How can you conduct usability tests with realistic scenarios?

Before creating a realistic scenario, define all the possible scenarios and evaluate them. By doing this, we could get a clear idea and flow, which most users will follow. Also, it will help us to create a more detailed report with lots of improvements.

By defining our objectives and creating scenarios that mimic real-world user interactions. Recruiting a diverse group of participants and prepare a suitable testing environment. Develop a task list based on our scenarios, and pilot test it to ensure effectiveness. During the test, present scenarios one by one and encourage participants to think aloud as they complete tasks. Gather feedback, document observations, and analyze the results to identify usability issues. Create a report with recommendations for improvements, iterate on the design, and conduct follow-up tests.

Create simulations based on actual tasks that users perform daily, ensuring they mirror the complexity and context of real-life use. Engage participants by using real data and workflows during the test to evoke genuine responses and interactions with the product.

1. Go to online forums and see how real people are talking about real issues while using your product. Go to user narratives in past research. Clues to developing realistic scenarios would be found here as you can see not just how users are using your product, but also how different those are from an ideal situation. Find out what would be the common workarounds when users encounter problems with the product 2. Imagine you are writing a movie script like - "The Butterfly Effect" - involving all probabilities of "things that can happen" with the use of the product. How would you draft that scenario? Drafting realistic scenarios are absolutely essential to building rapport, trust & engagement with users in a usability session

Keep the test scenarios simple, easy to follow and understand. It’s important to design the scenarios in a way that they can target the goal of the product and guide the users to test the “aha moment”; aka the essence and goal of the product/feature.

Depending on the type of product you are working for, creating scenario's can be complex and the last thing you want is to create unrealistic scenarios. Not all companies have persona's, or user journeys and stories at hand. Therefore, its important to learn about the scenarios surrounding the thing you're testing from domain or industry experts. Or create a draft of scenarios for your test and collect feedback from these people to ensure the scenarios are realistic for the participant. Unrealistic scenarios can break the immersion of the usability test, and when that happens your data can become invalid.

Creating realistic scenarios should have a clear understanding of the persona. Are we targeting behavioural or marketing persona? In a few cases, the user may have some fundamental context about the journey, and a few users may not have the same. Gap analysis can help to understand current performance and desired actions.

A good test scenario should also be presented in a way where the task does not explicitly state where to click. Ex: You are testing a mobile app that provides a user with new recipes, but also allows them to add their own recipes. If there is a button within the app labeled “add recipe”, and the scenario given was “add a new recipe”, the user will interact with that button based on the words provided in the scenario. This could skew the data collected from the test. Instead provide a scenario that is more specific in the details, but broader in the execution. Ex: “Include your famous Spaghetti Carbonara to the list of meals you can select from in the app.”

Realistic scenarios are crucial for successful user testing as they mirror how users interact with the product in real life. The authenticity of these scenarios boosts user engagement, uncovers natural behaviors, pinpoints potential issues, and ensures that testing aligns with users' genuine needs. This results in more accurate usability assessments and informed design decisions.

Usability tests benefit from realistic scenarios. For instance, if you're testing a travel booking website, create a scenario where a user, John, plans a weekend trip to a specific destination, considering budget and preferences. Provide tasks like searching for flights, comparing prices, and booking. Observe how John interacts, identifies pain points, and completes his goals. Realistic scenarios reveal valuable insights to enhance the site's usability.

Suppose you're developing a mobile banking app and want to validate your scenarios. You could start with expert reviews from UI/UX designers and financial experts to ensure the scenarios align with usability and financial security goals. Then, conduct pilot testing with a group of users to see how they engage with the app based on the scenarios. If users find certain tasks unrealistic or irrelevant, you can modify the scenarios accordingly. Continue refining based on peer feedback and, if possible, validate with a larger user test group. This iterative process helps ensure your scenarios accurately reflect real-world user interactions and goals.

Before testing with real customers, consider testing with your customer success or support teams. These people have a unique perspective on the product both from their clients' point of view and their own. Try recruiting at least 5 testers with a variety of years of experience at the company, this will ensure the feedback is rich and varied.

I believe designers have to collect scenarios during the research phase. Example. Imagine during the research we collected the scenario: Bob is buying a flight ticket to London. Also, imagine there was a user problem during the process. You noticed it, collected it, created a user story, created a hypnotise on how to solve it and proposed a solution. And now you need to test this solution. You already have the scenario to test.

Validating testing scenarios is crucial for accurate usability testing. It ensures scenarios align with objectives, resonating with users and eliminating ambiguities. Consistency is vital for fair testing, and validation identifies and rectifies inconsistencies. It facilitates effective problem identification, optimizing resource use for more accurate and insightful outcomes.

Validating your scenarios ensures they accurately represent user tasks and uncover the right insights. To validate: 1. Review each scenario for clarity and realism. 2. Test them with a small group inside your team to ensure they are understandable and executable as intended. 3. Ensure scenarios don’t lead users to a specific outcome, which could bias results. 4. Seek feedback on scenario relevance and comprehensiveness from stakeholders or domain experts. 5. Refine them based on this feedback, focusing on the core tasks users need to perform. 6. Pilot test with representatives from your target user group to catch any issues before full-scale testing. Adjust as necessary for the final study.

While the test may seem like the pivotal moment (and it certainly is important), the groundwork that you lay beforehand holds significant weight, as it directly influences the testing experience, which in turn can impact your results. Therefore, invest time in thoroughly preparing your materials and reviewing them to ensure everything aligns with your plan. Additionally, conducting a trial test can be beneficial, allowing you to identify and address any potential issues or frictions in the testing experience.

