Whether you’re in the opening phases of product development, or making improvements to a existing digital product, we’re here to help you bring your vision and goals to life.
User testing is applied to evaluate design decisions against a target user to assess the expectations of the design team. It is an integral part of the design process, and should not be viewed as a final thought, rather should be carried out throughout the process. Most importantly, user testing allows you to gain valuable insights from your users regarding how they go about using the product or system.
Testing can be carried out at any level, and still provide valuable results. Whether it is extensive usability tests or informal, small-scale testing, any form of feedback is acknowledged and acted upon. An effective way of user testing is to carry out the test in the correct environment and if this is not possible, recreating key elements. Not only will this consider how the surrounding environment will affect the use of the product or system but will also allow the user to provide realistic and helpful feedback.
Once the product or system has undertaken its final build, it may be expected that the development process is over, however, it is good practice to accept that there may still be a few changes required. When the product has had circulated use for a certain amount of time in the real environment setting, further feedback should be encouraged to establish if the product is functioning to the best of its ability and address any issues if necessary.
The earlier on in the process user testing is introduced, the more time and money will be saved later on. The goal is to identify any design issues before the final stages of the project (usually the most expensive stage as well). To carry out successful user testing, these key principles should be considered:
User testing can range from a series of in-depth studies involving lots of users to a quick and easy focus group, asking questions about the product/system. Similarly, to user research, how much of this you do is dependent on the type of project and the resources that are available. It is always beneficial to test out your product in an environment where the users can give honest and reliable feedback to improve the product.
Depending on the scale of the feedback given, refinements can differ in lengths of time. At Full Clarity we work in short refinement sprints to get feedback from users and then quickly iterate the design of the product. Although user testing is imperative to success, it does add to the time spent upfront, but in the long term it can save both time and cost in providing course correction upfront.
This should be acknowledged both at the start of the project and the end. To begin with it is always beneficial to explore existing products or services like yours, you can explore what aspects could be improved and use this to your advantage. At the end of the process, testing two products against each other can show certain improvements which could be made.
Speak directly with our founders Ed and Jon about how we can help you on your Innovation or Transformation project.
Contact details
Cheyenne House
West Street
Farnham, Surrey
GU9 7EQ
Cheyenne House
West Street
Farnham, Surrey
GU9 7EQ
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