A look at the ins and outs of conducting a great usability test that helps to get you the insight you need - while being mindful of budget constraints and resource issues.

1. USABILITY TESTING
TIPS, TOOLS, AND MORE
#BUX Meetup Event | September 20, 2016
Presenter: Susan Iovenitti

2. Image
Sources:
Giphy.com

3. LET’S GET STARTED…

4. INVOLVE YOUR TEAM IN PLANNING
Understand their needs and what they may need to learn from the test.
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5. WRITE TEST GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Make sure east task that you create aligns to them.
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6. WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? HOW?
Determine these important things early on.
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7. If you have participant limitations, get as close to your “ideal” panel as
possible.
Stay flexible and creative - It’s always better to test with someone than no one.
WHO do you need to participate in the test?

8. WHAT exactly are you going to test?
Determine what you’ll test – live site, app, prototype, competitive site – and
figure out what needs to be in place to run a successful test.
Make sure that your participants will be able to easily access the test subject.

9. WHEN is the best time to run your test?
Think about project milestones and when test data will be most actionable.
Align these with team needs, not just your own.
Don’t hesitate to test multiple iterations and to take different paths with different
rounds of testing.

10. WHERE do you need to conduct testing?
Figure out if you need to capture participants in the wild, in a controlled
environment, or behind a firewall.
Keep your timeline and application in mind.

11. HOW are you going to run the test?
The type of testing you conduct needs to align with your available tools,
timeline, and goals/objectives.
Use the tool that’s right for the test you need to run, and make sure you have a way
to capture the information that you need to get.

12. USABILITY TESTING TOOLS
USABILITY TESTING FIRST GLANCE FEEDBACK IA/CONTENT ORGANIZATION ANALYTICS-STYLE TESTING
Moderated:
• WebEx
• GoTo Meeting
Make sure they have recording
and audio features.
Unmoderated:
• UserTesting.com
• Morae
• The User is Drunk
• The User is My Mom
• Chalkmark (Optimal
Workshop)
• Peek (UserTesting.com)
Optimal Workshop:
• Optimal Sort
• Tree Jack
• Crazy Egg
• Analytics Tools (Omniture,
Google Analytics)
Many of these you can try them out for free or for a low cost to see if you like
them. Some deliver more with larger plans and more dedicated support.

13. ASSEMBLE A SOLID PARTICIPANT PANEL
Recruit and screen the best panel that you can. Keep their needs in mind.
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14. DEFINE SUCCESS AND MEASUREMENT
Establish success criteria and measurement goals – and share them around.
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15. EDIT, THEN EDIT SOME MORE
Give your test script a second and third look. Is everything clear?
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16. TAKE IT FOR A TEST DRIVE
Set up a dry run test to make sure you’re happy with your script.
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17. SET GROUND RULES, BUT BE FLEXIBLE
Share rules of the test with observers, and stay open to participant diversions.
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18. WELCOME UNNATURAL PAUSES
There’s a goldmine of insight and data in them.
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19. REPORT AND RECOMMEND
Arm yourself and stakeholders with data and actionable next steps.
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20. REPORTING
• Reminder of test objectives, demographics, participant details
• Recap test tasks (high-level)
• High-level findings
• Recommendations - Top 5 recommendations
Include video snippets of tests, highlight reels, and user quotes, to
help bring your participants to life in your report.

21. DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY
Innovate to get the data you need to make informed decisions.
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22. THANK YOU
If you have questions, let’s chat more!
Twitter: @siovenitti
BUX Slack: siovenitti
Email: s.iovenitti@gmail.com