Macadamian offers three suggestions for pain-free usability testing

Usability testing is a critical and often costly phase in the development of software products. But according to researchers at Macadamian — a user interface design studio that works with some of the world’s largest technology companies to create market-ready software products — the right approach can help speed time to market, gain stakeholder buy-in and identify new markets.

In a recent episode from a series of UX-related podcasts, Macadamian’s user experience researcher Anneliis Tosine suggested that user testing during the research phase is important as it can help identify important knowledge gaps and fix usability problems early in the process.

“(In previous podcasts), we spoke about workarounds that can come up from ethnographic research or usability testing, and you can get insights into the context of use,” said Tosine. “All of these gaps can help discover – or lead us to discover – new features or functionalities that the product may lack.”

Tosine and her colleagues discussed what they called UX “power tools” that can help move testing along without breaking the bank.

1. Map it out

Macadamian’s experience map, for example, provides a tangible view of the various touch points a customer has with a brand or product. It helps designers empathize with the journey users go through, and can often result in better quality applications as well as richer user experiences, according to Tosine.

“Experience maps give you an opportunity to ensure your products align with your organizational goals and customer goals,” she said.

But the value of experience maps doesn’t end there, especially in the context of designers working with clients, according to Sara Fortier, Macadamian’s User Experience Designer.

“They also create visibility across your client’s organization in terms of who you are—who Macadamian is, what your services are, and I think you can also help a lot in terms of gaining future business from them,” said Fortier.

2. Include everybody

Another strategy Macadamian employs in working with large clients that have multiple project teams is to gain participation and buy-in from various stakeholders across the organization.

“A lot of times when you are working with a client that is a really big, they may have many different project teams working on various products simultaneously. If you are able to get enrolment on a particular project, it can help to create consistency across their organization and get everyone on board.”

3. Think small

One of the biggest hurdles software creators face in the quest for launching bug-free products is funding.  Usability testing often involves an inordinate amount of time, money and human resources, said Tosine, but it doesn’t always have to be a mammoth undertaking.

“We have conducted very quick iterative – a let’s call them agile testing methods – for clients that do not take months to plan and execute into analyzed findings. You can think small and you can think of a sub-set of tasks or features that you want to get evaluated. By involving UX early on in your design cycle, you are saving time and money further on when you suddenly release a product that is unusable by end-users.”

The key to success in tackling these smaller UX tests is focus, said Fortier.

“We do give a high level list of things that could be tackled, and I think even just having that sort of list of issues and pain points helps you prioritize what should be tackled and at which time along the process.”