As well as having obvious goals for your overall app, it’s important to set goals for your mobile app user testing. Of course, carrying out user testing in the first place saves you a lot of time and money in the long run. Releasing an app without first testing it on your ideal demographic could cost you a pretty penny, because it could be flawed or not match what your target customer needs.
At TADCO we follow these steps to ensure your app matches your customer requirements.
Development Stage
Assess the different iterations of the app so everything is not only running smoothly, but it’s perfectly tailored to your customer. We look at our testing goals and figure out if we want to sit down and chat to customers about frustrations they have in relation to the service you provide. We also think about if we need to watch them navigate your app. This ensures the testing plan is in place, as we may need to develop a prototype for the tester to work on.
Prepare a Test-Plan
To fully benefit from user testing, you must have a plan in place so too much time isn’t wasted testing a certain area, or the user doesn’t fully understand what’s expected of them.
We decide on what will be tested; specific app features or a set of tasks for example.
Plan what metrics you will use to measure the effectiveness of the testing. How will you know if the user is carrying out the right actions and getting the results you expected? Using levels of difficulty can help with this.
We keep a basic spreadsheet of the users’ names and somewhere to scribble notes on how long it took them to do each task.
Set a time-limit for the test and plan open-ended questions such as:
- What do you like about how the app works?
- What do you think this swipe/button/click is going to do?
Select User Testing Participants
Users should fit the ideal target audience demographic, and provide unbiased responses. If possible we use current customers who are already familiar with the service.
The ideal number of users testing the app is 5 to 7.
Running the Test Environment
For smooth test running, we do a quick test on coworkers before testing on actual participants. This highlights any obvious technical faults that will hinder the testing.
Set up the webcams, screen captures, video and audio equipment.
Provide cups of tea and food to help the testers feel comfortable!
Analyse The Test Outcomes
Results should be in line with the goals set out for the test; have the metrics recorded in a way that is easy to understand and take advantage from.
The audio, screen and webcam recordings will be highly beneficial because we may have caught some expressions and frustrations on camera that may have been missed in person.
We always take our time going back over these, making sure to write down all the details relating to each task.
Planning out user testing sessions is beneficial because the developers foresee any errors or complications the user may face. At TADCO, we have a team of developers who carry out user testing environments frequently to ensure all our apps are the perfect fit for their users. Why not get in touch to discuss your app development further.
