Usability Testing: What They Are and How to Design Yours

An error that many web developers and designers make when working is believing that our point of view is the same as the user’s. After all, since we are also people who navigate the Internet, we’ll be better able to identify any usability errors on our website, right?

The truth is, it’s not always the case. The problem is that it’s very common to develop a kind of «blind spot» towards our own website.

It makes sense. When you’ve dedicated so many hours to the same project, it’s easy to assume that everything you do is obvious to everyone. But you have to put yourself in the shoes of the user who knows absolutely nothing about the project. Things that are obvious to you may not be obvious to them at all.

So, how do we prevent our website from being a failure? Easy: by asking the users themselves through a usability test.

As the name suggests, usability testing is a simple test administered to a group of representative users, in which they are asked to perform a series of tasks related to the website. For example, we can ask them to locate a specific section, make a purchase, or subscribe to our newsletter.

The goal is clear: to observe if users can carry out these tasks satisfactorily, without encountering obstacles along the way or feeling lost due to unintuitive designs. This way, we can identify areas for improvement and make corrections to our design before launching it to the world.

So, now that we know this, what steps should you follow to design your own usability test?

Steps to Design a Usability Test

1. Choose the right users. As many experts recommend, if your project is small, generally with a minimum of five people, you can get a good idea of how your website works. Select individuals who have no prior information about the project and who could be your target audience (for example, if your website is aimed at families and/or children, look for subjects who fit these characteristics).
2. Pose your questions and tasks strategically. What information will the user want to find? What content is most important? What function does your website serve? If your website is an e-commerce site, the most important thing is that the user can find the product they are looking for and make a purchase. If your website is the official page of a swim club, the user should be able to find information about the club and how to become a member. Therefore, make sure your usability test includes all those actions that are critical to the experience of your target user.
3. Analyze the results. Have users been unable to complete all the tasks you assigned them? Have they taken longer than usual to make a purchase on your e-commerce site? When they tried to fill out your contact form, did they receive an «error» message? All this information will help you measure the usability of your website and, consequently, the final satisfaction of your users. Take this opportunity to see how they interact with your page and analyze the path they take to get from one point to another. There may be processes that can be simplified or information that visitors are missing.

Without a doubt, usability tests are a very useful tool for receiving feedback from potential users. Learn to listen to them, and you’ll notice the difference.