USER
TESTING
DOESN’T
HAVE TO
BE HARDSource: ACL Software

2
SHANNON LEAHY
UX Content Strategist
Capital One
MATT LEAHY
Web/UX Designer
EAB Enrollment Services

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Source: Experience Dynamics 4

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash 5

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Producing a prototype for testing
Finding the participants and venue
Recording and documenting the test
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Why are you testing?

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What stage
are you at in
your process?
Do you have
specific areas
of concern?
What are you
hoping to prove
or disprove?

Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pixelhalunke/
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Producing
a Prototype

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Levels of Fidelity

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Content Prototypes
Low-fi, text-only method to create and
iterate on a touchpoint, a flow, or an
end-to-end journey
Create using:
Pen and paper Microsoft Word
Google Docs

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Content Prototypes
During kick-off or initial discovery, use
content prototypes to draft and align
on:
• Overall narrative structure and flow of
information
• Tone of voice
• Words that work and words to avoid

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Content Prototypes
For early rounds of design and iteration,
turn to content prototypes to:
• Gut-check copy as you integrate feedback
• Co-write revisions
• Head into hi-fi prototyping and design
with a complete and realistic draft of
content #noloremipsum

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Content Prototypes
Working from something that already
exists? Content prototypes can help
you:
• Audit existing content
• Benchmark strengths
• Identify gaps

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Wireframes
Simple approximation of a page’s
interface that specifically focuses on
order and hierarchy of content,
functionality, and intended behaviors
Test your wireframes before beginning
design and development work to
validate:
• Organization of content
• Prioritization of features
• Missing or unnecessary features
• Clarity and effectiveness of interface copy

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Wireframes
Keep these best practices in mind:
• Do not wireframe with Lorem Ipsum!
Always work with real words. Always.
• Try to work at a small screen size to avoid
focusing too much on specific layout and
design choices.
Create using:
Pen and paper PowerPoint
Balsamiq Illustrator
Sketch Adobe Xd

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TIP
Load your wireframe in a browser
window or on a device to create a
more realistic experience.

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Can people actually use
what you’ve designed?

Photo by Anomaly on Unsplash 21
Clickable Prototypes
High-fidelity, interactive representation
of your end-state product (site, app,
and so on)
Create using:
InVision Figma
Adobe XD Keynote/PowerPoint

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash
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Participants
& Venue

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Your test doesn’t have to be perfect.
Just do it.

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People Around You
Coordinating times and location can
be easier.
You don’t necessarily have to
provide compensation for
participants.
You can act in the spur of the
moment and keep sessions short
and informal.
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+
+

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People Around You
They’re more familiar with your
brand, product, or services than the
average person.
Your team may be less
representative of your user base or
target audience.
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Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash 26
Online User Testing
There’s usually a built-in pool of
research participants.
Testing sessions can happen
anywhere, any time.
You can opt to run unmoderated
sessions if you don’t have bandwidth
to facilitate the session live.
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Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash 27
Online User Testing
Participants can be pretty
technologically savvy.
Getting multiple licenses for your
testing platform can get expensive.
If the test is unmoderated, you can’t
directly observe participants or ask
follow-up questions in the moment.
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http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2010/06/10-tips-for-ambush-guerilla-us.php 28
Guerilla User Testing
“The art of pouncing on lone people in
cafes and public spaces, and quickly
filming them whilst they use a website
for a couple of minutes.”
Martin Belam

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Guerilla User Testing
Users don’t have to be recruited and
scheduled ahead of time.
You can pull together a testing
session on relatively short notice.
No testing venue needed. You test
right there on the spot.
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Guerilla User Testing
Testing sessions need to be kept
short. No more than five minutes.
You are limited to the pool of
potential participants at the location
you choose.
A public setting will likely be loud,
busy, and potentially distracting.
You must be comfortable with
approaching strangers.
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Guerilla User Testing
• Scout the location ahead of time.
When is it busiest? How is the wifi?
• Prep your computer or device (create
a different profile, or clean up the
desktop and disable notifications).
• Keep technology as light as possible.
You want to be mobile!
• Have an incentive to help recruit
users.

