UX Design Course | Usability testing

What? Why? Who?

What is the Usability testing course?

UX is a research-based discipline and qualitative research is the most powerful tool in the UX toolkit. This course will equip your teams with the capability of conducting in-house usability tests. We cover everything from setting up mobile tests to conducting customer interviews.

Why should I attend?

If you’re not doing research, you’re not doing UX. The goal of our training course is to give your team the confidence and the know-how to be self-sufficient when it comes to conducting customer interviews and usability tests.

Hands-on experience

We’ll facilitate a live usability test session with a real customer using your product for your team to observe. We believe people learn best when they get a chance to do it themselves. So members of your team will get to facilitate a test session as the other team members observe and critique.

Course outline

A one-day deep dive into the most powerful tool in the UX toolkit

module 1

Introduction

Introduction to qualitative research

What is qualitative research?
What it is and why it matters. Understanding how qualitative research differs from quantitative research.
When and why you should use customer interviews
Customer interviews provide contextual background early in the product development cycle. They can pinpoint genuine problems that customers need to solve.
When and why you should use usability testing
Usability testing is a versatile research technique, that can be used at various points along the software development lifecycle. We look at when it can best be used and to what ends.

module 2

Preparation

Preparing your test

How to set clear research objectives
Every research study needs to have clear objectives that provide focus. Here we look at defining what we want to learn.
How to find customers
Research requires real customers or potential customers. We show you how to find them.
How to create research scripts
Usability tests and interviews are not spontaneous. Every hour of preparation increases the likelihood of higher quality research data. Defining a detailed script is the best preparation possible.

module 3

Moderating

Moderating your test

How to conduct a customer interview
In this module we show you how to structure an interview and what sort of questions you should ask (and not ask).
Facilitation tips and techniques
Usability test facilitation is an art. Anybody can do it, but it requires know-how and practice. We discuss the role of the facilitator, what they are trying to achieve and tips for running smooth, effective sessions.
Common pitfalls
Every mistake you can make, we’ve made it. We’ll share some of the most common research pitfalls. And show you how to avoid them.
How to set up and record a usability test (for desktop)
What software and hardware you need. How to set up a high-quality, professional usability test recording.
How to set up and record a usability test (for mobile)
What software and hardware you need. How to set up a high-quality, professional mobile usability test recording for Android and iOS.

module 4

Usability testing

Live usability testing

Live usability test #1
Your trainer will facilitate a usability test session with a real customer using your product (or other software). Your team will observe.
Live usability test #2-4
Three members of the your team will facilitate a test session, with the other team members observing and critiquing.
Post test Q&A
After the tests we will discuss what we’ve learned and identify areas for improvement.