You can get paid as a user tester if the idea of receiving ten dollars for about twenty minutes work appeals to you. A lot of website owners avoided usability testing in the past because it used to be an expensive process.

However, the recent concept of using freelance workers has made this process more available and an increasing number of website owners are now willing to pay for an in-depth evaluation of the performance of their sites. This is what has created more opportunities for individuals who are willing to be user testers.

• The Process Of Web Usability Testing
• How To Apply As A User Tester
• A Few Tips For Website Testing
• How do I Become a User Tester?
• What Are Some Testing Websites?
• How do You Pass a User Tester?
• How do I Become a User Experience Tester?
• What Does a User Tester do?
• What is a User Experience Tester?
• How Can I be a Good User Tester?
• How do I Become a User Acceptance Tester?
• Does User Testing Really Pay?
• How do You Get Paid to be a Tester?
• How Much do User Testers Make?
• Can You Make Good Money With UserTesting?
• How to do User Testing?
• Types of User Testing

The Process Of Web Usability Testing

Web usability testing is a simple process. All that is required is that you record your voice and mouse movements with the use of an online recorder according to the instructions given by the client. You have to be able to think aloud while you move about on the client’s website.

Read Also: Making Money The Easy Way

You need a very reliable internet connection and you must be able to understand the details of the task as demanded by the customer. This job is not really for everyone because technical issues sometimes arise during testing and you will need to find a solution to them.

Your job is to provide the owner of the website with a written and recorded usability evaluation of the website. Your thoughts will be recorded as you browse through the website. The most popular site for this job is usertesting.com. They have a continuously updated database of testers from various demographic groups. Projects are assigned to you when your profile matches the requirements for the job.

How To Apply As A User Tester

Before you can get paid as a user tester, you have to complete an application at the user testing website. You have to provide certain details about yourself. You will also have to show what you are able to do by testing a sample website for a few minutes. The software needed for the job is provided free of charge.

• Submit your email and take a quick practice test to join our global network of trusted contributors.
• Answer screening questions to match with test opportunities. New tests are released all the time!
• Share your perspectives via tests you match with, and help best-in-class brands improve their products and services.
• Earn $4 USD for every 5-minute test, $10 USD for every 20-minute test and between $30 USD to $120 USD for live interviews.

A Few Tips For Website Testing

Before you fill the application form, you should spend some time watching one or two of the sample videos in order to know what you have to do. Articulateness and honesty is important when you are reviewing any website.

Your voice should be loud and clear and you should express your opinions about the good and bad points of the site that you are testing. Let them know what should be changed. You are expected to provide the point of view of a prospective customer.

Once you are approved as a user tester, you will be contacted anytime there is a project that fits your profile. You should not rely on website testing as a source of regular income. The money is good but you may not get projects regularly.

Expect to get a maximum of two or three jobs weekly. UserTesting is presently the most prominent site that offers this type of job but you can search online for other companies that will enable you to get paid as a user tester.

How do I Become a User Tester?

It is basically a process used to evaluate the websites by letting average users use them and find mistakes. It’s a tester’s job to test the website/software or apps by checking how user-friendly it is.

Is it easy to navigate? Can you use it easily? Is it easy to find desired information? How can you we the design? These are the typical questions that the testers have to answer when testing the websites. This helps companies fix any errors or bugs before launching their websites or apps to the public.

There are many companies that pay average people to test out their websites. Yes, users actually earn money to find flaws in the websites and apps. Pretty cool right? The best part is that you don’t have to be a techie to become a website tester.

The only thing you need to be good at is speaking fluent English (to understand the text) and know how websites work. That’s it!

What Are Some Testing Websites?

Here’s a list of top 10 websites that pay you to test them.

1. UserTesting

To become a website tester apply. After applying, UserTesting will require you to download a recording software. This software records your screen actions and your voice. That’s how you tell them about problems you might find during testing.

Once that’s done, users have to take a sample test, like an audition to apply for testing websites. If your sample test is approved, you can start taking the tests immediately.

Payment Details Users are paid through PayPal. Each test pays around $3-$10 depending on the duration of the test. Most test take 10 to 20 mins to complete. UserTesting is open to all local and international people.

2. TryMyUI

To become a tester, the user needs to be at least 18 years of age. After registering yourself , you have to fill up a demographics questionnaire. After completing it you will have to perform a qualifications test. Before starting the test, download the screen recording application. The download link will be provided. After taking the test the company will get back to you in 24 hours to let you know if your application has been approved or not.

