{"id":848,"date":"2014-02-16T10:43:39","date_gmt":"2014-02-16T15:43:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.agilityfeat.com\/?p=848"},"modified":"2014-02-16T10:43:39","modified_gmt":"2014-02-16T15:43:39","slug":"usability-testing-is-like-working-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/34.200.113.64\/en\/blog\/2014\/02\/usability-testing-is-like-working-out\/","title":{"rendered":"Why you are as bad at Usability Testing as working out"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"i-forgot-to-post-on-facebook-i-was-going-to-the-gym\"<\/a>How are those New Year\u2019s resolutions going? If it\u2019s anything like mine, it\u2019s probably not going quite as well as planned. You were really into your new goal for a couple of days, downloaded a new app to help you along, made some kind of plan, and then life got busy. <\/p>\n

The old routine kicked in and a few weeks later, you were repeating the same thing again: \u201cI really need to work out more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our team here at AgilityFeat has been conducting interviews with UX practitioners to learn how they are doing usability testing. We started hearing the same kinds of things — \u201cWe should do more usability testing\u201d — in a way reminiscent to the whole \u201cI need to work out more\u201d thing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We all know we need to do it, but it\u2019s often not our top priority. As we\u2019ve continued to explore this problem with failed usability resolutions through conversations, we\u2019ve noticed some trends:<\/p>\n

#1 Everyone values usability testing<\/h2>\n

Everyone we talk to sees tremendous value in usability testing. Anytime you sit down with customers and show them your software, you learn a ton. People look for things you didn\u2019t expect, try to click in places you didn\u2019t make clickable, and stumble on menu structures you thought seemed really clear. <\/p>\n

Most people understand this, which is why UX is becoming a more prominent role. Whenever IT teams do get around to some usability testing, they leave the sessions with the same sort of endorphins you feel after a good workout: \u201cThat felt great!\u201d \u201cWe should do that more!\u201d<\/strong> <\/p>\n

And yet they still don\u2019t \u2026 Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

#2 Usability testing means many different things<\/h2>\n

\"Only13lbsToGo\"Because our company is widely distributed around North and Central America, we\u2019re particularly interested in remote usability testing. When talking with UX practitioners, we\u2019ve been a little surprised to learn how many different approaches to usability testing there are. It\u2019s not just a choice of remote and in-person; there\u2019s a lot of variation on timing, pre-screening, incentives, and more.<\/p>\n

Some companies only do usability testing after a release<\/strong>, to see if users like the new features or behave the way they expected. Or they do usability testing as a sort of manual A\/B testing<\/strong> of different features. Some companies test new features before they\u2019re deployed<\/strong>, and this could involve \u201ctesting\u201d against a mockup or prototype, or sending the user to a private beta URL. <\/p>\n

Others conduct usability testing purely in the \u201cthink aloud\u201d<\/strong><\/a> style, asking users to accomplish a task on the production site as they sit back silently and take notes. Some prefer to do the usability testing in person to better gauge a subject\u2019s emotional reactions. Others prefer remote usability testing with desktop screen sharing tools, aiming to see the test subject perform in their natural work or home environment<\/strong>, rather than a fabricated UX lab setting.<\/p>\n

Everyone values usability testing, but there are many different compelling motivations to do it — again, just like exercise. Some of us are looking ahead to summer swimsuits, others are just trying to extend their lifespan. <\/p>\n

Every UX practitioner values usability testing and *should be* motivated to do it, so again, why aren\u2019t people doing more of it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

#3 Finding relevant test subjects is difficult, depending on the size and nature of the organization<\/h2>\n

Many companies we\u2019ve researched use usertesting.com to recruit test participants outside of the current customer base. UserTesting provides a base of millions of potential test subjects, which is wonderful, but are those users truly relevant to your application? Finding good test subjects can be complicated and time consuming. Some companies we talked with have this down to a science, others struggle with the amount of work it takes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Depending on the type of usability test, some companies go to their own user base or live visitors on their website and try to recruit them. Others take cameras and go out to the homes or businesses of their customers. And one company we talked with particularly values testing their applications with users who are not as internet savvy – so they use traditional recruitment methods like posting flyers in grocery stores.<\/p>\n

Once you get a willing participant, getting them to actually show up and participate is another issue. <\/strong>Signing up for that boot camp exercise class is easy, actually waking up early enough in the morning to fit it in\u2026 not so easy.<\/p>\n

#4 Usability testing has a learning curve<\/h2>\n

One of the biggest challenges to remote usability testing is the onboarding process.<\/strong> In order to conduct a 30-minute usability session, you often need 15-20 minutes of prep time to: <\/p>\n