Mastering usability testing

WHEN & WHERE

Wednesday, 18 November
9.00am - 12.00pm
Via Zoom

IDEAL FOR

UX designers, product managers, junior UX researchers, content strategists

LEVEL

Beginner/Intermediate

OVERVIEW

“You are not the user” is a classic UX mantra for a reason. Too often, businesses don’t take the time to test their websites or products outside company walls because they assume that their users are just like them. But testing with real, representative users is essential to creating products that are truly user-centric. In this workshop, you will learn how to plan and conduct usability testing efficiently and effectively so that you can get high-quality, honest user insights in a short period of time.

Through a combination of lectures, Q&A, and fun hands-on exercises, we’ll cover the entire usability testing process from planning to execution to analysis. Whether the testing you’re gearing up for is moderated or unmoderated, in-person or remote, you’ll leave the workshop with the understanding and confidence you need to do it all on your own.

IN THIS WORKSHOP YOU'LL LEARN:
  • Identify situations where usability testing could be applied to uncover insights about how people use their products
  • Define high-level research questions and translate them into a discussion guide containing specific participant scenarios and follow-up probes
  • Recruit potential participants and screen them to ensure that they exhibit any characteristics of interest and will give candid, honest feedback
  • Get set up for test day, including structuring test sessions so that they flow easily, creating a plan for recording data, and troubleshooting any technical difficulties
  • Create a warm, genuine rapport with participants (whether in-person or remote) to quickly make them comfortable speaking with you
  • Apply strategies to dig deeper into participants’ thoughts, feelings, and reactions during the test session without biasing their behaviour
  • Analyze data from test sessions efficiently to extract key insights, identify root causes of users’ problems, and generate potential solutions
  • Create actionable recommendations based on insights and share them with stakeholders
ABOUT Elizabeth Allen

Elizabeth Allen is a UX researcher, cognitive psychologist, and sporadic banjo-player based in Toronto. She is the founder of Brazen, a UX research consultancy that helps clients such as Mozilla, Shopify, and Instacart understand their users and solve critical UX problems in digital and physical products. Before taking the leap and starting Brazen two years ago, Elizabeth worked as an in-house researcher at companies in Toronto, San Francisco, and Chicago.