Payment TryMyUI pays its testers through PayPal. The standard fee to complete one test is $10. Users from all countries can apply to become a tester.

3. Enroll App

Enroll app is a very simplistic website testing platform that you can use on any device e.g Tablet or phone. Once that’s done, you’ll be taken to the dashboard where you will answer some questions and take sample tests. The app will notify you through email or text if any test comes up. 

Enroll apps allows its testers to test websites without having to record their sessions like other companies. Testers simply have to check the website for what is required and answer questions that the clients ask.

Payment Enroll App pays its tester through PayPal. Testers get paid in between $0.10-$1.5 for each test. Such tests take 5 to 10 mins to complete.

4. UserTest

Become a website tester in 3 easy steps. First users sign up with their email, next you download their screen recording software and finally you submit a sample review that tests your audio and observation.

Once your sample review gets approved, you can immediately start working on paid tests. You will receive your tests through e-mail. UserTest hires testers from all over the world that have PayPal accounts.

Payment UserTest pays its users through PayPal. Average tests are 20 minutes long. UserTest pays its testers a standard fee of $10 and you’ll receive payment within 2 days of the test taken.

5. UTest

UTest is a really good platform for freelance software testing. To become a tester, sign up. Whats great about this platform is that if you speak other languages aside from English, this gives you an advantage of being eligible to apply for more opportunities around the world. You have to be 18+ to become a tester. You test websites by filling up a survey to provide feedback.

Payment UTest pays its testers through PayPal and Payoneer debit card. Testers earn pays ranging from $10-$50 depending on the variety of tasks and the complexity of it.

6. Userfeel

Userfeel is another great platform for website testing. What’s great about this platform is that its multilingual, supporting over 40 languages. This means you can test websites and apps in your own languages. It all depends on what languages you have put on your profile. To become a tester, register for an account and take a sample test. After approval, you’ll start getting tests via e-mail.

Payment Userfeel pays its testers though PayPal and Payoneer. Testers earn $10 for every test that they complete.

7. Userlytics

Become a website tester on Userlytics by applying. Userlytics allows its users to test websites from many different regions like Southeast Asia, SA, China, Japan, along with Europe and North America. After receiving an invitation to try out a test, you can download their recording software. Testing tasks usually take 20-40 mins. Whats interesting about this platform is that there is no initial test users need to take to become a tester.

Payment Userlytics pays its users through PayPal. The testers get paid anything between $10-$20 depending on the complexity of the test.

8. WhatUsersDo

WhatUsersDo is another good website testing platform. You can become a tester in 3 easy steps. First you sign up, download their screen recording application and take a practice test. If they approve your application you’ll receive an invitation every time a test is available via email. Users mostly get around 3-5 tests per month.

Payment WhatUsersDo pays its testers through PayPal. Users get paid between $5-$12 per test taken. The payment is released 25th of every month.

9. Validately

You can apply to become a tester on Validately. Once you register and fill out your basic demographic information you’ll start receiving emails offering tests. The tests will take 5 to 30 mins where you’ll record your feedback. Users have to be 18 above to work as a tester here.

Payment Validately pays its testers through PayPal. Users will earn a fee of $5–$10 per test. And for tests that require testers to share their screen with a moderator and have a live session of 30 mins will get paid a standard fee of $25.

10. TestingTime

This Swiss startup is another good website that hires website testers. To become a tester sign up. Once your application is approved, you will start receiving tests via email. The good thing is there’s no additional software to download, the company uses Skype for their tests.

Payment TestingTime pays its users through PayPal or Direct Deposit. The users are paid up to 50 Euro per test depending on the type and duration of the test.

How do You Pass a User Tester?

User testing doesn’t have to be hard. Here are 6 tips to help you get valuable user feedback—and have a great time doing it!

The idea of getting your product ripped apart by users in real time can seem overwhelming—but in reality, the process isn’t that scary. Promise.

We put together 6 quick tips to make sure your first user test is anxiety-free—and a resounding success.

1. Define your test

First things first: What should you ask users?

Start by taking note of what questions your team is currently trying to answer.

