How do you design effective product testing scenarios and questions?

2 Choose your testers

The next step is to select your product testers, who are the people who will use your product and provide feedback. Depending on your product stage and objective, you may want to choose different types of testers, such as potential customers, existing users, or experts. You also need to consider how many testers you need, how to recruit them, and how to incentivize them. Ideally, you want to choose testers who represent your target market, have a genuine interest in your product, and are willing to share honest opinions.

3 Create realistic scenarios

A product testing scenario is a description of a situation or a task that you want your testers to perform using your product. A good scenario should be realistic, relevant, and specific, so that your testers can relate to it and understand what you expect them to do. For example, if you are testing a travel app, you could create a scenario like this: "You are planning a weekend trip to Paris with your partner. You want to find a nice hotel, book a flight, and explore some attractions. Use the app to plan your trip and share your itinerary with your partner."

4 Ask open-ended questions

A product testing question is a prompt that you use to elicit feedback from your testers after they complete a scenario. A good question should be open-ended, meaning that it does not have a fixed or predefined answer, but rather invites the tester to express their thoughts, feelings, and preferences. For example, instead of asking "Did you like the app?", you could ask "How did the app make you feel?" or "What did you like or dislike about the app?" Open-ended questions allow you to gain deeper insights into your testers' needs, expectations, and experiences.

5 Use the right format

Depending on your product testing objective and scenario, you may want to use different formats to collect feedback from your testers. Some common formats are surveys, interviews, focus groups, usability tests, and beta tests. Each format has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you need to choose the one that best suits your needs. For example, surveys are easy to administer and analyze, but they may not capture the nuances or emotions of your testers. Interviews are more personal and interactive, but they may be time-consuming and biased.

6 Analyze and act on feedback

The final step is to analyze the feedback you received from your product testing and use it to improve your product. You need to look for patterns, themes, and insights that can help you validate or invalidate your hypotheses, identify user needs and pain points, and prioritize product features or improvements. You also need to communicate the feedback and the actions you took to your testers, stakeholders, and team members, and thank them for their participation and contribution.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?