Usability testing surveys help researchers understand how real users interact with products, services, or experiences and identify usability issues before launch. As a core part of UX research, usability testing evaluates learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors, and satisfaction to improve overall user experience. Testing can be applied beyond websites to physical products, medical devices, retail environments, and more. Methods include qualitative and quantitative testing, moderated or unmoderated sessions, remote or in-person testing, and usability surveys. By collecting user feedback, task metrics, and behavioral insights, teams can validate design decisions, reduce development costs, improve adoption, and iteratively refine products to better meet user needs.
What is Usability Testing?
Usability testing helps researchers understand how easy it is for their target audience to use your product, service, or experience. It’s an important piece of user experience (UX) design and product development as it provides feedback that can lead to improvements or enhancements. Usability testing is a key part of user research aimed at creating a positive user experience. With usability testing, products or services become more user-friendly, efficient, and effective, making it essential for achieving a positive user experience.
Is Usability Testing Just for Websites?
While the term “usability testing” is fairly new, and often applied to the UX of a website, app, or other type of software, it can be applied to many types of products and services (and is, though sometimes simply referred to as “product testing” or “product evaluation”). Usability testing provides valuable insights from target users across different product categories. Here’s how usability testing applies to various products and services.
- Hardware Devices: Smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and other electronic gadgets can undergo usability testing to ensure user-friendly interfaces and interactions.
- Consumer Products: Physical products like kitchen appliances, home electronics, and consumer goods can be tested to ensure they meet consumer needs and expectations.
- Medical Devices and Equipment: Usability testing can be conducted among medical professionals (e.g., UX testing a new diagnostic machine they will use at a hospital) or patients (e.g., UX testing of a new prosthetic device that will be worn by an amputee). It is crucial to recruit intended users who accurately represent the target audience to ensure the evaluation meets the needs and preferences of those who will actually use the device.
- Automotive Interfaces: Physical products, like a new safety device or virtual products like a new navigation system to be installed within, may be tested.
- Retail Environments: Usability testing could be applied to the design of store layouts, signage, and checkout processes to enhance the customer shopping experience.
- Educational Materials: Researchers may look at the usability or effectiveness of educational materials, such as textbooks or e-learning platforms.
Types of Usability Testing
Usability testing can be categorized into several types, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Understanding these types is crucial for selecting the most appropriate method for a particular project.
Qualitative Usability Testing
Qualitative usability testing focuses on uncovering the “why” behind user actions. Rather than just measuring what users do, this approach digs deeper into their motivations, frustrations, and expectations as they interact with a product or service. By observing real users and conducting interviews, researchers can identify usability issues that might not be obvious through numbers alone. Qualitative usability testing is especially valuable in the early stages of the development process, when understanding user needs and pain points can shape the direction of a product. This method helps teams gather valuable insights into user behavior, allowing them to refine the user interface and create a more enjoyable user experience. Whether you’re testing a new app, website, or physical product, qualitative usability testing focuses on the context and emotions behind user actions, making it a powerful tool for improving usability.
Quantitative Usability Testing
Quantitative usability testing, in contrast, is all about the numbers. This method involves collecting and analyzing numerical data—such as how many users successfully complete a task, how long it takes them, and how often errors occur. By involving a larger group of test participants, quantitative usability testing provides statistically significant results that can be used to benchmark performance and track improvements over time. This approach is ideal for comparing different design versions, measuring the impact of changes, and supporting design decisions with hard data. Quantitative usability testing focuses on analyzing numerical data to identify trends and patterns, making it an essential part of any comprehensive usability testing strategy. When you need to demonstrate the effectiveness of a new feature or prove that a redesign has reduced usability problems, quantitative usability testing delivers the objective evidence you need.
Usability Testing Methods
There are various methods for conducting usability testing, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. The choice of method depends on the project’s goals, budget, and timeline.
Remote Usability Testing
Remote usability testing allows you to reach users wherever they are, making it easier to gather feedback from a diverse and geographically dispersed audience. Using online usability testing tools, you can observe how users interact with your product in their own environment, which often leads to more authentic results. Remote testing can be conducted in two main ways: moderated, where a facilitator guides the session and asks follow-up questions in real time, or unmoderated, where users complete specific tasks independently and provide feedback afterward.
Remote usability testing is especially effective for digital products like websites, mobile apps, and SaaS platforms. It enables you to identify usability issues, gather feedback, and collect both qualitative and quantitative data without the need for a physical usability lab. This method is cost-effective, scalable, and flexible, making it a popular choice for companies looking to run usability tests throughout the development process. Whether you’re conducting qualitative research to understand user pain points or quantitative testing to measure usability metrics, remote usability testing offers a practical way to gather valuable insights and improve your product for your target audience.
