What are some best practices for conducting website usability testing with your stakeholders?

1 Define your goals and metrics

Before you start testing, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you will measure it. What are the main objectives of your website? What are the key tasks or scenarios that users need to perform? What are the success criteria and indicators of user satisfaction? By defining your goals and metrics, you can align your testing plan with your stakeholders' expectations and priorities, and avoid wasting time and resources on irrelevant or redundant tests.

3 Communicate and collaborate

Website usability testing is not a one-way process. You need to communicate and collaborate with your stakeholders throughout the testing cycle, from planning to reporting. You need to inform them of the purpose, scope, and schedule of the testing, and invite them to participate or observe as appropriate. You also need to listen to their feedback, suggestions, and concerns, and address them promptly and respectfully. By communicating and collaborating with your stakeholders, you can build trust, rapport, and mutual understanding, and ensure that your testing results are relevant, actionable, and accepted.

4 Analyze and report

After you have collected and processed the data from your testing, you need to analyze and report the findings and recommendations to your stakeholders. You need to present the data in a clear, concise, and visual way, highlighting the key insights, patterns, and issues. You also need to provide concrete and realistic suggestions for improvement, prioritizing the most critical and urgent ones. You need to tailor your report to your audience, using appropriate language, tone, and format. You also need to invite feedback and questions, and discuss the next steps and follow-ups.

5 Iterate and evaluate

Website usability testing is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing process that requires iteration and evaluation. You need to implement the changes based on your testing results, and test them again to see if they have improved the usability of your website. You also need to monitor and measure the impact of your changes on your goals and metrics, and adjust them as needed. You need to involve your stakeholders in this process, keeping them updated and engaged, and soliciting their input and feedback. By iterating and evaluating your website usability testing, you can ensure that your site is always meeting the needs and expectations of your users and stakeholders.