EDISONDA - user experience studio

A user is the essence of the Internet. Everything what happens in a service should be subjected to his needs, expectations and habits. Unfortunately, every day we notice that many websites do not value the users’ comfort highly enough. Therefore, it is worth carrying out usability testing. The observation of real people operating the website may tell us more about its shortcomings than hours of meetings and gathered statistics.

How does the test look like?

The test answers the question if a user will be able to operate the Internet service without problems. A group of users (potential consumers) has to do certain tasks specified in the research script. The person who observes their reactions to every task analyses difficulties they encounter and, if necessary, gives additional tasks that help to define the problem. In order to provide material for further analysis, the whole research session is recorded. While analyzing the test, the researcher defines problems that arise, specifies their reasons and suggests solutions.

Why carry out testing?

In order to find out how you clients use a website and whether or not they encounter obstacles. In practice it very rarely happens that there are no obstacles during the test. The owners and creators of the website are not its common customers, hence it is difficult for them to notice the problems faced by the users. Tests are the most effective method of examining whether the application is intuitive and easy to use.

Noticing the difficulties and making changes which will influence usability, will contribute to the increase in:

• users’ satisfaction
• number of orders
• number of customers

Can I carry out the test on my own?

Certainly. Everybody can conduct the simplest version of a test by inviting friends to participate and later observing their reactions. However, hiring professional researchers has its advantages:

• reliability and validity of the test
• objectivity of observation
• interpretation of the observation based on experience
• preparing suggestions for changes in the project

What is the result of the test?

After completing the test, the observations are analysed. The noticed difficulties are classified according to their importance. In some cases we also do quantity analyses (the amount of mistakes made, time of completing a task). Each problem is described together with a suggestion of changes which should be introduced in order to eliminate difficulties. Report results and project suggestions are gathered in a special report.

If you are interested in conducting a test, please download the offer or contact us.