The "When" of User Testing
The Berndt Group Provides User Testing Services to Clients
February 1, 2010
BALTIMORE, MD—Often organizations struggle with limited budgets and limited management buy-in for user testing that they know will add significant value to their project. User testing is often the first thing to go, or under funded. Though there are certainly projects where user testing gets its due, and there is the luxury to do the kind of complete testing that covers a wide range of human factors, it is more common that organizations and vendors struggle to figure out how to squeeze the value from extremely limited user testing budgets.
There is no one-size-fits all formula for such a plan, of course, but there are a couple of principles The Berndt Group finds generally valuable in thinking through these decisions:
- Think about what you are least confident about in the project. Focus on that as early as possible in the project. If you are confident on general web strategy, you don't need to test that. In many cases, there are vague areas or concerns in information architecture (site structure, labeling, layouts) and testing those with live users can provide significant value to the project. Or you may be concerned about design and messaging, and want to test those, because there is the least confidence in those areas. In a perfect world, you'd test everything, but in the absence of that possibility, choose the deliverables to test based on gut confidence.
- Design your test to address specific issues. You can't test every aspect of every deliverable, but you may be able to focus on a few aspects of a deliverable phase that will illuminate problems you already know. In this light, A/B testing can be important. Your questions don't shouldn't have to be open-ended. If your budget is tight, make every question count to resolve problems you already know about.
- Consider what you can actually change. It may sound harsh, but there is no point in doing user testing if the output of the testing isn't actionable. For instance, if you wait until late in the project to test, you may uncover things that can't be fixed—because of deadlines, budget or both. It's not a matter of getting in trouble with the boss, but rather, you've spent the money for the usability test, but what value did you get from it? Sure, in the next phase, you can fix those problems, but for the purposes of launch, wouldn't it have made more sense to test earlier and get some value out of it? The testing may not have covered anything, but it might have improved your site.
There is a lot to consider. The Berndt Group's projects often involve user testing, but they vary considerably based on the assignment, the budget, and most of all, timeline. It's a crucial, nuanced decision when to insert them—and to think through how testing best helps the project.
About The Berndt Group
The Berndt Group has been a leading Web design, development and brand communications firm since 1991. The firm provides an integrated set of creative services, including strategic consulting, brand and application development, software implementation, web site design, and internet marketing. Based in Baltimore, MD, the firm services a diverse international and regional base of over fifty active clients, including: The National Aquarium, Johns Hopkins Institutions, SafeNet, Inc., Raytheon, U.S. Immigration, The Federal Aviation Administration, The U.S. Forest Service, The Abell Foundation, and many others. For more information, visit www.berndtgroup.net.
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email: michelle.geczy@berndtgroup.net
