Usability Testing 101: 10 Tips for Better Results

By Andrés Zapata, D.Sc. \ August 27, 2007

Recently, a client asked us to put together a list of high level “dos” and “don’ts” for usability testing. It has taken us several years to get good at usability testing – so this list of tips is not meant to replace an expert facilitator, it’s simply meant to provide a bit more insight.

1. Remind the subject that you are not testing them, that you are testing the website.
2. Don’t lead. If the subject doesn’t understand a question, try to ask it differently without giving the answer away. This is particularly important when testing “labels” or the site’s navigation options.
3. Be friendly and approachable, to diffuse some of the anxiety and tension experienced by the subject, but don’t overdo it or you will end up swaying the results in the other direction. The goal is to neutralize the artificial setting.
4. If an answer to a question seems vague or if the subject seems unsure, take the opportunity to probe by asking follow up questions.
5. Ask subjects to “think outloud” when they are trying to execute a task.
6. Be patient. Silence is ok at first (for five to ten seconds), then ask the subject to “think out loud”.
7. When a user asks you a question, don’t just answer it. Think about what they might be really asking and don’t give them the answer to the test question. If you are able to provide an answer to their question without answering the test question, answering their question is harmless. Most of the time, you can redirect by answering their question with another question. For example, a participant could ask, “Do I find “xyz” by clicking on “abc”? The best answer to this type of questions is, “What would you expect to find after clicking on “abc”?”
8. Some of the usability questions are testing the labels being used by the site’s navigation. In these cases, let users tell you what they expect to find behind a certain click before allowing them to click on the link.
9. Be consistent and encouraging as you transition from one task to another – regardless of whether they performed the task successfully or not. Use the following transitions: Great, let me ask you another question; Ok, let me ask you another question; Good, let me ask you another question. Never be overly negative or overly positive, just keep it moving with some encouragement.
10. When the subject gets stuck on a question or task, you have rephrased the question in a non-leading fashion, and you feel ample time has lapsed, simply drop the question and move forward. Example: Ok, let me ask you this other question.

Happy hunting!