Are you looking to improve your user onboarding? Rachel Decker, Product Manager at ezCater, explains:

If you’re designing an onboarding flow, you have a goal: get the user to complete (at least) one meaningful task in your product. For Twitter, this may be following people the user admires, while for Duolingo this may mean starting your first Spanish lesson.

Or you might be trying to increase feature adoption. Or maybe you’re wondering how users are feeling about a particular change in your UI. There’s no right or wrong answer, but it is important to prioritize the problem you want to dig into with this user testing.

For your first user test, try limiting your focus to one question or area of your product. Then, brush off those rusty science fair skills and develop a hypothesis and a few predictions. Having a hypothesis will give your reflections structure as you study the results of your user test.

2. Keep it simple

Don’t overthink it. Seriously.

Each user test should be around 5 to 7 minutes, and you might only need about 5 tests to get to the maximum benefit-cost ratio.

We call it minimum viable user testing, and it’ll save you time, money, and headaches.

3. Practice makes perfect

A few days before your first user test, rehearse the process with teammates to ensure everything will run smoothly. Grab a colleague from another team (someone who wasn’t involved in user testing planning) to act as the user and set a timer to see how long it takes to complete the test.

It’s also a good idea to write a welcome script to give your users context before the test begins.

Things to include in the script:

• An introduction about yourself and your product
• Information about what they are going to test
• How long the test will take
• A reminder that you are testing the product, not their performance
• Permission to record video/audio feedback

4. Listen up

User testing is really all about listening. Ask open-ended questions and make sure you have a reliable method of recording feedback.

Begin by getting some personal insight about your user. Tristan Harward, Head of Product Design here at Appcues, told User Interviews that the biggest mistake in user testing is not forming a good connection or building enough empathy from the start:

That part of an interview where you talk about the user’s background and experience and job or whatever profile fields you want to capture — it’s a huge opportunity. You can gain empathy and context, guide what you ask in the future and how you ask it, and build a rapport so the rest of the interview is multiplied.

I think a relaxed, happy person who knows you have their back and aren’t judging them will get so much deeper on any topic. Make an honest human connection with the person on the other end, and set it up so it’s all but guaranteed that you get truth and honesty just oozing out of the conversation. In my experience, that happens more often when I achieve a good connection early on.

It’s not easy, but it’s worth shooting for.

5. Share your insights

Once your user test is complete, bring what you learned back to your team. That doesn’t have to mean a full report, explains Rachel Decker.

You don’t need a lengthy write up on the findings. Just get your team to agree on what the most important takeaways were, document them, and decide on next steps together.

Try disseminating your newfound insights by:

• Hosting a lunch-and-learn with your team
• Creating an article in your internal documentation
• Sending out an email to your team or company
• Having a dedicated Slack channel for ongoing feedback

6. Get another one on the books, ASAP

Test early and often.

In that interview with User Interviews, Tristan also said:

The biggest thing I wish I had been told when getting started would be, just to talk to as many users as you can… You can learn all the little tips along the way, but nothing takes the place of experience and practice. Drop all your fears and schedule 5 calls this week and just do your best, get feedback, mess up a lot, and try it all again next week.

The best part of user testing is that you build empathy for your user, which in turn builds momentum and alignment within your team. So make it a habit for yourself and your team by scheduling user tests on a recurring basis.

How do I Become a User Experience Tester?

User testing is a technique employed in design to get a website, product/MVP (Minimum Viable Product), feature or a prototype assessed through the real users.

User testing is crucial as it lets the design team find any discord in the user experience that they are designing so that any issues can be addressed and rectified before the final product goes live. Identifying and fixing issues at the earlier stages indeed cuts down the long-term cost.

In order to set up user testing, a test plan needs to be set up first, then the participants are recruited (they should be the representatives of the actual user base), they are asked to perform certain tasks on the product or service, results are recorded and analyzed by the UX experts to produce findings and recommendations.

Ideally, user testing should be done in every project as it helps in reducing risk, improving the process and thereby saving business cost.

In order to become a website tester, you need to sign up at Usertesting.com by just giving your email address and complete a sample test.

Once the sample is approved, you will be going through the complete signup process where you will have to provide your profile details, PayPal account details, etc. and after that, you can pick up the real tests and start making money.

Having a PayPal account is a pre-requisite as you will be required to mention your PayPal account details at the time of profile creation. So, if you do not have a PayPal account, we would suggest you create one once your sample test is approved by usertesting.com.

What Does a User Tester do?

