Intro to Lean UX with UserTesting

/Productschool @ProdSchool /ProductmanagementSF

Alexandra Michaelides, Ph.D.

- User Experience Researcher at UserTesting

- Former UER at FlyWheel Software - User Experience background

www.productschool.com

Intro to Lean UX with UserTesting

Intro to Lean UX with UserTesting Alexandra Michaelides, Ph.D.

What is user experience?

“User experience encompasses all aspects of the end-user’s interaction with the company, itsservices, and its products.” –Don Norman

UX isn’t a new concept

“When the point of contact between the product and the people becomes a point of friction, then the industrial designer has failed. On the other hand, if people are made safer, more comfortable, more eager to purchase, more efficient—or just plain happier—by contact with the product, then the designer has succeeded.”–Henry Dreyfuss, Designing for People, 1955

Increased customer acceptance and engagement•70% of projects fail due to lack of user acceptance. (Source: Forrester Research)

Increased revenue•Every $1 invested in UX returns up to $100. (Source: IBM)

Decreased costs•Fixing a problem after launch is up to 100x more expensive than fixing it during design and development. (Source: NASA)

Rule #1 of UX: You are NOT your user

Test early, test often. Be open to feedback.

Quantitative Qualitative Focus on numbers Focus on narrative

How many, how much Why, how

Large sample sizes Smaller sample sizes

Done to “prove a point” Done to “understand, discover”

Expensive, time-consuming Cheaper, faster

Objective Subjective

https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/5-ideas-to-help-bring-lean-ux-into-your-research

What is UserTesting?

We provide insights based on videos of your customers interacting with any brand, regardless of device or location.

If you can imagine it, we can probably test it.

“If you can imagine it, we can probably test it.”Test anything with our desktop and breakthrough mobile recorders

✓ From sketches, prototypes, and websites✓ To mobile apps, mobile websites, and even unreleased apps✓ To real-world experiences in-store and in-home, unboxing, and more

On-demand panel of target

audience

Multi-channel screen recording

technology

Reporting & collaboration

Full support services

You can test a design at any stage in the process• Rough concepts and low-fidelity prototypes• Clickable prototypes• High fidelity prototypes & live sites

Remote Unmoderated Research

Pros:Quick turn around timeRecruitment of testersNo researcher present/ honest feedback

Cons:Inability to ask follow up questions, prod tester for moreInability to clarify any confusionsInability to see full context/ environment

Starting a new study

Screenshot

Usability testing: What can you gather insights on?

Visual Design: how it looks

Information Architecture (IA): how it’s organized

Interaction Design (IxD): how it works

Content: what it says & how it sounds

Functionality: what it does

What can you “test” with UserTesting?

• How do participants “use” or “interact” with an experience?– Do they understand it?– Can they access it?– Can they use it?– Is it easy to use?– Do they enjoy using it?

What you shouldn’t “test” with UserTesting?

• Will participants use or adopt the experience in the future?• Would they buy it?• Do they “like” it?• Which one do they “like” better?

Before you launch a study, define objectives

• What exactly are you hoping to learn?

• Do you have broad or specific objectives?

Writing objectives

• UserTesting sessions should run approximately 15 minutes

• Suggestion of 1-3 objectives

• User fatigue

A note about sample size

It depends on your objective, but for a standard usability test, 5 participants per target audience will identify 85% of usability problems.

You can always add more if you need to!

And you should always start with just 1 user in a “pilot” study.

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

Getting the right participants• Define the most important

characteristics of your target audience– Age? Income? Hobbies?

Profession?

• For basic usability tests, minimal screening is required

• Keep screener simple and clear

Tip: Avoid leading questions and yes/no answers

Bad❑ Do you prefer organic cotton sheets?

❑ Yes [Accept]❑ No

Good❑ What kind of sheets do you prefer?

❑ Organic cotton [Accept]❑ Cotton

❑ Sateen

❑ Synthetic

❑ Polyester

❑ Silk

❑ Jersey

❑ Other

Tip: Use multiple, separate questions

Bad❑ How often do you exercise on a treadmill?

❑ Less than 1 time a week❑ 1-2 times a week❑ 3+ times a week [Accept]

Good❑ How often do you exercise?

❑ Less than 1 time a week❑ 1-2 times a week❑ 3+ times a week [Accept]

❑ What kind of exercise do you do most often?❑ Yoga❑ Elliptical❑ Treadmill [Accept]❑ Free Weights❑ Other

Tip: Give participants an “out”

Bad❑ What is your marital status?

❑ Married [Accept]❑ Not married

Good❑ What is your marital status?

❑ Married [Accept]❑ Not married

❑ Other

❑ I prefer not to say

URL (where users start the test) & Intro

Consider broad & specific tasks• Broad tasks are great for:

• Understanding how testers think or behave

• Familiarizing testers with site• Gathering impressions

• Specific tasks are great for:• Tracking browser paths/ patterns• Evaluating particular pages, processes,

features• Identifying pain points at a particular

part of the process

Clarity is key• The longer your task/question is, the easier

it will be for the user to miss something• Keep tasks simple• Avoid listing multiple steps at once• Use URLs or bit.ly links to ensure users

evaluate the correct pages • Use instructive, active language

Be concise and clear

• Confusing questions = confusing answers

• Avoid using jargon like “PDP” or “callout”

• Emphasize important points

• Avoid repetition in task language

Getting honest feedback

• Be aware of areas where bias, discomfort, or privilege come into play.

• Make your testers feel comfortable

• Use balanced language. This allows you to receive more accurate and honest feedback

Beware of leading and bias

• Leading questions are phrased in a way that steers users in a particular direction

• Examples: • “How much better is the new version

than the original home page?”• “Was it hard to find the Preferences

page?”• “What would you improve about this

page?”

Using metrics

Using metrics

• When to use: • Written questions• Ratings scale• Multiple choice

• Make sure they are aligned with your objectives

• Use sparingly—beware of user fatigue

• Be specific

Rating scale questions

• Define endpoints (1 and 5)• Include both endpoint labels

in the body of question• Label 1 as the “pain” point

and 5 as the “positive” point• Don’t make the participant

rate multiple items in one question.

How poorly (1) or well (5) does this site explain its refund process? Please explain your rating out loud.

1 – Very poorly2345 – Very well

Post-Test Questionnaire

Note: Participants type their answers to these questions AFTER the recording stops.

Consider asking participants to describe current or previous behaviors. This can help you predict future behavior.

They aren’t required. (A simple “Thanks!” typed in the first field is fine.)

Default post-test questions

Test the test! Always.

Do tasks and questions make sense?Does the test follow the right “flow”?Do tasks contain jargon that particpiants don’t undersatnd?Do links work?

Don’t judge the tester.

• Remember you are testing the site

• If you have poor results, don’t blame the tester, change the test

Before starting your analysis

• Refresh yourself on the research objectives

• Get organized. What do you want to capture for each participants?– Success rate?– Time on task?– Satisfaction?– Errors?– Quotes?

Notes & clips in the UserTesting dashboard

Metrics view

Excel export

• Session Details• Demographics• Screener answers• System information• Study protocol

• Metrics• Links to jump straight to each

participant doing each task or question

• Time-on-task*• Answers to questions

• Sortable Clips & Annotations

Learn from your mistakes. Get better. Have fun.

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