In usability testing you ask a few people from your real audience to do a specific task with your site or app, for example "find a book and buy it". You only watch and take notes, without helping.
Why it is needed#
The team that builds a product knows it so well that it cannot think like a newcomer. What is obvious to you is a puzzle to someone else. Testing gives you an outside pair of eyes.
A sample#
Suppose you take five customers to the checkout page. Three cannot find the "Apply discount code" button. Now, without guessing, you know what to fix.
How to run it#
- Define a goal and a few specific tasks
- Find a few suitable users
- Ask them to think out loud
- Note and prioritize the problems
- Fix them and test again
Tips#
- Even a small test reveals the main problems
- It can be done on a prototype; the product need not be finished
- It can be in person or remote
A common mistake#
Asking "Do you like this?" is not enough. User behavior matters more than opinion: see what they do, not only what they say.