TES

Gather feedback from real or target

DESIGN THINKING

T
users. Why test?

Testing involves gathering feedback from real or target users to evaluate a design’s
success and identify where improvements are needed. The Test and Prototype stages
usually occur in a cycle, as prototypes are refined (or replaced) in line with user
feedback before being re-tested again and again, until the product or service is ready
to be launched. The Test stage is essential to:
• identify usability and accessibility issues early, so that the user experience can be
optimised prior to implementation, hence saving time and money
• keep the user at the heart of decision-making, by determining whether the design
satisfies their needs, rather than being driven by assumptions
• reveal unexpected insights that were not uncovered during the Empathise stage and
may invalidate or re-focus the problem or solution.

Steps to success Top tips

Double check your method.

1
Re-visit the goals and scope of testing.
To get the most out of each round of user testing, you Instead of jumping straight into usability testing,
need a clear focus with a small number of research consider whether other methods could better
questions that have been agreed within the project team. address your research questions, or align with the
Start by re-visiting the problem statement you were trying type of prototype(s) available. These include:
to solve and consider how you can measure the success
of your design using the available prototype(s).
? • Concept testing • Tree testing
• Surveys • Card sorting
• Focus groups • A/B testing

2
Identify who to test with.
Using insights from the Empathise stage, take time to
understand the key differences in user attitudes or Get familiar with remote tools.
behaviours, that may influence how they understand and When observation in a natural context is
interact with the product or service. Make sure that you important, or face-to-face meeting is not
recruit a sample which represents the whole target possible, you may need to run testing remotely.
audience and covers the extremes where people are more In this case, dedicate extra time to identifying
likely to encounter issues or have different opinions. and testing the right tools to run each session
considering things like sharing audio, screen

3 Consider research logistics.

Taking the aims of the testing and participant profiles into

account, plan the location, duration and finer details of each

control, and how to manage observers. Our
article on running remote UX research contains
more tips on how and when to go remote.
research session. Use the research questions to build a
consistent and focused session guide, while retaining some Pay attention to small details.
flexibility to probe further on areas of interest. Always run a
Maintain awareness of and seek to combat any
pilot to test timings and ensure that things run smoothly.
biases from both the facilitator and

4
participants. For example, alternate the order
Test your solution with users.
Once the prototype and logistics have been finalised, begin to in which different design ideas are seen and
consider using scenarios to set tasks in context
test your solution with users. Use active listening and if the functionality of prototypes is limited.
observations to uncover honest feedback, and seek to
understand why a solution does or doesn’t meet their needs. Share the key findings.
In the early stages of development, it can be useful to
multiple solutions for users to compare against one another.
present Schedule a Q&A workshop soon after the
last research session to discuss insights with
Iterate and re-test. the wider team before a full analysis of the

5
data. This will allow you to document and
Analyse the data to answer the agreed research questions and answer any additional queries, and mean the
record any new questions to address in future rounds. Ensure development team can get started on
that stakeholders understand the reasons for changes to the addressing the main updates while you dig
design, by engaging them with the research and sharing the deeper into the results.
resulting insights. Once the prototype(s) has been updated,
re-test with users until it offers an optimum user experience.

If you need help testing solutions with your Find out more about our
please
users, reach out to our UX team approach to remote accessibility
via: testing for the BBC.
[email protected]
+ 44 (0)20 7240 3388