User Testing DIY•Three Steps to Validate Your Offering with Real Users

Lauren McDanell@lmcdanell

W H AT I S U S E R T E S T I N G ?

IS: Asking users what they want, and then building it for them.

IS NOT: Building a sweet product and then telling them they want it.

(whoops, they don’t think it’s sweet…)

@lmcdanell

W H Y D O U S E R T E S T I N G ?

To get to the right answer

(a product that people will buy and use at the price you’re selling)

faster, cheaper, and with less risk.

@lmcdanell

W H Y D O U S E R T E S T I N G ?

You (non-designer, non-programmer) can learn relatively the same things about core user behavior with this:

@lmcdanell

W H Y D O U S E R T E S T I N G ?

…as you can with this:

@lmcdanell

W H Y D O U S E R T E S T I N G ?

This is free. This is $$$.

@lmcdanell

B U T … U S E R S D O N ’ T K N O W W H AT T H E Y WA N T !

Nobody knew they wanted this thing.

@lmcdanell

A C T U A L LY, T H E Y D O .

What about these things?

CONNECTION

PLAY

EFFICIENCY

REMOTE WORK TOOLS

CAMERA IN MY POCKET

TRENDY, TECHY GADGET

@lmcdanell

T H R E E S T E P S O F U S E R T E S T I N G

1. Need Testing

2. Concept Testing

3. Prototype Testing

@lmcdanell

T H R E E S T E P S O F U S E R T E S T I N G

1. Need Testing

2. Concept Testing

3. Prototype Testing

@lmcdanell

N E E D T E S T I N G

How: Conduct user need interviews

• Learn about their current situation

• Hear their pain

• Gauge specific value propositions

@lmcdanell

N E E D T E S T I N G

“How do you keep track of the items you need to buy each week?”

“What types of lists do you make?”

“Tell me about the last time you made a list. When? How? Why? Where?”

@lmcdanell

N E E D T E S T I N G

“How much does this statementresonate with you, from 1-5?”

• I need a central location for all my lists.

• I need a list I can share with someone else, like my spouse or partner.

• I need separate lists for different types of items, chores, or activities.

@lmcdanell

N E E D T E S T I N G

Goal: Does the user have the need that I hypothesize they do?

NO YES

Is there a different need?

Move on to concept testing.

@lmcdanell

T H R E E S T E P S O F U S E R T E S T I N G

1. Need Testing

2. Concept Testing

3. Prototype Testing

@lmcdanell

C O N C E P T T E S T I N G

How: Conduct concept interviews

• Describe your solution

• Use low fidelity sketches or paper wireframes

• Observe user reactions to your solution concept. Will this help them?

@lmcdanell

C O N C E P T T E S T I N G

“What if there were a way to make and organize lists on your phone?”

“Would you use an app that let you create and share lists with others?”

“When/with whom would you use it?”

“Does an app like this make sense?”

@lmcdanell

C O N C E P T T E S T I N G

@lmcdanell

C O N C E P T T E S T I N G

@lmcdanell

C O N C E P T T E S T I N G

“How would you organize these lists?”

“What types of lists can you imagine making with this app?”

“Would this solve your problem of ___?”

“Do you think this app would make ___ easier?”

@lmcdanell

C O N C E P T T E S T I N G

Goal: Does this concept solve the user’s need?

NO YES

Why not? What would solve it?

Move on to prototype testing.

@lmcdanell

T H R E E S T E P S O F U S E R T E S T I N G

1. Need Testing

2. Concept Testing

3. Prototype Testing

@lmcdanell

P R O T O T Y P E T E S T I N G

How: Conduct clickable prototype tests with real users

• Allow users to interact with & react to a clickable version of your solution

• Observe how they use (and want to use!) your solution

• Ask users to complete the core usage loop for your solution…can they?

@lmcdanell

P R O T O T Y P E T E S T I N G

@lmcdanell

P R O T O T Y P E T E S T I N G

@lmcdanell

P R O T O T Y P E T E S T I N G

@lmcdanell

P R O T O T Y P E T E S T I N G

“What is this app for?”

“What is the first thing you would do from here?”

“What could you do from this screen?”

@lmcdanell

P R O T O T Y P E T E S T I N G

“If you clicked that button, what do you think would happen?”

“What would the next screen look like?”

“What would you want to do at this point?”

@lmcdanell

P R O T O T Y P E T E S T I N G

Give the user an assignment (to complete the core usage loop of your product).

@lmcdanell

Edit profile

View babes

Swipe

Chat

T I N D E R C O R E U S A G E L O O P

@lmcdanell

P R O T O T Y P E T E S T I N G

“Create a new list called ‘Grocery Store.’”

“Add ‘bread’ to your Grocery Store list.”

“Cross off ‘bread’ from your Grocery Store list.”

@lmcdanell

P R O T O T Y P E T E S T I N G

Goal: Is this the right experience for this concept?

NO YES

Why not? How should product work?

Prettier prototypes & eventually program!

@lmcdanell

BU

ILD TH

E REA

L DEA

L

Iterate!

@lmcdanell

Iterate!

@lmcdanell

BU

ILD TH

E REA

L DEA

L

Open House: March 2, 6:00 PM

5-Day Boot Camp: March 21 – 25

2-Day Boomer Workshop: April 18 – 19

12-Week Evening: Thursdays starting May 19

www.seedspot.org @lmcdanell

lauren@seedspotphoenix.org

@lmcdanell