How To Conduct Usability Testing
What does the usability test look like? It will likely vary based on the product or service you want to test. For example, a new medical device that could impact people’s lives may go through many rounds of testing, only receiving approval after years of research and modification. On the other hand, a basic consumer product, such as a new kitchen appliance, may only go through one round of testing if the results are good. In general, most usability testing follows a structured testing process. This process focuses on understanding users’ behaviors, preferences, and needs and ensuring a product or service meets user expectations and goals. Such tests help identify design strengths and weaknesses, enabling teams to optimize their digital products through insights and data analysis.
1. Choosing Test Participants
Usability testing may be very broad, attempting to capture a wide range of perspectives, or very narrow, focusing on recruiting test subjects who are actual users of the product—people who meet specific demographics, have had specific experiences, or have expertise in a specific area.
Involving actual users as test subjects ensures authentic feedback and provides valuable usability insights.
2. Choosing Testing Scenarios
This is when the type of usability testing is determined. The testing environment can be conducted in a controlled lab setting, remotely using online video, or in the user’s natural environment, depending on the project’s requirements and resources. In-person testing is a face-to-face method conducted in a usability lab or similar setting, allowing for direct observation of user behavior and reactions. The test can also be moderated or unmoderated, or a combination of the two.
Moderated testing involves a facilitator guiding participants through tasks in real time, either remotely or in person, enabling detailed observation and real-time feedback. Moderated usability testing is often used for in-depth understanding of user behaviors and is suitable for testing logged-in environments or refining hypotheses. Unmoderated testing, on the other hand, allows participants to complete tasks independently without direct supervision, making it flexible and cost-effective. Unmoderated usability testing is typically conducted remotely and is ideal for gathering feedback at scale without a moderator present.
In-person usability testing is conducted in a physical environment, such as a usability lab, and is suitable for safety-critical or physically interactive products, but it can be more costly and logistically challenging. In contrast, remote user testing allows participants to complete tasks from their own locations using online platforms, offering greater flexibility and reach, though it may limit direct observation.
Guerrilla usability testing is a quick, informal, and cost-effective method often used early in the design process. It typically takes place in public spaces with random participants, providing immediate feedback but with potential limitations due to convenience sampling.
Preparing a detailed usability testing script is essential to ensure consistency and reliability during the testing process. A script helps standardize instructions, tasks, and questions, improving the quality and comparability of results.
Three common testing methods include:
- Observation: Observers, typically UX designers or researchers, watch participants as they navigate the product and complete tasks. They take notes on participants’ actions, comments, frustrations, and successes. They may also employ various tools such as eye-tracking devices and heatmaps.
- Think-Aloud Protocol: Participants are encouraged to “think aloud” while performing tasks. This provides insights into their thought processes, decision-making, and any challenges they encounter.
- Interviews or Focus Groups: Participants are interviewed by a researcher as they interact with a product or service. This can be one-on-one or in larger groups.
- Surveys: Usability testing surveys are great for reaching large groups of people spread apart geographically. Participants may be provided with a trial product and asked to complete a survey based on their interactions with it, or surveys can be used to follow up on someone’s experience after having used a product or service.
3. Metrics and Measurements
Throughout usability testing, quantitative and qualitative data are collected, including success rates, task completion times, error rates, and participant feedback. Establishing clear metrics and criteria is essential for conducting an effective usability test, as it allows teams to systematically assess user experience and identify usability issues. Most usability tests use these metrics to benchmark usability and track improvements.
4. Analysis and Insights
Now, how to analyze usability testing results? After testing is complete, analysts begin by reviewing the raw data collected during usability testing. They identify patterns, pain points, and areas to improve, transforming this raw data into actionable insights. This analysis provides insights into usability issues to address. Sometimes, a psychologist may view recordings or individuals. They may analyze non-verbal cues or body language that suggest a person is not being honest (sometimes, people may say what they think the researcher wants to hear, which can skew results). Analyzing test results helps prioritize usability improvements.
5. Iteration and Improvement
Conducting a pilot test before involving real users in usability testing helps identify and resolve issues with the testing process, instructions, and materials, ensuring the main usability test runs smoothly.
Usability testing is often an iterative process. While a product or service may be a resounding success out of the gate and require no further testing, it’s unlikely. More often, based on the findings in the usability test, researchers will make recommendations to the UX designers for improving usability, redesigning interfaces, adding product features, rephrasing instructions, and so on. Iteration during usability testing is crucial for identifying and addressing major usability problems before product launch. Sometimes, the results of a usability study are so poor that the idea goes in the trash. Other times, a product slips through the process and hits the market, landing with a thud. You have to wonder, for example, when Colgate–known for toothpaste– released microwave food in the 1980s, if they really did enough usability testing.
