7 Tips for Successful User Testing

Getting user feedback is probably one of the most valuable steps of the design process. A huge part of a designer’s responsibility is being a user advocate. It’s easy to get lost in our assumptions and make decisions without testing them with your users first.

I get it, user testing can seem intimidating. Who should I talk to, how do I find them, what questions do I ask? It can be overwhelming, but no matter what design, feature, ideas you are testing, your most important job is to listen to your users. Make them feel valued and appreciated, make them the center of your universe, make them feel good! Need I say more? All else is just an honest conversation. :)

However, here are 7 basic components to a successful user interview session:

Intro to warm up the user (people love talking about themselves), ideally 5–10 minutes

Spill the ground rules, relax the users, they are not being judged, we are.

Use unbiased (open-ended) questions, do not lead the user.

Do not answer their questions, ask them to discover the answer from the interface, or talk about their understanding of it.

What are your goals for this user testing session? What are you trying to understand?

How do we frame the questions to answer the above focus areas?

Show your appreciation, and invite them for more.

Hope these tips can help you test assumptions, build better products, and most of all be more empathetic towards your users!

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