usability testing tips for ux designers

10 April 2023

Usability Testing - Top Tips for UX Designers

“I'm gonna be the man who's havering to you.”The Proclaimers

Me and Skyscanner

Me

Usability specialist10 years in usability research

6 years in consultancy

Used to write a blog (goodusability.co.uk)

Took a ‘proper job’ this year

BBC, British Museum, Schuh, Covestor, Share Centre, lots of big banks (please don’t hate me) etc. etc.

Skyscanner

Europe’s most popular flight comparison website

60m+ sessions per month (site and apps)

25m+ app downloads

70 currencies and over 30 languages

Also cover hotels and car hire

Over 250 employees and growing very very fast

…and we’re hiring UX people www.skyscanner.net/jobs

http://www.skyscanner.net/jobs

What I do at Skyscanner

1. Usability testing

Design iterations

Live website and apps

International testing (not me yet)

2. Research

Travel planning needs and behaviour

Bury my head in analytics

3. Annoy everyone with my opinions

Our approach to usability testing

About Skyscanner

Little and often

Use meeting rooms (sometimes coffee shops) not labs

Around 6 participants per study (always target users)

Mostly use interview-based tasks

Promote observation over reports

Top tips

Usability testing - top tips

Doing something is better than doing nothing


There’s no one best way of doing usability testing

You’re always sacrificing something


Empathy isn’t a science


Remember: You’re not like real people


Every design is brokenYours isn’t going to “pass”


Comparing A to B?Get ready to make Design C


Test the clarity of informationBad “Is this information clear?”

Good “Tell me about this flight so I know the information is clear”


A prototype gallows has to have rope


Don’t stop testing at the prototype stage


Some issues are best ignored


Humanise observers“Dave’s going to watch in another room”

Is that even a word?


Learn your scriptthen stop reading it


Distance yourself from the design


Don’t aim to prove anything


Test tasks not featuresGo back to unused features at the end of the task/session


Make the designer watch

..and all the people who make design decisions

Image: PoliceLifestyle.com


Keep it realistic……but remember, it’s not real


Don’t exhaust your empathy

Small studies, short sessions, frontload your day


Task 1 is most precious


Find the balance

Not leading but vague and confusing

Clear but leading task instructions


Put words in their mouth

…when they don’t have their own


Avoid conveniently timed prompts

“Now pretend you’re bringing three children with you”


Give the participant a punty


Take few notesWatch instead


Write pretend notes

Make a ‘Stuff to ignore’ section but don’t write that on it


Make tasks very specificEven when you don’t need them to be

“Choose a destination, it doesn’t matter where”

This is bad

Be humanRelax and make miskates

usability testing tips for ux designers

Technology

usability testing youre

usability research

apps international testing

information clear

tipsevery design

design c

tipsmake tasks

tipstest tasks