The 5 Quality Components of Usability
At what point is it safe to assume a product or service meets consumer usability standards? The Nielsen Norman Group, a UX training company, identifies five “quality components of usability.” To provide a usability testing example to highlight every five components, we’ve created a silly product: The inflatable bowling ball. We’ll apply that to each component.
Learnability: How easy is it for users to accomplish basic tasks the first time they encounter the design? The inflatable bowling ball performs well in this test, as people already have familiarity with blowing up beach balls.
Efficiency: Once users have learned the design, how quickly can they perform tasks? Our product doesn’t do well here. Because of the lightweight material, sometimes when users throw it like a traditional bowling ball, it remains stuck on their fingers. If it does come free, it doesn’t always go in the intended direction. Observing when users struggle with these tasks during usability testing can reveal critical usability issues that need to be addressed.
Memorability: When users return to the design after a period of not using it, how easily can they reestablish proficiency? The users remember how to use the product well because learning was very easy.
Errors: How many errors do users make, how severe are these errors, and how easily can they recover from the errors? There are many non-user errors due to the ball’s lightweight design. It wouldn’t reach the end of the lane, it bounced the wrong way, and so on. Noticing where users struggle can help identify which errors are most problematic and guide improvements.
Satisfaction: How pleasant is it to use the design? Users understood how to use the inflatable bowling ball, but the experience was bad. Even if the ball made it to the end of the lane, it would never knock down a pin.
Based on this usability test, the inflatable bowling ball only passed two of the five quality components. Time for a redesign – or just scrapping the product altogether!
7 Benefits of Usability Testing
Here are several benefits of usability testing. Usability testing relies on collecting user feedback to identify pain points and improve product design.
Identifies Usability Issues
Usability testing helps uncover problems or pain points that might not be apparent during the design phase, and different research methods can be employed to identify these usability issues. These issues could include confusing navigation, unclear instructions, or unanticipated user behaviors.
Enhances User Satisfaction
By addressing user concerns and preferences, usability testing leads to a more user-centric product, ultimately increasing user satisfaction and loyalty.
Reduces Development Costs
Detecting and resolving usability issues early in the development process is more cost-effective than fixing them after the product launch.
Reduces Risk of Failure
Usability testing reduces the risk of launching a product that fails, which can also damage a company’s reputation. For example, the aforementioned Colgate Dinners. Read about other product launches that failed.
Validates Design Decisions
Usability testing validates design choices and helps ensure that the product meets user needs and expectations.
Measures Progress
When using iterative usability testing, running tests over time or throughout the development process reveals whether your design is getting better over time.
Improves Product Adoption
People are more likely to embrace a user-friendly product, leading to higher adoption rates and positive word-of-mouth.
Usability Testing Questions
First, you want to ask your screening questions on your usability testing questionnaire. These may include demographic questions (what is your level of education?), criteria questions (have you been diagnosed with [x] disease?), experience questions (how long have you been a boat owner?), or expertise questions (how familiar are you with smartphone technology?). Actual testing questions could include the following:
- Were you able to complete the test?
- What stops you from completing a task?
- Which features do you find most valuable and why?
- Which features do you find least valuable and why?
- How long did it take you to complete [x] task?
- Did you find the instructions confusing?
- What are your thoughts on the design and layout?
- Which features would you use the most?
- Are there any features you would recommend?
- How frequently would you use our product or service?
- What is your overall opinion of the product or service?
- Would you recommend this product or service to others?
Usability Test Example
We created a simple usability test example for a furniture company using SurveyLegend below. You’ll see a variety of question types used, which helps reduce participant survey fatigue while keeping them engaged.
To conduct your own usability tests efficiently, consider using some of the best usability testing tools available, such as SurveyLegend, UserTesting, Lookback, or Hotjar, which offer features designed to streamline the usability testing process.
Conclusion
Usability testing is an important step in the design and development of products and services. It helps to be sure that a brand’s offerings are intuitive, efficient, and enjoyable for users. It’s an ongoing process that contributes to creating products and services that genuinely resonate with their intended audiences and result in a great user experience. Ready to create your usability testing survey? Start today with SurveyLegend!
Create your usability testing survey, form, or poll now!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is usability testing?
Usability testing helps researchers understand how easily their target audience can use a product, service, or experience.
Why is usability testing important?
It’s an important piece of user experience (UX) design and product development as it provides feedback that can lead to improvements or enhancements. With usability testing, products or services become more user-friendly, efficient, and effective.
What is a usability survey?
This type of survey asks people to evaluate a particular product or service. Participants are chosen based on specific criteria, such as demographics and experience or expertise. Surveys include screening questions, testing questions, and potentially post-testing questions.
