUK #UXPond

Thursday, 26 Sept 2013

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Leisa is Head of User Research @ GDS, GOV.UK

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“Testing with customers” Me

Customers have a monetary value

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• In 2013, Amaze ranked at number 22 in UK’s top 100 agencies

• Ranked #1 in the North West

• Ranked #4 in Design & Build

Don’t just take my word for it…

#UXPondASICS – International websites / Global E-commerce

#UXPondLexus V10 – Building award-winning pan-European luxury

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The Saucy Fish Co – Increasing brand worth to £60m in 2 years using digital, social and PR as springboards

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Unilever - Strategic co-ordination and implementation support across Unilever’s global digital operation

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Toyota - Strategic brand, creative, technological and feature-rich functional development for multi-lingual websites across 28 European markets

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Common types of usability testing

• Moderated lab testing• Remote testing• Eye tracking (in a moderated lab)

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Moderated lab testing

“Observe people using the product to discover…how well test subjects respond in four areas: efficiency, accuracy, recall, and emotional response.” Wikipedia

cabinetoffice.gov.uk

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Remote usability testing

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Eye tracking

“Eye tracking is the process of measuring either the point of gaze (where one is looking) or the motion of an eye relative to the head.” Wikipedia

grokdotcom.com

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Eye tracking: complex & intrusive hardware, right?

fffff.at

acuity-ets.com

Not so scary anymore

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Eye tracking: findings are still scary though

• Generates lots of complex graphs and diagrams • Needs experts to interpret results• Time consuming & expensive

Heatmap fromkunocreative.com

Gaze plot from uxmatters.com

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But it’s a no brainer, right?

You should test your stuff with real people

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• http://econsultancy.com/uk/reports/user-experience-survey-report

• http://northern-user-experience.org/2013/09/05/ux-challenge-choose-right-approach-guest-blog-ian-franklin-freelance-ux-consultant

User Experience Survey 2013

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Why test?

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Why test?

Improve decision making

Remove guesswork

Remove experience

bias

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So why don’t we always test?

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So why don’t we always test?

Too expensive

Time or resource

consuming

Not a primary concern

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£15 for 15 minutes

• Based on moderated lab testing• Uses think-aloud protocols• Test in guerrilla environments• Recruit “in the wild”• Prototype “good enough”• Focus on key tasks• Report on problem areas• Client expectations are focussed

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http://www.nngroup.com/articles/why-you-only-need-to-test-with-5-users/

5 = 85%

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Case StudyASICS America

#UXPondCase study: ASICS America

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+

+

Axure RP Pro Silverback

(optional)

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What we did

Prep• Recruit from same office building – posters in lobby• Identified 2-3 key user journeys & features• Prototype new features for journeys – medium fidelity

Test• Test in spare meeting room in Amaze office• Slots 12-2pm and 4-6pm

Report• Brief, focussed report - bullet point list• Export & upload videos & prototype• Talk client through findings

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What we did

Prep • 3 days

Test • 1 day

Report • 1 day

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What we did

Prep • 3 days

Test • 1 day

Report • 1 day

1 week start to finish

Easily digestible

report

Actionable findings

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10 Considerationsand/or gotchas

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1) Avoid recruiting experts

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2) Test small, test early, test often

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3) If you can, test in real environments

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4) Focus on what needs fixing (or refining)

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5) Give tasks, not instructions

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6) Rotate order of tasks

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7) Fidelity matters, but it’s not critical

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8) 5 people’s opinions are not conclusive proof

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9) People say the darndest things

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10) “Testing with 1 person is 100% better than testing with none”

Steve Krug“Don’t Make Me Think”

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Useful links

• Why You Only Need to Test with 5 Usershttp://www.nngroup.com/articles/why-you-only-need-to-test-with-5-users/

• The Art of Guerrilla Usability Testinghttp://www.uxbooth.com/articles/the-art-of-guerilla-usability-testing/

• Remote Usability and UX Research Toolshttp://remoteresear.ch/tools/

• New to Usability Testing? You’re not alone!http://userexperiencerocks.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/getting-started-with-usability-testing/

• User Experience Survey 2013http://econsultancy.com/uk/reports/user-experience-survey-report

http://northern-user-experience.org/2013/09/05/ux-challenge-choose-right-approach-guest-blog-ian-franklin-freelance-ux-consultant

• Steve Krug: “Don’t make me think” & “Rocket Surgery Made Easy” and more…http://www.sensible.com

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One more thing…

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NUX2uxmanc.co.uk

Friday 25th October£25 day ticket

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Thank you

e: b.briggs@amaze.com

t: @quiffboy

w: www.amaze.com