This week we are going to learn in-depth about Usability Study and conduct mock interviews with participants (fictitious) for the same.

Week 2: Conducting Research With Usability Studies

Usability Study

To recap, a usability study is a research method that assesses how easy it is for participants to complete core tasks in a design. A usability study is called concept testing when done at an early stage of an idea.

1. Usability studies can help your team understand how real users interact with your designs and how well your product meets their needs.
2. Because usability studies can be inexpensive, they’re a “low risk, high reward” way to test designs!
3. There are two types of usability studies that you can conduct: moderated and unmoderated.

Moderated Usability Study

1. Moderated usability studies have a person, known as a moderator, guide participants through the study in real-time.
2. Prefer this when you want to dig into the details because you can ask follow-up questions throughout the session to learn more.

Unmoderated Usability Study

1. Unmoderated usability studies have participants test the prototypes without human guidance.

2. Unmoderated studies can be advantageous because they more closely simulate how a user would interact with the product in the real world.

Similarities

Whether you conduct a moderated or an unmoderated usability study, a few things will remain the same:

• Tasks in a usability study are actions a real user might perform in your product, like entering an address, placing an order, or making a reservation.

• The script should be repeated with each participant, in the same order, to replicate the same study environment.

• Participants should be representative of the product’s target users and should align with the personas you created earlier in the design process.

• They can be conducted at any stage, whether you have a low-fidelity prototype, a high-fidelity prototype, or even a finished product.

Comparison

Best Practices for Moderated Usability Study

1. Get Comfortable

   • Build a professional but friendly rapport with the participants.

   • Ask them questions like did you have an easy time getting here, Can you tell me a little bit about yourself or do you have any favorite hobbies to make them feel comfortable.

   • If your study participants are minors or children, you might want to add an engaging and entertaining activity to begin the study.

   • Make sure the space is comfortable as well. Usability studies can take place in a usability lab, inside someone's home, in a public area, or online.

2. Put People First

   • Emphasize that nothing they say will offend you or hurt your feelings and that

     any issues that they have navigating your design will probably come up from many other participants too.

   • Use people-first language. Literally! Put “people” or “person” first in your phrasing. For example, you should say “person with a disability” instead of “disabled person.”

3. Paperwork

   • Make sure all the paperwork such as an NDA and permission to record the study session are in place and filled out by the participants in confidence.

4. Communication

   • Explain the focal point of the study and what the participants will give feedback on.

   • It's always a good idea to let them know what to expect and then to ask, "Does this sound good?" Make it a practice to check in with the participant to

     make sure they're comfortable with what you've planned.

   • Remind participants that there are no right or wrong answers, and ask open-ended questions.

   • You’ll want to introduce the think-aloud method, which is a type of data gathering that has participants turn their internal thoughts into shared ideas through spoken, signed, or typed words.

5. Asking the right questions

   • Keep your emotions neutral.

     If you have a hard time keeping your emotions neutral during the study for some reason, this reflection can help you identify where your emotions might have influenced your research. (Biases)

   • To avoid making assumptions about participants' responses, ask questions like "Tell me more about that", or "Can you expand on that?"

   • Finally, repeat back what you think the participant means and allow them to correct or confirm the statement to make sure you are on the same page. Be careful not to summarize their feedback for confirmation right away or you'll run the risk of leading the participant to a certain answer.

Reducing Bias in Interviews

We have already gone through many types of biases in UX already and how to avoid them in general. This section will particularly focus on reducing biases during a usability study.

1. Being aware of biases is actually the first step in reducing them.

2. Conformational Bias: The tendency to focus on information that matches a pre-existing belief. To reduce conformational bias:

   • Recruit an appropriate sample size: Research shows that five participants are a large enough sample size to gain valuable feedback. Moreover, there is often a diminishing return on investment if more than eight participants are added to the study.

   • Keep an open mind: If participants share ideas that contradict your assumptions, it could highlight the need to dig into an issue more deeply and can pave the way for new learnings to emerge.

3. Friendliness Bias: Friendliness bias describes the tendency of people to agree with those they like in order to maintain a non-confrontational conversation.

   In addition, being agreeable makes the interview go faster and easier. That’s why the friendliness bias is sometimes called “the principle of least effort” because people have a tendency to avoid resistance when completing tasks.

   To reduce friendliness bias:

   • Ask for honest feedback no matter the harshness of the criticism.

   • As a researcher, you should show curiosity and practice active listening in the same way throughout the entire interview, no matter how positive or negative the feedback that participants share.

4. Social Desirability Bias: This type of bias can occur when research participants provide answers that are rooted in what they think is popular, instead of what they actually believe. To reduce this:

   • Conduct 1:1 interviews

   • Ensure confidentiality

5. Hawthorne Effect: The Hawthorne effect describes how people tend to act differently when they know they’re being watched.

   • Create a non-threatening environment

   • Establish a friendly rapport.

6. Finally, be mindful of your body language. A lot of us are people pleasers. If you react favorably to something when you are the moderator by nodding or smiling,

   this might encourage participants to share feedback that will get them more nods or smiles.

Note-taking during a Usability Study

1. Spreadsheet note-taking is a simple and easy method to keep your notes organized using a spreadsheet.

2. There are five categories you'll be using in the note-taking spreadsheet: Task,

   click path, observations, quotes, and task completion.

   • Tasks participants complete. Record this in Column A.

   • The click path, or sequence of actions, a participant follows for each task. Record this in Column B.

   • Observations about participant behaviors, feelings, and pain points as they interact with the product. Record this in Column C.

   • Direct quotes from participants that highlight parts of their experience. Record this in Column D.

   • How easy or difficult you thought it was for the participant to complete each task. Record this in Column E.

Check out my interview notes here. Conducting a Usability study is a taxing but rewarding task. By the end of the 5th interview, I could clearly see the design flaws to which I was oblivious at first. You get to interact with all sorts of people and observe them interact with your design, which is an area unexplored by the developers. Gaining a newfound respect for the users and growing empathetic are some of the desired side effects.😝