Today, I wanted to discuss my own experience with User Testing. In complete honesty, I knew very little about User Testing before my most recent User Testing phase. I always knew why companies wanted to user test before taking a new product to market. I was always on the user side, or designing the product and passing it along to a superior who would test it and never hear back until it was time to adjust. 

This most recent round of User testing allowed me to wear multiple hats and see the whole process, not just the beginning or the end feedback. My team and I were testing the prototype of an app that would teach Gen-Z about financial literacy and making smart financial choices. Our app, WalletWize, was a medium fidelity prototype. We then had a total of five users to get the beginner insights on what needed to be adjusted in the app. Throughout the testing session, I wore hats for the session timer, to time each task, and to see how long our users took to complete them in order to make sure the app is easy to navigate. 

Then I was an interview facilitator and got to facilitate a user test. This was an area I was excited to participate in. My findings in this area were that while following the protocol of not giving our users direction outside of the task instruction, like “navigate and complete the emergency fund quiz,” it was honestly awkward for me as the facilitator when the person would struggle with the task and ask for help. My team agreed for the sake of the most accurate testing, we wouldn’t give hints to help a struggling user. But as humans, especially wanting to be a welcoming person, to create a positive testing environment, it was difficult to see people struggle with certain tasks. However, it gave us a lot of insight into how someone who was on the design side of the app would be able to navigate it. 

After my turn of facilitating a test with a user, I got to sit back and listen to the other four tests and take notes. This is where I got to observe what our target users thought and felt about what we had created. Through note-taking and actively listening to our users, it allows me to see the benefits of user tests. A human-centered approach offers a greater ROI, from increased revenue and conversion rates to customer retention. Investing time and resources into UX will also help you create brand advocates. My team can take the feedback given to us from the users and go back to drawing to further refine and shape our app for the best possible creation for both the users and us as designers. 

I have included the slide deck of notes and feedback data my team collected after our test session below, as well as a video for further background on the concept of User Testing. 

Sources: 

“What Is the Purpose of User Testing: Benefits of User Testing: Ui Ux.” What Is the Purpose of User Testing | Benefits of User Testing | UI UX, 14 Sept. 2022, www.usertesting.com/blog/what-purpose-user-testing