What are the top usability testing practices for CRO?

1 Choose the right type of test

When it comes to CRO, there are various types of usability tests you can use depending on your goals, resources, and audience. Moderated tests involve you observing and interacting with users as they perform tasks on your site, either in person or remotely. Unmoderated tests, on the other hand, involve setting up tasks and questions for users to complete without your involvement. You can use tools like UserTesting or UserZoom to recruit and record participants. A/B tests compare two versions of your site or a specific element, such as a headline or button. Google Optimize or Optimizely can be used to run experiments and measure the impact on conversions. Each type of test has its own merits and drawbacks, so it is important to select the one that meets your needs and budget. It is also possible to combine different types of tests for a more comprehensive view of your site's usability and performance.

3 Recruit representative users

One of the most important aspects of usability testing is recruiting the right users for your test. You want to make sure that your participants are representative of your target audience, and that they have the characteristics, behaviors, and needs that you want to explore. For example, if you want to test how your site works for mobile users, you need to recruit users who use mobile devices to access your site.

You can recruit users from different sources, such as your existing customers, email list, social media followers, or referral programs. You can also use online platforms, such as UserTesting or UserZoom, to find and screen users based on your criteria. You should aim to recruit enough users to get reliable and valid results, but not too many that you get overwhelmed with data. A good rule of thumb is to recruit at least five users per test variant or segment.

4 Prepare realistic tasks and scenarios

Once you have your users, you need to prepare the tasks and scenarios that you want them to complete on your site. These should be realistic, relevant, and specific, and reflect the actions and goals that you want to optimize for. For example, if you want to test how your checkout process works, you can ask users to buy a product from your site, and provide them with a realistic scenario, such as a gift for a friend or a personal need.

The tasks and scenarios should be clear, concise, and easy to follow, and avoid leading or influencing the users. You should also avoid asking users to rate or evaluate your site, as this can bias their behavior and feedback. Instead, focus on observing and measuring how they perform the tasks, and ask open-ended questions to understand their thoughts and feelings.

5 Analyze and act on the results

After you run your usability test, you need to analyze and act on the results. You need to collect and organize the data from your test, such as task completion rates, time on task, clicks, conversions, errors, comments, and ratings. You need to look for patterns, trends, and insights that answer your objectives and hypotheses, and highlight the strengths and weaknesses of your site. You need to prioritize the most impactful and actionable findings, and communicate them clearly and effectively to your team and stakeholders.

The final step is to act on the results and implement the changes that will improve your site's usability and CRO. You need to test and validate your changes, and measure the results against your baseline. You need to iterate and refine your site until you achieve your desired outcomes. You also need to document and share your learnings and best practices, and use them to inform your future tests and decisions.