Weekend Assignment: UX testing for the price of a pizza

In my previous post we looked at a few quick, easy tests you could do to check how well your site is working for your customers. If you haven’t done those yet, you can go back and do them any time.

So maybe you found a few little broken things (and if you did, good job!), but your site seems to be doing OK. If there were any big problems you’d have noticed them, right? Isn’t is obvious to everyone, that your “Neat-o Stuff” button leads to the store where you sell your products?

Nope. You are the last person in the world you should rely on here. You’ve been on the job too long. You already know your way around. However awkward or confusing things may be, they will seem familiar and natural to you. You’re fired. Time to hire some new blood.

Well, OK, you’re not fired. We still need you. Your new job is to sit quietly and take notes. And order pizza.

One of the most valuable things you can do is to watch new people try to use your Web site. Don’t worry! It’s easy, fun, and there’s enormous value in it when you consider what a bad user experience could be doing to your bottom line. Simply find someone who is pretty much like your customers, and ask them if they would let you observe while they use your Web site.

That’s where the pizza comes in. Bribery. “Hey, would you mind stopping by for a few minutes at lunch and trying out my Web site? I’ll buy the pizza!” Potential recruits at the office could include people who don’t report to you or work on your projects, new employees or temps (who don’t already know everything), or someone you just met on the elevator. For testing off-site, consider your family, neighbors, or friends. It helps if they are outgoing, arrogant, and have a bad attitude. You don’t need to hear “well, gosh, your site is real nice. It looks just fine, dear.”

We’re not talking about elaborate, scientific testing here. You are looking for problems like “huh… I don’t see any prices for anything” or “what on earth does this weird symbol mean?” Assure your recruits that any problems they experience are to be blamed on poor site design, not on them. Start them off with a little nudge in the right direction, like “pretend you are looking for a new desk for your office, and you need it delivered.” Then sit back and take notes. Let them struggle, without jumping in to help (this is really hard to do, when you know exactly where they should click). Notice (and take notes!) when they have trouble. Keep them talking. Ask them from time to time to keep sharing what they are thinking. Don’t give them the answers (unless they get hopelessly stuck).

You will probably be amazed at the things you thought were crystal clear, and yet users will miss seeing them, won’t understand what they are, or will attempt to use them in ways that never occurred to you. This kind of informal testing can be a real eye-opener.

Yes, more focused, professionally-designed tests, run by trained moderators, and recorded for detailed analysis are very worthwhile. But this baling twine and duct tape approach is valuable, too, and can help you quickly find things that are not working well for your customers. So order that pizza, grab your note pad, and round up your first recruit. Let us know what you find, in the comments, below.