Usability Testing

Technical explanation

A study defines target participants, tasks, success criteria, protocol, and the interface or prototype to test. Moderated or unmoderated sessions may produce qualitative findings, behavioural observations, and quantitative measures such as completion, time, errors, and satisfaction.

Business relevance

Testing exposes interaction barriers before they become expensive to fix, reduces design assumptions, and provides evidence for prioritising improvements that affect task success and conversion.

Implementation example

Five target users attempt to find, compare, and request a service quote on a prototype while a facilitator observes navigation failures and probes expectations without leading them.

Limitations and common misconceptions

Results depend on participant fit, task realism, facilitation, and analysis quality. Small qualitative studies identify issues but do not estimate population rates, and stated preferences should not replace observed behaviour.

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