Article - UX Test in 4 Steps
Conducting a good UX test? Follow these 4 steps
It’s important to stay in conversation with your customers. There are various ways to do this. One of these ways is a UX test.
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you already know what a UX test is. A UX test is a one-on-one interview with someone from your target audience. You let them go through questions and scenarios using your site or app. This way, you can discover what’s working well and what can be improved. Where problems lie and where opportunities arise. You can conduct your UX test in a lab, but also online, or on location.
In this article, we’ll outline how to approach such a UX test at a high level. We’ll show you the steps involved and what to keep in mind at each stage. So, if you’re already conducting research or planning to do so, this could be a useful checklist for you.
Step 1 – the kick-off
Every UX test starts with a kick-off. This is a meeting where, as a researcher, you meet with key stakeholders to define the scope of the research. What exactly is the challenge? What questions do we want to answer? What assumptions do we want to test?
In addition to determining what you want to learn, it’s good to look at previous research: Has something similar been investigated before? What knowledge is already available? Teams often know more than they think. It’s also important to go through the test material (the prototype, site, or app) during the kick-off so you get a clear idea of what you’ll be testing. Finally, you need to decide which target audience to invite, so you can start recruiting respondents in time – on average, respondent recruitment takes 1 to 2 weeks.
Look at previous research: Has something similar been investigated before? What knowledge is already available? Teams often know more than they think.
After the kick-off, you’ll create a test script. This will include all the questions, scenarios, and tasks you will present to your target audience during the test.
Step 2 – find the right participants
The quality of your research depends entirely on the quality of your respondents. So, it’s essential to decide in advance exactly who you want to invite. Are you looking for a very generic audience, such as supermarket visitors aged 20 to 30? Or is it very specific, like homeowners with solar panels who are considering purchasing a home battery? The more complex your audience, the earlier you should start recruiting.
The quality of your research depends entirely on the quality of your participants.
If you need help with recruitment, feel free to reach out to us. We have a panel of more than 14,000 people. In addition, we recruit globally, from France to Australia, through partners. We can also help you recruit people with disabilities, such as the visually impaired, people with low literacy, or people with spasms. You must not forget this audience in your research. More than 3 million people in the Netherlands experience a (temporary) disability. By involving them in your research, you ensure that your product is inclusive and accessible.
Step 3 – into the lab
Once the scope of the research is defined, and respondents are recruited, it’s time to dive into the UX lab to get to know your target audience better. You’ll see how people experience your site or app. You’ll hear where they struggle and what goes well. The test script provides all the guidance you need during the interview.
The maximum duration of an interview is one hour – after that, participants’ concentration tends to wane. Also, more than 20 years of experience shows that 5 or 6 interviews are usually enough to uncover the key insights. Doing more interviews generally doesn’t yield much new information.
A typical UX test is conducted by two researchers. One presents the questions and tasks to the participants, while the other observes from the viewing room – along with key stakeholders – to closely monitor what respondents do and say. They record everything they notice and discuss the issues they observe. Don’t forget to debrief with all the observers at the end of the research day to briefly discuss the key findings. The debrief is a great starting point for the report you’ll be working on after the interviews.
PS: If you don’t conduct research yourself, our researchers can do it for you. You can comfortably observe.
The lab comes in various forms
For instance, you can use an external lab, like ours. This allows you to work together undisturbed in a pleasant environment for an entire day. However, your research can also be done online or remotely, from your living room or office. Another option is a pop-up lab, which is a portable lab that allows you to go to your target audience. You can, for example, conduct interviews at people’s homes. Finally, you have the option of building your own lab at your office.
You can conduct your UX test in various ways: in our lab, remotely, with a pop-up lab, or in your own lab.
Step 4 – reporting and next steps
The final step of your user test is the report. Try to avoid dusty reports that often end up in the bottom drawer. Keep your insights, conclusions, and recommendations concrete. And if possible, support them with sketches. This makes what you’ve learned even clearer for the designers and developers who will eventually work with it.
Once the report is ready, it’s a good idea to wrap up with a brief session with the key stakeholders. Discuss what you’ve learned and determine the next steps together. Take the time to link your insights to business goals – this increases the likelihood that your insights will be implemented and have the impact you want.
Take the time to link your insights to business goals – this increases the likelihood that your insights will be implemented and have the impact you want.
Need help with your UX test? We’d love to help you get started.