Suppose you're preparing to conduct usability testing for a mobile app for travel bookings. Your objectives are to evaluate the ease of booking flights, explore user navigation patterns, and identify pain points. You've selected participants who match the app's target users.You've set up a quiet, well-lit room with a computer and mobile devices. You've created realistic scenarios and tasks, like "Book a one-way flight to a specific destination" or "Apply a discount code." Your test script outlines the order of scenarios and tasks.You've also prepared consent forms and established roles, with one team member facilitating the sessions and another taking notes. To add, you have incentives, such as travel vouchers to motivate the focal users.

To prepare for usability testing, define clear goals, identify key scenarios, and create detailed scripts. Recruit participants, set up a quiet testing space, and ensure your technology works. Develop consent forms, train moderators if necessary, and conduct a pilot test. Gather supplies, choose appropriate tools, and schedule participants. Plan for post-test activities like debrief sessions. This thorough preparation ensures a smooth testing process.

These could be in both online or offline formats. Always choose a quiet environment to avoid distractions and disturbances. Test materials must be checked in advance eg. testing if a survey link is working or not before passing it on to the subject participants for the actual testing.

Properly preparing for usability tests is like setting the stage for success. It streamlines the process, ensures accurate insights, enhances the user experience, and respects participant privacy. In my role as a designer, this preparation is the cornerstone for gathering valuable feedback and improving the user experience.

As a moderator one should explain to the users why they are there, why this program is happening. One must set up the context; all users might not have context, they might have been told to participate. A moderator should be respectful and should ask for consent as well for recording the audio and video. The users might know it beforehand but still asking them makes them feel that their choice is important and they start trusting the moderator. Also a moderator must not make it easy for the users if they are not able to find some button or click on the wrong link since as a designer it is in human nature to help the users. They must themselves perform the task. It will help moderators find new problems which they never imagined before.

Suppose In the context of the travel booking app, as a moderator, you'd welcome the participant and introduce the test. You'd then provide the first scenario: "You're planning a weekend trip to New York. Find and book a hotel for two nights within a $300 budget."While the participant interacts with the app, you'd observe, take notes, and encourage them to think aloud. If they seem stuck, you'd provide minimal assistance or clarification. After they complete the task, you'd ask open-ended questions like, "How was the booking process? Were there any confusing elements?"You'd continue this process for each scenario, ensuring you stick to the test schedule and staying neutral throughout. Thank the participant, recap, and seek further input.

Usability test moderation is central to the user-centered design process. Moderators guide test sessions, ensuring a smooth process while collecting valuable insights. They introduce tasks, encourage participants to verbalize thoughts and maintain a neutral stance to observe interactions objectively. The role demands strong communication skills, empathy, and adaptability. Moderators must pivot if issues arise and balance guiding participants while allowing natural interactions. These insights reveal user experiences, aiding iterative design and ensuring products meet user needs. Usability test moderation places genuine user feedback at the core of design decisions.

After completing a usability test, the designers tend to find solutions to the new problems as well. The primary objective should be to validate if the primary pains have been resolved or not. After that new problems should be considered. But yes if these newly discovered problems are in the same scenario and the primary pain points then these also should be accounted for and should be discussed with the stakeholders. The data collected should be properly documented in an easy language because stakeholders would not be involved in all steps of design. So the final document should have a contextual document along with easily consumable charts, stats etc.

For the travel booking app usability test, data collected revealed that participants often struggled with the payment process, which impacted the task success rate. A pattern emerged, as multiple participants mentioned confusion during the payment step. Quantitatively, only 50% of participants completed the payment task successfully. Qualitatively, feedback indicated that unclear payment options and a lack of a progress indicator were primary pain points. This issue was critical, as it directly affected the app's core function. Identified issue: payment process. Proposed solutions: revamp the process, add progress indicators, and conduct more tests.

To analyze your test and validate results, review data, identify patterns, and prioritize findings based on impact and alignment with objectives. Cross-validate results through participant behavior and feedback, considering context. Conduct quantitative analysis if applicable. Seek consensus, identify root causes, and iterate for confirmation. Document insights and provide actionable recommendations for iterative improvement.

To analyze your test, begin by organizing data into categories like errors, successes, and observations. Quantify results where possible, noting the frequency and severity of usability issues. Look for patterns in how users interacted with the interface, identifying any deviations from expected behavior. Synthesize notes from observations, audiovisual recordings, and task completion rates to form a comprehensive view of user experience. Compare findings against your objectives to assess if they were met. Translate these insights into actionable recommendations for design improvements, prioritizing based on the impact and feasibility. Finally, prepare to present these findings to stakeholders in a clear, concise manner.

The usability test is often an iterative process. It's worth doing the testing at every stage, from early prototyping to functional development. Early prototyping tests can help fundamental changes in design. Repetition with a diverse range of participants may give some different perspectives. Conducting multiple rounds of testing can ensure it meets the user's needs effectively.

Design thinking is all about 'Empathy', which is the key ingredient for any successful design and crafting human-centred solutions.

As per my experience in usability testing with realistic scenarios, it's always challenging to decide which insights or user feedback to iterate on. This is because different user groups (as per the personas) give a variety of feedback on the product. So the key solution is to prioritise repetition or patterns that most of the users are requesting or complaining about. For example, a search function on the website that lacks good search results according to the feedback from most of the users during the testing. And then there could be a number of secondary insights that are not validated by the majority of users but by a few or just one user. These insights can be added to the iteration list but could be tackled at a later stage.