How to carry out user testing on mobile applications and web for guaranteed success.

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User Testing
Guiding the Way to Success

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The two parts of User Testing
Usability Testing A systematic observation under controlled conditions
to determine how well people can use the product or service.
Concept Testing Tests the appeal and potential success of a new
product or service before it is launched.
For mobile this means testing how people use a specific application
or website on the mobile device.

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Testing will help you identify: navigation errors (failure to find
something), presentation errors (failure to understand something),
control usage problems (failure to use something), understand
how people use the service and get user feedback on the general
appeal of the service. Usability Testing should take place throughout
projects from the initial design to the last sprint to give you time to
address the issues during the design and development process.
What we think

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Types of User Testing
Guerrilla Usability Testing Informal user involvement with little or no
budget available.
Lab Usability Testing User involvement in design phase to
understand needs and use patterns.
Contextual Usability Testing User involvement in the right
environment.
Remote Usability Testing User research located elsewhere than user.
LAB
TESTING
CONTEXTUAL
TESTING
REMOTE
TESTING
GUERRILLA
TESTING

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Test the app with your target users during development and
chances are pretty high that you will develop something the
users want and find engaging. By doing at least one type of
User Testing you avoid ending up with a product that only
contains your own company’s requirements.
What we think

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Minimum Testing Requirements
14 people that do not have a personal interest in the app.
A distribution tool for test versions of your app such as TestFlight.
A survey tool to get anonymous feedback from test users.
A test plan including the testing activities listed in this document.
A project plan that takes both user feedback and implementation
of this feedback into account during all phases of development.

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Involving users in the development process doesn’t have to be hard.
All you need are a handful of free tools and a commitment to collect
as much user feedback as possible so that your app can reach its
full potential.
What we think

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Testing Materials
Low Fidelity Prototyping Quick mockup of ideas in an interactive
form that brings them to life to elicit feedback. It could be a paper or
digital format based on rough sketches or wireframes.
High Fidelity Prototype Interactive tappable mockups presenting the
main screens and main functionality of the app without real data.
Real App Anything stretching from a feature complete app to a
product that is close to launch.

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You can do User Testing during any phase of your project. From
presenting conceptual sketches of your app idea to exploring
sophisticated tools that record the user-screen interaction. It
doesn’t matter which one you choose, just find one that works
for you. The most important thing is that you do User Testing to
begin with.
What we think

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Other Testing Activities
A/B Testing Offering alternative versions of your product to
different users and comparing the results to find out which
one performs better.
Surveys A quick and easy way to get feedback from a large group of
people. Ideally they include a set of yes/no questions but also gives
users the opportunity to provide additional feedback.

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You can put as little or as much effort as you want in User Testing,
but be aware that the payoff will be relative to the time spent. We
have heard many clients claim there is not enough time to carry out
User Testing, but it is common sense that this is precisely one aspect
of app and mobile web development you do not want to skip.
What we think

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Example Case
Usability Testing for mFriend app

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Background
mFriend is an app developed as part of the Golden Gekko University
that is designed to help people have healthy sex. It provides support
and information about things like correct treatment for sexually
transmitted infections.
The following slides contain examples of findings from the User
Testing made for mFriend and the solutions that followed.

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Usability Challenge #1
The app contained an inbox that was empty the first time the
user opened up the app. The users did not know if, how or when
they were going to start receiving messages which created some
confusion for them.
By adding an informative text on how the messages worked and
could be managed within the app, we removed all uncertainties.

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Usability Challenge #2
The app contained a section named “I’m just looking for info”. Our
test users tended to go there no matter the situation since they were,
in some sense, always looking for information. This ultimately meant
that the app became less efficient in providing the correct answers.
The section content and name was changed to contain only the
most critical information (where to find your nearest sexual health
clinic). Now the users’ choices within the app became more clear
and they started following the expected user flow.

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Why is it important?
User Testing is an integral step in providing a mobile solution. Both
time and money can be saved by identifying and addressing usability
issues before development starts.
For you as a company, this will ultimately lead to better products,
less risk and deeper insights. User-led projects will also help get
your products to market more quickly.

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It is never a bad thing to find usability issues when carrying out
User Testing. Quite the opposite. As long as you have a sprint plan
that takes user feedback into account, it simply means you will be
more successful once you launch your latest website or application!
At Golden Gekko we have committed to include User Testing in
every project going forward. We recommend you do the same so
that together, we keep on delivering high-quality mobile solutions.
Conclusions

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email info@goldengekko.com
Fighting for a world
full of mobile solutions
since 2005