Running my first Usability Tests
I mentioned in my last post ( Figma — Tips for Developers) that I was building a prototype for my first product (JiffyCV) and how I was using Figma to create the prototype and I found it an amazing tool which got me interested in design again (I’m a developer who gave up trying to design things).
In this post I’ll be writing about what I did with that prototype — Usability Testing. I’ll cover how I conducted the test, what I learned about carrying out my first usability testing sessions and how those sessions allowed me to iterate rapidly over ideas to craft a better user experience.
What is Usability Testing?
A usability test is where you give the user a prototype or implemented solution and ask them to complete a set of tasks while observing them and asking them to talk through how they’d expect the app to work.
The aim of the test is to learn more about the way the user interacts with the UI and how the UX helps or impedes their ability to complete the tasks they need to carry out.
It’s a good idea to carry out usability testing while you’re not too invested in a design or solution so that you can adjust it drastically with little attachment. I’m glad that I did this as I was able to pivot my idea quite a but with minimal effort.