The purpose of this process is to evaluate the usability of that website or app and to decide whether the product is ready to be launched for real users. For relevant results, the testers shouldn’t be directed too much and should be allowed to interact with the website or app naturally, to see if the system is intuitive and comfortable enough to use by people who aren’t yet familiar with it.

They conduct usability tests on websites. Their job is to imagine a given scenario and perform certain tasks, like finding a product in an online store and going through the checkout process. This helps site owners find and fix usability issues.

You may be asked to go through the checkout process of online stores, but most of the time the scenarios will ask you to stop before clicking on the final submit button. In any case, you SHOULD NOT enter your real credit card details while performing a test.

What is a User Experience Tester?

User experience testing is the process of testing different aspects of user experience to determine the best way for a website and its elements to interact with its audience.

It’s not dissimilar to running a brick-and-mortar store. You want to know which aisles attract the most customers, which shelf heights move the most product, and what types of signage convince customers to convert.

Many stores use digital tools to measure UX testing in-store.

For online businesses — whether B2B, B2C, e-commerce, or service-oriented — user experience testing helps identify areas of weakness and improve upon them.

You can test for trust, first impressions, comparison (e.g. A/B testing), time on page, and more. As you compile data, you’ll start to see patterns.

Think about your website for a second. What are your goals?

You obviously want to increase sales, but how do you make it happen? You can’t just click a button and flood money into your bank account.

Instead, you have to figure out what influences (or dissuades) consumers from buying your products and services. That’s the heart of user experience testing.

To increase sales, you have to fulfill each user’s needs. What does he or she need to complete the checkout process?

A few things come to mind immediately:

• Clear navigation
• Easy access to product information
• Easy checkout processes
• Trust symbols
• Social proof

The list goes on. However, what one audience needs, another might not. That’s why you can’t just follow UX best practices blindly and assume you’ll rake in the dough.

Advice and best practices give you a starting point, but you have to test your hypotheses with your own user base.

How Can I be a Good User Tester?

To ensure you set up a valid usability test you need to understand the user testing process.

The problem many designers and product development teams have, however, is conducting user testing that will identify actual product issues and design flaws. This is understandable.

There are a lot of variables that can influence the quality and validity of a usability test. Things like budget, tight deadlines, participants, shortages in staff, poorly structured questions, unclear criteria, and different testing environments can — and generally do — devalue the final results.

To ensure you set up a valid usability test you need to understand the user testing process. We’ve jotted down 6 easy-to-follow steps for successful user testing. Let’s get straight into it.

Step 1: Define Testing Objectives

Start by clearly outlining your user testing goals. What is it you want to test and what answers do you expect to obtain?

Maybe it’s:

• Task completion. Can the user complete the task? What’s stopping the user from completing the task? How far into the task completion funnel can users get?
• Time for task. How much time does the user need to complete the task? Does the task take too much or too little time to complete?
• Flow efficiency. Can users easily navigate through the product? Was any part of the user flow confusing? Do you need to add/remove any steps?
• Error detection. Did users experience any errors? When did the errors occur? Were they avoidable or unavoidable? Could the user recover from the setback?

Or maybe it’s something else entirely.

What you want to test is completely up to you. Just make sure you define your testing objectives beforehand and maintain consistency. Don’t expect to just ‘wing it’ because you won’t. Usability testing takes a lot of research, planning and preparation. So be ready with a solid test plan.

Step 2: Choose a User Testing Method

Once you’ve decided what you want to get out of testing, it’s time to choose the most adequate user testing method. There are numerous testing methods to consider. Here are some common ones:

• Individual in-depth interviews. This method takes the longest to complete and requires a trained test moderator to run the user test with the help of a prepared script and task scenarios.
• Remote user testing. A cost-effective technique, remote user testing can be conducted in a natural setting, like at home or work, and can be moderated or unmoderated.
• Card-sorting. Participants organize content cards into a dendrogram that makes the most sense to them.
• A/B testing. Users are given two alternatives of a digital product to determine which version performs better. This method needs more participants than others for accurate results.
• Eye movement tracking. This method employs eye-tracking software to trace where users are looking when interacting with your product.
• Focus groups. This test involves a moderated discussion between small groups of users and takes place in a room equipped with a two-way mirror.

