User experience research provides awareness about our users, their goals and if our assumptions are correct in addressing those needs. Throughout the design process, I’ve used research to validate such assumptions and have learned a lot in the process.
Usability Testing Facilitation
My user experience career began with moderating usability testing. I love to hear about someone's favorite app or go-to site. I always learn something new. Lately, person to person testing can easily be done remotely. The image below shows us using Google Hangout to conduct testing. The test helped us learn whether the client’s new approach to displaying content was easily understood.
Usability Testing Findings
After testing, I quickly gather its findings and communicate them out. From these findings, enhancements can be determined, scoped and added to the project. For this client, remote testing was used as new members performed key tasks on the site. This slide comes from a presentation that reported the testing results. Providing a clear direction on what to do first was one of the biggest takeaways.
Product Pilots
Some ideas need to be tested first before releasing them into the wild. For Weight Watchers, we wanted to see if participants would achieve weight loss by following the program and meeting in an online group setting. Utilizing Google Hangouts for 4 weeks, attendants met once a week with an authorized Weight Watchers leader. Nearly half achieved weight loss at the end of the 4 weeks. It was encouraging enough to have it put on the product road map for the following year.
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