Usability checklists and studies in 2022 | Bunch Consulting
Your time is precious, so is sticking to the release deadlines, right? Running usability studies and using checklists before introducing your project to a wider audience helps to make business decisions and choose the right direction for developing your product.?
We’ve prepared this article to show how you can listen to the voice of your customers and early adopters and introduce the changes they suggest.
The power of usability
Do you remember the first time you used the Internet? How did the websites look back then? We all were astonished by the endless possibilities that the Internet offered and the design… usability… well, no one really cared. But here we are, in 2022, when the app/website accessibility and usability might prove to be your competitive advantage. How to create a user-friendly app/website – find out here!
Let’s start with a bunch of eye-opening statistics.
67% of mobile visitors are likely to make a purchase if they like the user experience the website offers, whereas 90% of users stop using an app due to poor performance.
A keyword here is user-friendliness. Creating an app/website always starts with an idea, right. It’s not only about bringing it to life but also adjusting it according to users’ needs and expectations. Here’s where usability testing and checklists come in handy.
How can I find out how people react to my product?
Usability testing
The aim of usability testing is to figure out if an app/website is easy to use and understandable. To speak B2B language – if the business requirements and the main product idea are well translated into technology and correspond with the way people think.
Usability checklists
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel – this is what the checklists are for. These are ready documents that allow conducting the do-it-yourself usability tests, from A-Z. The result of running usability tests is data. Could be qualitative, could be quantitative – what’s most important – a thorough analysis. Real users’ opinions and behavior in your app/website indicate the direction of your product's development.
Catch usability issues before usability testing
Let’s begin with a short story – it’s possible to catch many issues before you even start testing your product. A thorough analysis before running usability tests saves time and allows you to concentrate on finding problems that you wouldn’t notice at the first glance. Here are 5 key areas to focus on.
Navigation
Consistent naming of navigation buttons on every page is crucial thing here. Make sure that no links are placed in moving elements. Group the items according to the topics, not in alphabetical order if possible. Try answering those questions:
Accessibility?
Content should be easy to read. Links, buttons, and checkboxes are expected to be easily clickable. The best way to ensure that your app/ website is accessible is to follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
Errors?
The error messages should be written in a clear, understandable way. The user should be informed about what happened and what to do in order to proceed. A website should be compatible with different browsers and an app should guide the users back after displaying the error message.
Does the user know what happened?
Is the information written in the users’ language, not in a technically correct way, but difficult to understand?
Layout
The order of information is ranked according to importance. Related information should be visually connected. Also, check if there’s enough white space to allow scanning. Remember the annoying pop-ups that are difficult to close? Reduce them to a minimum.
Links
Remember to keep them descriptive – avoid “Click here” kind of links. Check if all the links in your product are working properly and are easily recognizable. They should look clickable.
Free resources
Who doesn't like to get something for free? We do, especially when it’s of good quality and can help the growth of your business! Here it comes, a list of free resources to support the usability checks of your product.
Checklist for planning usability studies
Nielsen Norman Group is regarded as a leading UX research and consulting firm.
The NNgroup’s Usability Test Checklist contains nine steps to help you determine the goals, parameters, and best methodology for any kind of usability study you’d like to run. You’ll find there in-depth information on how to select the correct format of study, decide on what users to test, and write testing plans and tasks.
A template for moderated usability tasks
UserZoom is an online UX insight testing company that has cooperated with major brands like Google and Oracle. Their template will help you transform your criteria into research scenarios, tasks, inputs and outputs. Completing each task will help you write better scenarios and more carefully assess what success looks like for each exercise.
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Usability testing checklist template for in-person or remote moderated studies
Process Street is a free workflow management software. They provide you with an incredibly detailed template that can be easily adapted to fit your usability requirements.?
Usability testing kit for in-person moderated testing
UXPin is a digital platform that helps you design, build, and test prototypes for websites. Thanks to their kit you’ll create a professional, detailed report of your user testing study.
Their usability kit contains five useful templates for these activities:
Remote software testing script
Hotjar is a user behavior and feedback analytics tool that provides insights on users’ online behavior and opinions. Their script will help you research single specific software functions.?
It’s based on screen sharing via a video conferencing app and includes templates for recording consent, introducing the testing process, and taking notes on user feedback.
Usability testing report
Once you're finished conducting the research and analyzing the results, you will need a template for the report. Xtensio is a subscription-based library of modifiable templates for many business documents, including testing reports. This report template includes detailed sections for explaining methodology and demographics, results, and conclusions.
Different needs – different research methods
Check our short video to find out what value different types of usability studies can bring to your business.
90's advice that's still valid
Can IT product design guidelines from 1990 be applicable now? Do you know any that are still up to date? The Nielsen Usability Heuristics, created by Jakob Nielsen and Ralph Molich in 1990 proved to be immortal! Let’s check their concept of general design principles that stood the test of time.
Visibility of system status
It’s all about keeping users informed of the current status of the system. We’re talking notifications and alerts here. Awareness of the results of a past action gives users an insight into what might be the outcome of their future actions.
Match between system and the real world
Think of your target audience while creating the messages inside your product. The same applies to e.g. creating icons – they should mimic the real world – a picture of a clock symbolizes a clock on your phone, it’s this simple.
User control and freedom
The design should give users a feeling of being in control and having a choice. It’s also important to allow ‘Undo’ and ‘Redo’ since everyone can make an error.
Consistency and standards
This heuristic underlines the importance of keeping icons, symbols, and words constant throughout the system. Users shouldn’t have any doubts about the meaning they convey.
Error prevention
It’s possible to accidentally click a ‘Delete’ button, isn’t it? That’s why displaying a warning and keeping the option of reversing this action is essential.?
Recognition rather than recall
Reduce users’ memory load by allowing them to easily go back to recently used functions.
Flexibility and efficiency of use
Create designs that grow with the user. Inexperienced users will need more support and guidance, whereas the experienced ones would benefit from e.g. keyboard shortcuts.
Aesthetic and minimalist design
Interactions should contain only necessary information not to deviate attention from the essential tasks.
Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors
There should be a way out, always, not a 404 message with a line of code. Let people know what happened and what actions they can perform now.
Help and documentation
Provide assistance at any time. Be it a guide, FAQ, or any kind of documentation. A list of detailed users’ tasks to retrieve their iPhone passcode shows good practice here.
I want to apply this knowledge to my project!
Managing IT projects is what we do for a living. We value the time you spent on developing your idea and product. That's why the next step we're suggesting to make it successful at the market is listening to the voice of its early users. The best time to do that is before introducing any new features from your MVP.
If you want to run a full usability check on your product, applying the suitable checklists and research methods mentioned above - we're here for you! Simply drop us a line at [email protected] and we’ll gladly prepare a tailor-made usability research plan for you.