When choosing a user testing method, have in mind where your product is currently at in the product development cycle. Some testing methods are better to use early on, while some work better on a finished product. Of course, you also want to consider things like budget, resources, and testing facilities before you choose a testing method.

Step 3: Find Representative Users

When recruiting users to sit through user testing, make sure you have established clear selection criteria. This is so that you test people who match your target user profile.

Around 3–5 users are generally more than enough to identify key issues. Segment test participants according to certain characteristics that reflect your perfect user persona, like:

• Age
• Gender
• Location
• Education
• Profession
• Income
• Technical proficiency
• Other characteristics specific to your product

Choose people who are not familiar with your product for more reliable results. Users who are already familiarized with your product may have preconceived ideas about completing tasks. Or their wish to maintain the status quo may result in serving up false flattery over constructive criticism.

For this reason, you want to avoid recruiting fellow employees, their immediate family members and friends. It’s highly likely that testing your product on these groups of people will contaminate the reliability of the final results.

In addition to test participants, you also need an experienced facilitator to guide the test and see to it that everything runs smoothly, as well as several observers who will take notes during the test.

Tip: Make sure your screening questions are inclusive when asking personal questions. For instance, if one of your questions is about income, provide income brackets in order to respect the applicant’s privacy. Don’t ask them to reveal their exact salary, as this crosses the line of confidentiality.

Step 4: Create Task Scenarios

The way you ask users to complete tasks is paramount to user testing success. You don’t want to reveal the exact order of actions users need to take in order to get from point A to point B. The purpose of user testing isn’t to direct users towards the finish line, but to give them enough information to complete the journey intuitively — on their own accord.

Be vague in your task scenarios. Share as little information as needed to complete the task. Providing too many instructions can ruin the purpose of the test. Think of it like a mathematical equation. You give users a problem and they have to find the correct formula to solve it.

Why it’s bad: You’re not leaving much room for the user to figure out the user flow. Therefore, you can’t guarantee that the user would achieve the same results without explicit instructions.

And here’s an example of a good task scenario:

Explore the website and buy a pair of red sandals in your size using the credit card number provided.

Why it’s good: You’re giving the user a sufficient amount of information on what you want them to do, without revealing too much.

Furthermore, when formulating task scenarios, be sure to incorporate both open-ended and goal-specific tasks. Open-ended questions are great for observing users interact with a product freely without guided interruption, while goal-specific tasks are effective in testing particular features. Both are extremely valuable in user testing when used correctly.

Step 5: Replicate the Testing Environment

Replicate everything you do and say during user testing. This includes when and how you say and do something. While this may seem a bit over the top, trust us — it’s not. Recreating the testing environment is the only way you can be 100% certain that your results are accurate.

Scripts also play a very important role in user testing. By having a script you eliminate the chances of inconsistencies occurring during testing. Interestingly, it is generally the test facilitator that prompts inconsistencies to happen.

For example, they might greet one participant in one way, and emphasize particular parts of a task to another. Or they may disclose certain details about the testing process to some and not to others. All of this adds up to an inconsistent testing environment.

For this reason, it’s best to use a script to replicate the testing environment and ensure consistency is maintained throughout.

Step 6: Analyze the Findings

This is the moment you’ve been waiting for. It’s finally time to gather the results and make sense of them. How have the participants responded to the test? What key issues did they uncover? Have any of your hypotheses been proven true? Share and summarize your findings with your team.

After you’ve finished summarizing the findings, work together with the design and development team to prioritize issues, identify possible solutions, and determine the best course of action to improve the user experience.

How do I Become a User Acceptance Tester?

A user acceptance tester, sometimes known as a beta tester, tests a software product before its release to the general public. Many software and mobile application companies deploy user testing to find any last-minute bugs or issues in their products. You should have strong analytical skills, but depending on the role you play, qualifications for this career vary.

Some user acceptance testers work directly for the software company and have experience with software development. However, some beta testers are brought in as a representative of a typical user. The job is usually part of the quality assurance department, and your duties include making reports to the department after your surveys are complete.

To become a user acceptance tester, also known as a UAT, you typically need a bachelor’s degree, preferably in computer science, and some experience in software development or quality assurance testing. User acceptance testing responsibilities require an understanding of the development process and the ability to create testing strategies and cases based on software requirements.

Additional qualifications include organizational and time management skills, attention to detail, and the ability to communicate with both the development team and non-technical end-users. You must also be able to work independently and have strong decision-making skills.

