One way to create a good consumer experience is through the discipline of usability testing.
Usability has been defined as the "measure of quality when interacting with something". This can cover anything from ATMs to websites, mobile phones to retail branches. Usability means people interacting with an organisation can do so quickly and easily. It must be a simple, engaging and enjoyable experience.
Probably the most popular method of usability is user testing. This is the process of learning about ordinary customers by watching them interact with a touch point. This process involves observing a number of representative users in one-on-one sessions as they carry out set tasks. The facilitator watches what they do whilst listening to participants think aloud as well as looking out for patterns of behaviour across participants.
User testing is very different to running a focus group. Where a focus group is about learning what people have to say, user testing will focus on what people actually do when using a product. Traditional market research is great for understanding how people think, but creating a good consumer experience actually requires more than that. We need to know how they will behave when dealing with a real situation. This is where user testing really shines.
There is a strong attraction to think that there is some "magic formula" to creating a good consumer experience, but this is not the case. Many industries can fall into this trap. In 2003 the LA Times reported that a British academic had determined the requirements of creating a hit movie. Apparently, a box office smash must include: 30 percent action, 17 percent comedy, 13 percent good versus evil, 12 percent sex/romance, 10 percent special effects, 10 percent plot and eight percent music.
As attractive as the numbers sound, they don't work in real life. This world is messy, complicated and full of real people wanting to get things done in the shortest possible time. We must use a mix of research methods to understand their needs. Simply understanding consumer opinion through market research is not enough. We need to understand their behaviours as well.
Researching usability helps to ensure that customer interactions are efficient, satisfying and useful; you simply cannot have a world class customer experience without it. - 15246
Usability has been defined as the "measure of quality when interacting with something". This can cover anything from ATMs to websites, mobile phones to retail branches. Usability means people interacting with an organisation can do so quickly and easily. It must be a simple, engaging and enjoyable experience.
Probably the most popular method of usability is user testing. This is the process of learning about ordinary customers by watching them interact with a touch point. This process involves observing a number of representative users in one-on-one sessions as they carry out set tasks. The facilitator watches what they do whilst listening to participants think aloud as well as looking out for patterns of behaviour across participants.
User testing is very different to running a focus group. Where a focus group is about learning what people have to say, user testing will focus on what people actually do when using a product. Traditional market research is great for understanding how people think, but creating a good consumer experience actually requires more than that. We need to know how they will behave when dealing with a real situation. This is where user testing really shines.
There is a strong attraction to think that there is some "magic formula" to creating a good consumer experience, but this is not the case. Many industries can fall into this trap. In 2003 the LA Times reported that a British academic had determined the requirements of creating a hit movie. Apparently, a box office smash must include: 30 percent action, 17 percent comedy, 13 percent good versus evil, 12 percent sex/romance, 10 percent special effects, 10 percent plot and eight percent music.
As attractive as the numbers sound, they don't work in real life. This world is messy, complicated and full of real people wanting to get things done in the shortest possible time. We must use a mix of research methods to understand their needs. Simply understanding consumer opinion through market research is not enough. We need to understand their behaviours as well.
Researching usability helps to ensure that customer interactions are efficient, satisfying and useful; you simply cannot have a world class customer experience without it. - 15246
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