Usability Testing
Usability Testing is the method of testing how users will use a specific product/service by carefully observing their interaction. This allows the designer to see if the users experience any problems/issues with the product. This will therefore allow the designer to improve the product upon these issues which have occurred multiple times during testing phase.
Usability testing is basically testing how user friendly it is to use a specific product.
There are different types of Usability testing:
- Comparative- Comparing a usability of one site/product with another one to see which one provides users with the best experience.
- Explorative- to determine what content and functionalities should be included in order to meet the users needs. The aim is highlight and fix any problems before launching the product.
The main advantages of usability testing are:
- Direct feedback from the user/ target audience.
- Detect any problems/issues the user may have with product so it can be fixed.
- It increases the likelihood of repeat usage
- it reduces the chance of the specific product failing to reach the expectations
- Helps businesses to succeed
The Disadvantages of Usability testing are:
- Testing may not be 100% accurate
- You will not get much feedback from usability testing as you do with a survey
- Only provides limited about of results
Reflection
For any project I complete, I think usability testing will be important to test how well the users interact with my product/service. It will let me know if the same issues occur with each user and gives me an opportunity to therefore improve the issue. I personality feel like usability testing seems like the best method for testing to ensure the product reaches the requirements of the users. If the product meets the users’ needs, then it will be more successful.