Does User Testing Really Pay?

The payment for each test varies depending upon the type and duration of the test. Generally, the pay for each test varies between $3 to $60. The average payment is $10 per test.

They pay $10 for every 20-minute video you complete. For this, you need to visit a website or an application, follow instructions and finish a set of tasks using your computer or mobile phone and then give loud feedback about the user experience.

Your English should be strong enough to share feedbacks clearly. These tasks generally take around 10-20 minutes to be completed. The payment is through PayPal account. So, you should have a PayPal account and be situated in a country that accepts PayPal transfers.

The payment is done after 7 days of completing the test.

How do You Get Paid to be a Tester?

First, you’ll need to sign up with a market research firm that offers product testing at home. Once you do this, the market research firm will send you screener emails to fill out to see if you’ll qualify for their current product test jobs.

When you fill out their screener survey, they’ll let you know at the end if you are eligible or not. For example, let say the brand is looking for people to test out their new makeup, if you don’t use cosmetic products then you won’t qualify. If you do, then you’ll be eligible for the product testing job.

Once you get the approval to test, the brand will ask for your address to send you the product to evaluate for a week or two. Then, they’ll follow up with you with an email asking for feedback about the product you’ve tested. When you’re done, you get paid!

What’s great is that you can test products and keep them too! So, test products, keep it, and get paid! A win-win!! You’ll feel good that you had a voice and played a part in the latest product creation.

How Much do User Testers Make?

Most tests pay $10 for successful completion.

On average, you can earn $10 per 20 minutes, which is the typical length of each test. At times, you can complete a test in 5 -10 minutes and you’ll still get paid $10. It really depends on the brand and what they ask you to do on-screen.

Live Tests are longer tests that will have a moderator present, and you can earn $30 or $60 depending on the length of time.

It depends on your current and past work experience and how versed you are with websites and technology as an end-user (not developer).

Can You Make Good Money With UserTesting?

UserTesting says that it can help companies to increase their conversion rates, user testing, and advertising ROI. But in order to do this, they need people who are willing to share their opinion… and will pay you to share yours. But can you really make money with the UserTesting website?

UserTesting makes money by collecting real videos of people speaking their thoughts on different prototypes, websites, mobile apps, and products. 

So, if a company builds a website, and wants some real feedback on it, they can pay UserTesting to provide them with real-life reaction videos, recorded by real people who are really using the site.

This could provide a lot of very useful feedback for the companies involved. The only problem, however, is that UserTesting obviously needs people to record the videos

As for how much money you can make, UserTesting makes it very clear that this site will not make you rich. Rather, it is intended as an opportunity that will allow users to make ‘a few extra dollars on the side.’

The number of cash-making opportunities that you will receive after signing up for this site will depend on a number of factors. Your demographic will play a role, as will your quality rating.

How to do User Testing?

In order to gain as many relevant insights as possible from user research, thorough preparation is required. For example, it should be clearly defined right from the beginning to whom the end product is aimed.

For this purpose, it is advisable to develop personas and scenarios in advance. Testing tools help the project team throughout the implementation to gain a shared understanding of the end user’s essential needs.

Defining a goal

The form and extent to which a user-test is performed depend on the objective being pursued. The approach differs significantly, depending on whether an existing page is reviewed due to a planned redesign, a new function is tested for usability, or the decision-makers have to be convinced with the help of a test.

The starting point of each user test is, therefore, primarily the determination of the objective of the investigation and what exactly should be achieved. Based on this, further steps of the user-testing are derived and decisions made.

Prepare the test object

Lo-fidelity prototypes
These are usually used at the very beginning of a project. These are mainly used to validate a first concept or an idea. For this purpose, the prototype should be kept as simple as possible and get along without any hi-fidelity elements (design, undesirable effects, etc.).

Only in this way it can guarantee that the reaction of the test person is based exclusively on fundamental criticism and not influenced by beautiful things.

Hi-fidelity prototypes
These are finished websites, apps, or pixel-precise visual designs. The more perfected a prototype is, the less it is questioned purely in terms of content. In contrast to “Lo-Fidelity Prototypes”, helpful feedback on visual aspects can also be found here utilizing a user test.

In order to clearly define the context for the test subject, it is essential in both cases that the test object imitates the desired user experience as realistically as possible. This can be, for example, in the form of an illustrated mobile phone as the basis for the “Lo-Fidelity prototype” or by having the “Hi-Fidelity prototype” tested on a mobile phone.

