How to Conduct a Usability Test
When it comes to designing a new product, there are a lot of risks involved. Will users be able to figure out how to use it? Will they even want to use it? These are the types of questions that usability interviews seek to answer.
Conducting usability interviews with potential users is one of the best ways to eliminate the majority of risks associated with launching a new product. Here's everything you need to know about how to conduct a usability interview, from choosing the right participants to asking the right questions.
How to Choose the Right Participants
One of the most important parts of conducting a usability interview is choosing the right participants. You want to make sure that you're talking to people who are actually in your target market; otherwise, their feedback isn't going to be all that useful. Sub reddit groups, Facebook groups, and craigslist are great places to source participants.
You also want to make sure that you have a good mix of different types of users. For example, if you're designing a social media app, you might want to interview some heavy users, some moderate users, and some light users. This will give you a well-rounded perspective on how different people use (or don't use) your product.
Finally, it's important to make sure that your participants are comfortable talking about their experiences and giving feedback. The last thing you want is for someone to clam up because they feel like they're being interrogated!
How to Ask the Right Questions
Once you've chosen your participants, it's time to start asking them questions. Remember, the whole point of this exercise is to get an idea of how real users interact with your product—so don't lead them too much. Instead, let them take the lead and just observe their behavior.
Here are some examples of open-ended questions you can ask:
-Can you tell me what you were trying to do when you first arrived on this page?
-What did you think this button was going to do?
-Can you walk me through what you did after you saw this error message?
-What were your thoughts when you saw this design?
Final thought
Conducting usability tests is one of the best ways to reduce value and usability risks associated with launching a new product. By talking to potential users and observing their behavior, you can get invaluable insights into how they interact with your product — and what areas need improvement. So if you're working on launching something new, don't forget to add usability interviews to your research plan!