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Partner With a Local
Organization
The partner organization can help
facilitate recruiting and scheduling
participants.
You will be able to vet participants
ahead of time to ensure a good fit.
You can schedule testing sessions
for longer periods of time.
The partner organization may be
able to help coordinate a testing
venue as well.
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The pool of participants may be less
diverse than desired.
Establishing this relationship can be
tricky and require quite a bit of
legwork.
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Partner With a Local
Organization

Photo by Startaê Team on Unsplash
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Recording &
Documenting

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Have both a research moderator
and a note-taker present.
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TIP
Invite partners outside of your (design) team
to observe and capture notes.

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Takes Notes By Hand
If your team prefers to be analog:
• Agree on areas of feedback and visual
shorthand ahead of time.
• Have a shared place where each person
can upload a copy of their notes.
• Debrief as a group at the end of the day to
capture key takeaways and agree on next
steps while everything is fresh.

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Take Notes Digitally
If your team prefers an online solution,
check out Google Forms:
• Create a template to capture quantitative
and qualitative feedback.
• Export results to Google Sheets and
create charts, graphs, and other ways to
share the data you’ve collected.

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Take Notes Digitally
If your team prefers an online solution,
check out Google Forms:
• Create a template to capture quantitative
and qualitative feedback.
• Export results to Google Sheets and
create charts, graphs, and other ways to
share the data you’ve collected.

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Why Record Your Testing Sessions?
Go back later, verify
your observations, and
fill in gaps in your notes
Pull video clips or
quotes to include in
research recaps
Enable others in your
organization to view
the testing sessions

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Record Screen and
User Reactions
There are many options to choose from. Some easy, affordable solutions include:
QuickTime
Record screen, audio, and mouse clicks
Available by default on Mac
For a PC-compatible alternative to QuickTime,
try CamStudio.

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QuickTime Screen Recording

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Record Screen and
User Reactions
There are many options to choose from. Some easy, affordable solutions include:
QuickTime
Record screen, audio, and mouse clicks
Available by default on Mac
For a PC-compatible alternative to QuickTime,
try CamStudio.
Silverback
Record screen, audio, mouse clicks, and
user reactions
https://silverbackapp.com/

Source: https://www.redweb.com/agency/blog/user-testing-the-pain-and-gain-of-improving-our-facilities-part-one 44

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Record Screen and
User Reactions
There are many options to choose from. Some easy, affordable solutions include:
QuickTime
Record screen, audio, and mouse clicks
Available by default on Mac
For a PC-compatible alternative to QuickTime,
try CamStudio.
Reflector
Display mobile or tablet screen on your laptop
Compatible with Mac, Windows and Android
http://www.airsquirrels.com/reflector/
Silverback
Record screen, audio, mouse clicks, and
user reactions
https://silverbackapp.com/

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Silverback + Reflector
Screen Recording

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TIP
Get comfortable with your testing setup.
Do a trial run or two beforehand.

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You Got This!
Anyone can put together an awesome user
testing session.
Consider methods that are less traditional
but equally effective. Work with whatcha got!
If you’re not already testing your ideas with
users, start today.

THANK YOU
SHANNON LEAHY
hello@shannon-leahy.com
@sullivan_s
MATT LEAHY
matt@mattleahy.me

Photo by Joyce McCown on Unsplash
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Resources

Books
Don’t Make Me Think – Steve Krug
http://sensible.com/dmmt.html
Rocket Surgery Made Easy – Steve Krug
http://sensible.com/rsme.html
Just Enough Research – Erika Hall
https://abookapart.com/products/just-enough-research

Guerilla User Testing
A Guide to the Art of Guerilla UX Testing
https://medium.springboard.com/a-guide-to-the-art-of-guerrilla-ux-testing-
69a1411d34fb
10 Tips for ‘Ambush Guerilla User Testing’
http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2010/06/10-tips-for-ambush-guerilla-us.php
Getting Guerrilla With It
https://uxmag.com/articles/getting-guerrilla-with-it

Prototyping
High vs. Low Fidelity
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-prototype-hi-lo-fidelity/
4 Ways to Get Started with Content Testing
https://www.slideshare.net/ShannonLeahy2/4-ways-to-get-started-with-content-
testing

Online User Testing Platforms
UsabilityHub
https://usabilityhub.com
Userlytics
https://www.userlytics.com
UserTesting
https://www.usertesting.com

Online User Testing Platforms (Con’t.)
UsersThink
https://usersthink.com
UserZoom
https://www.userzoom.com
Validately
https://validately.com