Prototype testing checklist: Step-by-step guide to Improve UX

Artyom Dovgopol

Every hour spent testing a prototype saves a week of development and a month of product support 😉

Key takeaways👌

Introduction

Developers are often getting lost in all the bright ideas and questionable design choices. Say, you’ve spent at least a couple of months putting the entire thing together, accounted for every small detail, and generally made “a product of your dreams”, but then users got lost trying to create an account.

Unpleasant, to say the least, yeah? Well, the thing is – your view of a proper UI can very much differ from everyone else’s. It’s not at all a bad thing, but rather a call to action.

Even the most outrageously talented chiefs on the planet try their food before serving. It sure might look and smell nice, but the taste is the only thing that matters.

If a designer considers his UI a masterpiece, that doesn’t mean that the product is actually user-friendly

Key testing methods

There are quite a few methods out there to perform prototype testing, depending on your budget and end goal. Let’s take a look at some of the most common ones:

Moderated sessions

This one’s the most simple and budget-friendly one, but at the same time incredibly useful. Basically, the user enters the website like the usual, but this time under the vigilant eye of a UX specialist. By asking the user specific questions and generally just watching the whole thing unfold, UX specialist takes note on what must be fixed and adjusted for a better experience.

Remote testing

Similar to moderated sessions, remote testing offers a more informative, but less face-to-face experience. A large number of users are given specific scenarios and are asked to perform them from the comfort of their homes. The results are collected either by an automatic system (via recordings and heatmaps, for example), or, again, by a moderator. Feedback is then analyzed

Expert evaluation

The most guaranteed, but also the most expensive way to test your UI before the release. A professional UX specialist is hired to compare whatever is happening on your website with the industry’s standards. He then provides you with a detailed review of what is wrong and recommendations on how to fix it.

Testing preparation checklist

As is often the case with things like that, the key is not to get scared by all the technical details and metrics – the process itself is quite simple, considering you’ve prepared in advance. Let’s check on what exactly you should do to make prototype testing go silky-smooth:

1. Planning
   Think of why in the world you even need that testing done. What are the end-game goals? What will be considered a good result (what metrics, especially)? What theories will you test?
2. Preparation
   Consider organizing every tool and material that will be used in the testing: the prototype itself, user scenarios, questionaries, and recording tools.
3. Organization
   The process itself also requires some planning. What method will be used? Do sessions have some sort of schedule to them? Who’s responsible for recording, analysis, and initial fixes?

With good preparation, the entire ordeal will be over before it even starts. What’s left is to take a long look at whatever information you’ve managed to gather and try to understand what to adjust.

Result analysis and documentation

Alright, we’re through the testing. Now you have to find a way to turn all that intel into something actually useful. There are a couple of moments to keep in mind here:

1. Collection
   So if you’re looking for an opinion on some hot topic, you would probably use all the info sources at your disposal, right? The same goes for testing. Don’t just focus on one thing like recordings or questionaries – the more references you have, the merrier.
2. Processing
   All that nice new info now needs to be categorized for ease of use. The most straightforward way you can do that is by priority. User doesn’t like this particular shade of purple that you’ve picked? We’re sure he’ll manage. The “Sign Up” button sets the user’s computer on fire? Yeah, that might be worth looking into ASAP.
3. Analysis
   Now when everything is nice and tidy, the most interesting part comes into play – a long and very meticulous investigation of what works and what doesn’t. Start working on a hotfix plan while you’re at it.
4. Review
   Done with all the patches? Kudos to you! All that’s left is to make sure that everything that was broken is fixed, and everything that was alright is not broken. Do another test and compare the results, just to make sure.

And a bit more about testing...

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