When planning to do a usability test for mobile experience, there’re lots of things to genuinely consider.Hence, app usability testing is the puzzle we’ll be fixing in this short read.
Why Quality App Usability Testing is Indispensable
A few white-hot apps get installed by millions of mobile users, while others simply remain at the deep end of the pool. They stay unnoticed, ignored and eventually silenced. Tapping into the myriads of reasons why some apps never make it out of their blindspots, we find the crucial ones to be ‘blah content’ and sub-minimal user experience.
The fuss and preach about the need of app usability testing cannot be overstressed. Again, the absence of it is stunningly vicious to the success of businesses and brands. In other words, user experience, user interaction and user-app friendliness are firestorms of testing that must be explored.
According to Statista, 40% of US-based smartphone users delete a mobile app because they find a better replacement. The point exactly? The competition within the custom mobile app development field is massive and surreal. To win a place in the frontline trenches means to learn the ropes of what matters (business goals) and for whom it matters (targets/audience).
The Full Picture of Usability of Mobile Applications. Description and Benefits
Mobile UX testing is a subjective step process designed to gain an insight into how users generally perceive an app. The purpose of such testing is to estimate if the app is easy to use and figure out the likely points of frustration for its final users.
Besides, usability testing is one way to find honest loopholes that could be potential threats to enterprise app development. Essentially, it’s an avenue of asking soon-to-be customers and even older ones what improvements they would like to see. While to your business, it’s the start of creating a stronger bottom line. Overall, good usability opens up a secret hit list of items. It includes customer satisfaction (or over satisfaction, if possible), areas of the app in need of support, etc. The interesting part is certainly how to rake in more sales and revenue.
Now, having a raw but ready app is not the problem. The coax is its quality ― this part is a little too overlooked by many mobile app developers. The web is changing, people are getting smarter and busier. No one wants to install whack. We don’t just look for efficient and fancy apps, we want something wickedly efficient and super simple to use. But that’s only a frickle of ‘what matters’. Companies likewise don’t have the full price to pay – think of tools, skills and the perfect audience to test with. How many of the custom mobile app development companies boast all three?
A report by measuringU implies the optimal number of app users to test with is 5. Only then, will you be able to point out at least 85% of the software errors. To ham it up, other important questions will have to be answered.
How to Conduct an Effective Usability Test: 5-Step Guide
There are many ways to go about testing the usability of mobile applications. At the same time, a vast array of tools are springing up to aid with running more effective tests. For example, UsabilityTesting.com is for crowd-sourcing and video capturing. The Google mobile usability test is another example employed where a set of tools are offered to understand customer patterns. With that said, brainstorming creative ways to launch a test will help too. Here is a step-by-step guide to kick-start the process.
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Create a checklist of objectives
One objective could be cracking the code of what makes your mobile app desirable, how intuitive it is or what colors work better for app branding. For simplicity, put your goals into two parts:
- Core objectives. They are must-have questions to be asked each time you perform app usability testing.
- Flexible objectives. They include new features, updates or buttons recently earmarked in the app.
All in all, your objectives should make sense to the users through the qualities listed below.
- Value
- Findability
- Usefulness
- Desirability
2. Select your testers
Precision is key to identifying your target audience, the closer your testers are to your prospects, the better. For example, if a mobile game app is for players of between 16 and 35 years, then the app usability testing audience should center around such ages. Here are other audience parameters to proof-check:
- Sex
- Education
- Motivation
- Challenges
- Geography
- Computer literacy
- Any other factors of relevance to your Ideal Customer Persona (ICP).
3. Prepare the test tasks
No matter the stage of app development you’re at, these are two vital details to pitch on:
- Provide little or no hints about answers. Giving additional clues may mislead testers into answering based on your own preferences
- Double check the test’s clarity and review your instructions. Unclear test guidelines may result in ineffectiveness of testers and invalid results
4. Choose the best techniques
Both lab and remote app usability testing are good in their own rights. If the two were compared, lab testing adds an extra layer to the emotional response of your audience. Examples are raised eyebrows and shrugged shoulders. On the flipside, remote testing is more cost-effective. Testers can stay home and perform it using a set of instructions.
5. Analyze your findings, improve and plan a follow-up test
Now, it’s the time to roundup and organize your app’s usability data. Review the results and decide on the most significant areas to put in work and, of course, the next line of action. Run multiple new app usability tests because, after all, it is the main strategy of change.
Closing Thoughts
There’s no arguing the need for app usability testing, probably, for every mobile app development company. What’s more, as much as possible, testing should be error-free in each case. Even if not sure, stick to the golden rule of all times and ‘Always Be Testing’.