UX TESTING AN APP – ON A BUDGET

There are many friendly and affordable ways to conduct user testing, on a budget. User testing is critical to explore the functionality of digital software before it is launched to users online. When conducting user testing, testing from a small sample group is essential to success. User testing needs to be continuous, because even the smallest change in the app, can drive users away. Most usability tests can be conducted on a small budget and fancy equipment is not necessary. Early stage testing is perfect for identifying flaws, and key areas that need improvement. Sometimes, a conference room with a few iPad’s is more than enough to get comprehensive and quantifiable results! User feedback is critical to increasing your web traffic and increasing conversion rates. UX is a major factor that determines whether people are going to keep coming back for more. Having user-centric decisions is critical in testing because it assists companies in preventing errors that can cause issues long term. In fact, to fix an error that was found after the product launch, is 100x more expensive, than before. Not only that, but an estimated 50-60% of the time is then wasted through having to-re do things, which could have been adjusted through usability testing. Due to the fact that usability testing is so affordable, it enables companies to have the opportunity to frequent testing that can give more reliable results, which also give better navigation for the digital product.

Main areas that need to be considered when conducting usability tests are:

•    Issues when trying to sign up

•    Navigation problems

•    Mis-leading navigation

•    Buttons not working on Devices’

Conducting frequent usability tests are crucial to having effective conversion rate optimization, and there are many affordable ways in which to conduct effective usability tests. Many companies opt to conduct remote testing, which can be done via crowdsourcing, as an option to save time and money, compared to in-house usability testing.

There are many advantages of remote usability testing, such as:

•    Diversity

With remote testing, you can have people test the app from around the world. This offers great insight and critical variation for different perspectives

•    More affordability

Remote testing is more affordable because there are many freelancers that are willing to test the app from their home. This is cheaper than hiring a company to conduct the usability tests.

•    Varied Environments

By having users test the app in their own environments, it means that there is greater insight

•    Location

If the office doesn’t have space to run a test with participants, then remote testing is the ideal way to resolve any geographical issues.

There are several ways to conduct remote usability testing. The two main preferences of usability testing are moderated or unmoderated testing. Testing sessions that are un-moderated, are completed by the participants, which is usually provided by specific services or apps. This is done by a pre-set of variables, including questions, which will provide the context for the user to do the research needed in order to find the relevant data.

Testing apps have many differences to desktop testing, as the apps require more interaction due to the smaller and more compact screen size. Therefore, mobile app testing tends to be more complex than and often requires different programs for the participants to partake in the usability testing.

Moderated testing is the same as in-person testing, in which the experimenters monitor the participants online, to record and take notes of how they are conducted.  This type of testing is best used to understand various issues, as the experimenters witness the online users activity, which adds to the data needed. The continuous information gathering provides the necessary insight needed, to get specific outcomes. Moderated testing can be very expensive, and is not the most affordable option, as it requires more costs to be paid to moderators and to set up the testing facilities on location.