Remote User Testing

Before I go into an in depth explanation of Remote User Testing I firstly want to start by saying that Usability Testing done right can be a tool second to done for ensuring the correct interface design and the development processes that lead up to it. Usability Testing or User Testing has for a long time been the luxury of large corporations but now when it is available to all, not doing any puts a web product or service at a disadvantage.

Remember web developers who design and develop the interfaces for these products and services are most often highly skilled people. They use jargon, expert knowledge and a general technical know how which often leads to the design of interfaces which may be easy to operate for them but not the average user.

These designs that are perceived to be easy to use for them may just simply be frustrating or unsatisfying to the average user. This design that is truly usable for only a minority can ultimately cause your users and potential clients to look elsewhere.

Usability Testing is a Usability technique that lets you connect with your users in a systematic way. As the client you get insight and feedback into what real users in the real world actually think when they interact with your products.

User Testing is available at any time during a products development life cycle. Generally with remote User Testing you get to see users interacting with your product under controlled conditions and any feedback or insight you gain regarding areas of improvement can be dealt with fairly quickly and easily. Now you can conduct the testing with the finished product but the research indicates that greater return on Usability investment come when it is employed as a more preventative measure early in the product development process. More often than not this early Testing will focus more on the efficiencies of the interfaces designed. So questions will be asked about how efficiently Users were able to complete particular tasks.

So for example if a users was directed to do a pretend purchase where they do all but actually give an e-commerce site their credit card details. How easy was the interface to navigate? Were there many mistakes made during the process? If so, how easy were these to recover from? At what point would they have required assistance?

Also questions regarding the Users emotional state would be asked. How stressed were they feeling during the process? Did the interface design inspire confidence? If they were stressed would they still consider buying a product from the website?

Remote User Testing employs a different methodology to traditional lab testing and the advantages don't just end at cost savings. It takes advantage of technology available where User participants can be tested from the comfort of their own home in their real world environments. This is not only a less invasive approach but a more laid back approach where the user doesn't feel as pressurised to answer questions in a specific way.

The demographics you can sample are truly global and allows you to connect with your users in a way that isn't so much of a logistical nightmare as opposed to arranging in person User Testing. Due to the speed of remote user testing data can often be gained in real time allowing moderators and testers to collaborate and liase with each other far more effectively.

As these cost and time restraints decrease, the chances of Usability success go up.

Remote Usability Testing through the Testing User analysis is suitable for testing e-commerce sites, web applications, employees portals, reference website, intranets and informative web sites.

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