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We all make assumptions, and our opinions are not subjective. The same applies to the design of your website.
You might spot a problem with your site and presume you know how it can be solved. But this is a trap we regularly see businesses fall into: jumping straight into implementing web fixes without the data to back it up.
But there’s a problem with this approach - one person’s experience and understanding will differ from another. This is where UX testing comes in. Instead of simply implementing the changes you think your site needs, UX testing involves testing and learning with real site users to understand the ‘why’. These methods focus on what isn’t available in your data – why users behave like they do.
Why should you validate assumptions through UX testing?
There are a whole host of reasons why UX testing should be carried out to validate your assumptions:
- Save resource and budget:Without UX testing, precious time and moneyis spentredesigning or rebuilding an area of your site only to put it live and not get results. By testing tovalidateassumptions, you may find the problem is smaller than originallyanticipatedandisn’ta priority to fix. Oryouneedto dealwithissuessooner than expected.
- Bring objectivity back:Based on facts rather than opinion, UX testing allows you to make objective decisions. Without conducting testing, you run the risk of making changes based solely on assumptions.
- Get further buy-in:Testingprovidesinsight to gaintheinvestmentnecessarytomake required changes.Helping tobuild a business case with stakeholders,you’llbe able to confidently explain why improvements are needed.
- Ensure changes are usable:eCommerce is a saturatedlandscape,so the need to stand out is vital for keeping up with the competition.However, before jumping into doing somethingthat’sa little bit ‘out there’,test the change first to ensureitsusable. Userslike to interact with websites in a specific way, and by going against the grain too much, you could lose visitors and conversions.
- Create a better user experience: UX testing can remove barriers that affect your website from performing at its best. Without these tests, you risk negatively impacting your reputation and the perceived value behind what you do.
When’s the best time to test?
UX testing shouldn’t be left until your site needs rebuilding. It can be introduced at any stage whether that’s on an ongoing basis, during a website build, while making improvements to an existing site or post launch to ensure everything is working as it should be.
Before making changes as part of a website rebuild, it’s worthwhile evaluating your existing site to inform improvements and ensure you don’t take unnecessary elements to your new site.
Once your project has launched, we recommend carrying out ongoing testing and making continuous improvements through a retainer plan. This can help you keep an eye on developing problems while keeping your website in tip top condition to offer the best user experience possible.
The best tests to validate your assumptions
Tree testing
Tree testing helps you understand how findable the topics on your website are to shed light on where and why people get lost onsite. Whether you’re building a completely new website or improving your existing one, this method will give you the insight to build an information architecture designed with your audience in mind.
Taking the navigation in its simplest form, we can show it to target users and ask them questions such as “where would you click to find the footwear category?”. This gives us an understanding of whether they can find what they need with ease while highlighting categorisation or navigation issues.
First click testing
Where do users go when they first land on your website? First-clicking testing allows you to see where a user would click to complete a given task. This provides the insight you need to create interfaces that your visitors will understand from first look.
First-click testing consists of showing the user an image, so they can identify where they would click to find a specific area or category.
Card sorting
When you’re used to how a website is structured, it’s second nature to quickly navigate to the product you want. But card sorting allows for a fresh perspective from real users.
Card sorting can be used for navigation purposes, website hierarchy, or to decide what content sits on what page. Using this method, you can find out how your users think your website should be organised, enabling you to make more confident and informed structural decisions.
There are two forms of card sorting that can be carried out:
- Open card sorting:This method involves having open methods of sorting. For example, when testing a navigation, you could offersubcategoriesand ask the user to group and name those categories.
- Close card sorting:This method is when the categories have already beennamed,and users are asked to put the subcategories into the area that they see fit.
First impression testing
First impression testing, also known as the five second test, measures your users’ first impressions. Find out how visitors perceive your website after a short exposure and use this insight to spot trends and make improvements.
The user (who has never seen the website before) would be shown an image of the homepage for five seconds. What impression you want to test at that time is completely up to you.
Work with us
Our approach to UX strategy is designed to make your customers' path to conversion as easy as possible. Only with extensive testing can we create even better eCommerce and every decision we make is data driven.
If you feel like your business could benefit from our UX strategy or want to know more about how testing can drive performance, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
