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⏯️ Usability / Audience Testing

Usability testing is a way to see how easy to use something is by testing it with real users.

Users are asked to complete tasks, typically while they are being observed by a researcher, to see where they encounter problems and experience confusion.

If more people encounter similar problems, recommendations will be made to overcome these usability issues.

Advantages#

- Feedback direct from the target audience to focus the project team.
- Internal databases can be resolved by testing the issue to see how users react to the different options being discussed.
- Issues and potential problems are highlighted before the product is launched
- It increases the likelihood of usage and repeat usage
- It minimises the risk of the product failing
- Users are better able to reach their goals, which results in the business meeting its targets.

Disadvantages#

- Testing is not 100% representative of the real life scenario. For example, a mother will not have her two young children running around like she might have at home.
- Usability testing is mainly qualitative so does not provide the large samples of feedback that a questionnaire might, but the feedback can be far more accurate and insightful.

Qualitative

Relating to, measuring, or measured by the quality of something rather than its quantity