Select the test method

There is a diversity of test methods, and each expert has his personal preferences. The choice of the appropriate method should depend primarily on the maturity of the prototype being tested. For the goal of this white paper, the following sections will focus on moderated in-house user testing.

Write a test script

A typical test script consists of a warmup, a body, and a cooldown. It takes between 5 to 10 tasks and usually takes between 30 and 60 minutes. To get the most out of your time and get comparable results, a well-structured test script is needed. It serves as a guide for the moderator and will not be given to the test person.

Therein, the tasks the subject has to deal with are listed sequentially and supplemented with a hypothesis and a goal. The hypothesis helps the facilitator to understand the purpose of each task during the test. This can prevent the moderator from losing the thread during the test. The predetermined goal helps in the later analysis.

The respective context of the test is explained to the test person with the aid of a scenario. This is a situation description that supports the test person to put himself in the starting position relevant to the test. Building on this, the questions follow.

Recruit test subjects

You’ll need to locate and recruit test subjects to complete your user evaluation. Regardless of your favorite way of software testing (user feedback, eye tracking, mouse movements), consumer testing requires real clients, actual members of your intended audience, and those who match your client personas to take the test.

This permits you to find outcomes and data from the men and women who matter most; the customers who buy, use, and promote your goods. People Interacting with your product are best in user research. 

Recruiting the right subjects for the test can be time-consuming and should not be underestimated. To keep the bounce rate low, recruitment should be made promptly on the test date (at most 3-4 days in advance).

Defaults should be factored in from the beginning, which means that more than the required number of test persons must be mobilized. Those who undertake the recruitment themselves should plan sufficient time to write to the test persons, to screen them through a survey, and to provide appropriate letters before the test.

Selection – To obtain meaningful and valuable results with a user test, it is crucial when recruiting the test persons to ensure that they correspond to the actual target group (persona). Besides, it is important to emphasize a balanced mix of subjects to prevent one-sided results.

So those usability problems cannot be circumvented based on prior knowledge, involved team members or employees who already know the test object are extremely unfavorable subjects. Family members and friends are also not suitable as subjects because they rarely correspond to the actual persona and are biased.

These people tend to be kind, which does not lead to accurate and, therefore, usable results. Also, a survey with arbitrary test subjects is, in most cases, strongly advised against. The results of this type of test would have to be treated with extreme caution; otherwise, one might make a momentous decision based on a falsified test result. Despite all the rules: testing, no matter with whom, is still better than not to test.

The right number – One of the most discussed topics when it comes to uncovering usability issues is the right number of subjects. Performing a large number of individual tests for one, and the same study means a substantial additional effort and makes subsequent evaluation unnecessarily tricky.

According to a study, 5 test persons are already enough to identify the most critical weak points. On the other hand, if you value statistical relevance, you need to invest a little more time.

Schedule – It is recommended that the schedule for each user test is not too close to each other. A short break of about 30 minutes after each round leaves room for the unforeseen and allows a short exchange among the participants to discuss the findings.

Scheduling – To ensure a smooth process and to prevent subjects from appearing late, in the wrong place, or not at all because of missing information, provide all participants with the address, a contact name, and an emergency number early enough. Short memory on the morning before the test prevents the subjects from forgetting their appointment.

Prepare the site and infrastructure

The space you choose for the test should be quiet and spread a pleasant atmosphere. The subject should feel as comfortable as possible. If several people want to follow the test, it makes sense to add a second room, if possible, not within earshot. The audience can then follow the progress of the test on a screen without the test person feeling disturbed.

Carry out a test run 

To be certain that nothing goes wrong during the actual test, a test run with an uninvolved person should be done before that. Thus, it can be determined whether the planned time frame can be met, the technical setup works, and the instructions to the test persons are understandable and consistent.

Evaluation and analysis

The evaluation of the data should take place as soon as possible after the execution; otherwise, one runs the risk that important details are forgotten. If possible, all involved experts (facilitator and observer) should write down their first personal assessments individually and independently. If the assessments are compared afterward, the result is a more neutral evaluation. Also, the likelihood is less than a problem that will be overlooked.

