User testingTips ‘n techniques for user testing on a shoestring

“Nobody ever sets out to deliver a poor quality service. However, services have not always been designed with the customer at the centre.

Bertie Ahern

No battle plan survives contact with the enemyHelmuth von Moltke (the Elder)

Why

Would this design have survived?

User testing should not be a luxury

Getting real (iQ Style)

Web applications and websites are designed for real people. The best way to measure their success or failure is by testing with real people.

However, you don’t have the money or resources to hire usability consultants or conduct full-blown usability tests

Benefits of user testing

If you are building an app for a client, i.e. not yourself, then it's something that you can charge for.

If you're building it for your company, it can remove the HiPPO effect.

If you're a start-up, it can inform important design decisions

How

Does it work?

The who

Friends and familyCo-workersStudentsRecruit through an agency

The what: paper prototyping

The what: paper prototyping

The what: HTML prototypes

User test lab

User test lab

User test lab

User test output

Key tips

Observe Get user to think aloud Careful what you ask - what people do and

what they say are often directly contradictory

Don’t design too soon, you're not really listening while you're thinking of the solution

Kaizen (continuous improvement)