One of the keys to establishing a successful startup is conducting trials or commonly called Usability Testing. The definition of Usability Testing itself is the process of product testing by people who are potential users of your product to do several things and you record their response when using it, starting from their feelings, their opinions, to the difficulties they may face. 

The purpose of doing usability testing is to find out whether your product is suitable for use or not, or whether your product is easy enough for users to use so that they can achieve their goals when using your product. 

Usability Testing Method 

There are many ways that #GenerationInventors can use when doing Usability Testing. First, there are qualitative and quantitative methods whose difference lies in the data that has been collected. In qualitative methods, you need to focus on the attitudes and behaviors that users generate when trying your product. Whereas in the quantitative method, you need to collect data that is numerical, such as the percentage of users who successfully complete a task, the time it takes the average user to complete a request, the number of users who make mistakes while doing something, and so on.

The second way that you can use to do usability testing is the moderated and unmoderated method. In the moderated method, you need to prepare a moderator to guide the trial participants to do some of the things you need, ask follow-up questions about your product, as well as to give instructions in doing the things that are requested. On the other hand, in the unmoderated method, you do not need to prepare a moderator for the trial participants because product testing is carried out without a guide during the trial process. Participants only need to be given instructions at the beginning of the test process, and after that, the participants will do the test themselves.

Some other ways that can be considered are the laboratory usability testing method where you need a laboratory room that is divided into two separate rooms, one for supervision, and the other for test participants to do the things they are asked to do without knowing that they are being observed; a remote usability testing method to conduct trials when the observers and test participants are in different places, using a support platform on each participant’s laptop or cell phone.

Usability Testing Tools Recommendation

The usability testing method that costs the least and is easiest for startups who are just starting their business is the remote usability testing method. Therefore, the following Ideanation provides some recommendations for platforms and usability testing tools.

1. Maze

Maze is a fast test platform that allows you to collect both qualitative and quantitative data in one platform. This usability testing tool is integrated with applications commonly used to create prototypes such as Adobe XD, Figma, InVision, Marvel, or Sketch.

This Maze platform can give you the freedom to collect data such as percentage of task completion, click errors, time spent completing one thing, and much more. Even more interesting, Maze can provide test results in one link that can be shared at once with several people on your team.

2. Crazy Egg

This platform is useful for viewing click-based user experience in a very easy way. You simply type in the website address of your product prototype, and after that you can see several indicators such as:

• The Heatmap: which pages or buttons the user clicks on
• The Scrollmap: how far the user scrolls the page
• The Confetti: detailed information about user origin, terms commonly used or related to your product to find product prototypes
• The Overlay: a number that shows how many users clicked on each page on the website

3. Optimizely

A fairly popular tool for doing A/B testing is Optimizely, where this platform offers you to be able to track user visits and conversions that occur when a user is opening a product prototype page. Features offered by Optimizely include:

• Mobile website testing
• Cross-browser testing
• Visitor segmentation
• Geotargeting
• Multivariate testing

4. Lookback

Lookback is a usability testing platform using a remote test method which is generally intended for designers and product managers who want to know how users interact with the product being built.

This platform has a facility that offers you to see user reactions in real-time and live, based on recordings, or in-person. If you have found a candidate who will do a product trial, the trial participant will get a link to download your product prototype on their cellphone and start the trial process. Records of the trial process will also be available for you to share with your teammates.

5. Usertesting.com

UserTesting is a customer experience viewing platform for designers, product managers, marketers and executives. Their platform allows you to see, hear, and talk to your customers as they interact with your website, app, or prototype.

Within this platform, there is Insight Core, a tool to build and create research and testing for users of your product. UserTesting offers different features, such as Product Insights, which offers pre-formatted tests and same-day video interviews designed to give you real customer results, quickly.

With some of the usability testing tool recommendations above, #GenerasiPenemu can have several options to test your product on the market in an easy way and of course at an affordable cost.

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