Rough prototypes or poorly realistic conditions can cause usability problems that would not occur under real-world conditions and with full functionality. If the conditions are not realistic, this must be taken into account in the evaluation. What makes this even more complicated, since real user problems must be distinguished from problems due to the conditions.

Types of User Testing

Usability testing(UX research)

What does usability testing mean? UX research definition: We can define this concept as the efficiency and ease of use of a web page or an electronic interface (or an e-commerce site) by a user in order to satisfy the latter’s needs.

In other words, when I enter an e-commerce site, and after I have correctly identified the purpose of that site, which corresponds to my purpose as a user, to buy a product or service, the fact that I will not find what I want, not interacting with your product, mistakes that will practically lead to the abandonment of the respective site, it is not my fault, that I am not sufficiently technical, or sufficiently versed in using the online stores, but it is the fault of that online store that did not prepare the site for a more straightforward use by any people.

Website usability is a mandatory requirement for an e-commerce site. An online store that does not fulfill its purpose of selling products due to poor usability cannot be called an online store or e-commerce site. It dissociates itself from the purpose for which it was created to sell! It merely goes wrong, and sometimes it can go bankrupt!

In website usability testing are measured several aspects: eye-tracking, heat maps, click trough maps, user journey and more.

Surveys

Another type of user testing is represented by surveys, which help you to obtain user feedback about your product from your customers, things that would help you to improve it. It’s one of the easiest ways to obtain data from your customers because they can complete the surveys via any advice and from anywhere. 

It’s recommended to appeal to customer satisfaction surveys if you want to receive, in a short time, a lot of responses from your customers regarding your product. The information gathered will help your UX designer to have clear indications in the design process and on information architecture to deliver a perfect user journey for your customers.

A/B testing

This type of testing is one of the most efficient and fast ways to increase the number of conversions. A/B testing is the process by which two different variants of an email are sent to different groups of subscribers. It is important to remember that each group must receive only one variant of the email, not both, and they must be sent on the same day and at the same time.

Then, track customer reactions and determine which variant has aroused the reactions that help you meet the proposed goals. By testing A/B, you will learn a lot about your site visitors and the type of content they respond best to it.

Before you determine what you are testing, you need to set the goals, what you want to achieve. For example, if you want to increase the number of people subscribed to the newsletter, you have to test the following elements: the registration form, its length and the required fields, the call-to-action button, the privacy policy. After testing these elements, you will surely get surprising test results that will help you in the development process to obtain a much-improved registration form.

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The purpose of A/B testing is to learn as much about customer behavior and preferences. To achieve the desired results, put into practice everything you have learned.

Focus group

The focus group is a qualitative research technique, which consists in establishing a discussion on a given topic with a group consisting of 8-10 participants, usually for 1-2 hours. The method allows for obtaining in-depth information on the motivations and behaviors of the interest categories.

This technique can be used in various fields, such as:

• Testing messages, products, advertisements, etc.
• Identifying perceptions about a product, organization, service or concept
• Evaluation/testing of advertising and promotional campaigns
• Identification of the profile of a target group
• Identifying the characteristics of a brand (brand image) and positioning it among competing brands on the market
• Identifying the decision-making mechanisms that underlie the choice between several alternatives
• Identification of attitudes towards a product, towards an idea or a problem
• Identifying the set of values and aspirations of a target segment
• Drafting an advertising campaign, marketing strategy
• Establishing the strengths and weaknesses of a concept, program, or product/brand, etc.

Sometimes focus-group research is also a preamble to quantitative research because by identifying behavioral tendencies, it is easier to compose the questionnaire for quantitative research.

Beta testing

The Beta version is considered the complete version, which is not yet ready for the end-user due to the lack of tests in real conditions and incorrect errors.

Websites, operating systems, and different applications can be in the Beta testing stage. Beta testing can be opened, launched for anyone who wants to try the unstable version, and closed Beta testing, designed for testing in a closed or restricted group.

The Beta version aims to finish the performance testing and the need to identify problems that cause errors.

Permission for open testing of the Beta version is a possibility to try software under real conditions because to understand how an application will work; you will need to check the functioning of the Beta version, which can help the developer eliminate errors.

Beta testing of the software is carried out together with all other testing tools: computer or other device and the rest of the applications.

Beta testers provide information about the Beta version, errors, using feedback, or by automatically sending statistics. Experienced testers can provide information that can be useful to developers, help expand or add different features, and other ideas for improvement.