Usability is an incredibly important factor in user experience testing. In fact, any product designed to be used by humans in order to achieve a certain objective has a usability component to it. On a more basic end, a screwdriver, for example, has lines on its handle to improve grip. On the more technological side, websites with good usability allow the users to go from one step to the next without much confusion and unnecessary actions. At User, we use a variety of usability testing tools to ensure that your product has the best usability possible, be it a website, an app, or other products.

Usability testing must focus on the user—after all, they are the ones who benefit from good usability. To that end, USER Experience Researchers uses a variety of methods including:

1.) User surveys - Collecting usability data by questionnaire.
2.) Focus groups - Discussing with internal or external group of people about services, products and websites.
3.) Interviews - Face to face to collect the feedback, or answers.
4.) Contextual inquiry – Observing users in context of where they might be using your product, such as at work, home or in our lab.
5.) User observation - Observing users to collect data in the specific environment.
6.) Usability reporting – We ask the users to report which elements in a website for example, do they find easy or difficult to use.

The above methods are used to test what they are looking for and when they use your product, in what ways might they be struggling to understand or achieve. We might conduct focus groups or interviews to ask them what they are looking for in products similar to yours. What factors are most important to them? What do they expect in products like yours? We brainstorm different scenarios and analyze what problems your product might encounter in these different cases. More specifically for user observations, in addition to contextual inquiry and user observation, we use the following methods:

1.) Screen recording – Capturing what the users are doing from their computer screens as they test the product.
2.) Screen sharing – Watch the users navigate a website, say, or an app through screen sharing from one or multiple computers.
3.) Voice recording
4.) Webcam recording
5.) Visualizations of user behavior – Using methods such as heat map to see where the visitors tend to click or look on your website and the process of how they use your website to accomplish a certain task.

Using the collected information, we develop prototypes—multiple prototypes to improve, improve, and improve your product, your app, or your website. After each prototyping, we will go through more surveys, interviews, and focus groups to figure out where we can make the process of using your product smoother and better. Which features are your users particularly confused on? How long does it take for them to learn how to use your product efficiently? These are all questions we ask in the process of usability testing.

To make your product’s usability better, we focus on the user interface design. We pay special attention to:

1.) Interaction design - As shown by the words, interaction design is simply the design of the interaction between users and products.
2.) Creativity but also standard norms – After all, users are used to certain things being the way they are, such as the log-in button being on the top right corner of a website, or the “enter” button changing its look slightly when the users click on it to signify that the website got the signal. At the same time, we develop innovative solutions to make the users’ experience faster, cleaner, and more efficient.
3.) Heuristic evaluation - A usability testing method that helps us evaluate usability problems in UI designs. We go through detailed testing process to ensure the best possible interface design for your product.

The usability of your product can make or break the success of your product. It is crucial to design the best interface and user experience possible in order to ensure that your customers are satisfied with what they get. At User, we will go through detailed testing and prototyping process so that your product can have the best usability.