Most of the time, when you’re showing your employer your newly constructed mock-ups (which you’re quite proud of), Tim will recommend that you conduct “User research” on them; little does he know, it’s usability that he’s going for.
These words are now commonly used in product conversations. User testing is frequently mistaken with usability testing. Learn about them separately and discover how they contribute value/what stage of the design process they are involved in.
User Testing
Travis Kalanick, now the Founder and CEO of Uber, was delayed in traffic in Paris on a wet day couldn’t get a cab. He seized the problem in hand and began approaching acquaintances, bus hubs, taxi stands, and office exits, asking if they would like to have an app that could fetch them a cab in a matter of seconds (and how).
User testing is more akin to putting your idea or app to the test. It entails determining how people do this activity now and whether (and how) they will utilize an alternative to perform the same thing in the future. User personas of your target user group are a common result of user testing.
Usability Testing
There were now enough friends and acquaintances informing Travis that they’d want to be able to call a cab directly from their phone app. As a result, he received an early design and requested that they test arranging a cab journey. He observed and pinpointed the areas where individuals were having difficulty arranging a ride. It’s now fixed. I showed them once more. That’s what UX testing is all about.
It enables you to determine whether or not people can efficiently use your app, where they are getting caught up, and what you need do to ensure that they do not become stuck.
That’s the same story behind every successfully app
You name it, Airbnb, Tinder, Snapchat, and so on. The distinction between usability tests and user testing is straightforward: user testing is concerned with determining “Will this customer use my product?” while usability testing is concerned with determining “Can this customer use this product?” These are frequently confused with one another. Once you have a better understanding of these words, you may apply these strategies at the appropriate times to obtain better feedback for a better user experience.
Let us delve a little deeper
Also, consider how and when usability testing and user testing contribute to a positive experience. To put it in simple terms, we can distinguish differences in terms of the stage at which they are necessary, the expectations that are expected, the questions that are asked, and the methodologies that are employed.
You now understand how user testing varies from user testing, how they offer value, and when they should be used. When Peter comes to you from his posh cabin and asks you to do a user testing, help him figure out whether he truly wants to undertake a usability test or a user test. You could save his and your time by doing some internet research and using the correct instrument to get the results he wants while maintaining your cool.
