THE TOP FIVE USABILITY TESTING MISTAKES (AND HOW TO AVOID THEM)

In this article, we'll highlight the five most common usability testing mistakes made by beginners and experienced researchers alike, so you don't make the same mistakes in your own CRO programs.

Mistake #1 – Assisting users through a testing process

One of the most typical usability testing mistakes is assisting users through a test that they should complete on their own. It's all too easy to surrender to temptation and assist visitors in navigating home screens, search results, and other seemingly basic and user-friendly pages. 

This is a huge mistake. No matter how simple the activity appears to you, it may be difficult for the test participant. Guiding users through several stages of the testing process prevents you from determining the real issues users are facing and the optimization opportunities on your website.

The more interaction you have with test participants during the test, the more obstacles your results will have. Allow users to make mistakes and use a laissez-faire approach to testing, as each mistake is an opportunity for analysis.

Mistake #2 – Choosing the incorrect participants

The type of data generated by your usability testing will be heavily influenced by its target audience. A test performed on teenagers, for example, will produce different results from a test performed on people aged 50 and up. 

Your test group should closely match the audience that visits your website to generate the most meaningful, actionable data. Women of child-bearing age should be tested if your e-commerce website sells things for babies and pregnant women.

If your website provides weight training equipment, your testing should target fitness lovers (or better yet, a history of buying fitness items). The acceptable audience for your testing is the one who will use your website. 

One of the most significant advantages of remote moderated testing is the ability to find test participants on your own website. This method of recruiting test participants ensures that your test audience closely reflects your target audience.

Mistake #3– Failure to conduct a pilot test

When performing a remote unmoderated test, or any other sort of usability test that necessitates thorough, specific instructions, it's critical to have someone you know run through the test before assigning it to real participants. 

In a live test environment, instructions that appear easy when written in front of you may be complex and difficult for users to follow. Subtleties and phrasing errors can be difficult to detect while preparing the test, but they are obvious as its subject. 

Perform a pilot test with a coworker before performing any type of usability testing with specific instructions to ensure your instructions are clear, easy to follow, and free of imprecise, unclear wording that is open to numerous interpretations.

Mistake #4– Lack of post-test analysis strategy

What will you do with the data generated by usability testing? It's all too easy to enter a usability test without a plan, resulting in a lost time and insight that, while valuable, is never put to use. 

Prepare a preliminary description of how you intend to use the insight before beginning your usability test. If your testing reveals that the design of your website is confusing users, you should be ready to begin work on a redesign once the testing is over.

Usability testing can provide amazing insight, but that understanding is useless without action. Create to-do lists based on the findings of your usability testing, from redesigned websites to simpler forms, and act as soon as you're ready.

Mistake #5– Failing to continue testing after changes

Many marketers believe that usability testing is a one-time effort that should be completed before making big changes to a website. In reality, usability testing is a crucial work that may be conducted on a frequent basis to gain more knowledge. 

Don't stop after you've gained insight from usability testing and used the data to make adjustments to your website. Conduct another usability test to evaluate if the improvements had the desired effect on usability and conversions, and identify the next areas to focus on to grow your online sales.