Katie Coen

You have a prototype made and you’re ready to go. Only one thing stands between working on a final product and getting it out on the market. That one thing could be the most important part of the sprint process. 

User testing allows you to see what works and what doesn’t when it comes to your prototype. This step includes finding people in your target audience and giving them the chance to use your prototype. The results will tell you what needs to be changed before putting your product out for the world to use. Plus, the testing can help calm your nerves about a possible failure.

“Prototype testing gives you the confidence that your designs are usable. And this helps reduce the risk of creating a product that won’t succeed when it goes to market.”

UsabilityHub, Prototype testing guide

The first step is to find these participants. You only need about five people, but they should be ones who would benefit from the product when it’s completed.

“Representative users are those who you actually see as user personas that will (hopefully) use the product when you launch it.”

Lindsey Allard, UXPin, 4 tips for User Testing Your Prototype

Then you must decide and standardize exactly what each participant will do. You need to mutually decide with the group what will happen during the interview including what questions will be asked and what the setting will be like. It can be in an office with multiple people taking notes or it can be done on a smaller scale, like a recorded video call where you can take notes after. You must also design and organize testing materials, like a survey or written questions, if applicable. 

When it comes time for the user testing interview, it’s important to make it a friendly environment. Jake Knapp explains this in “Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days”.

“People need to feel comfortable to be open, honest, and critical. So the first job of the Interviewer is to welcome the customer and put her at ease. That means a warm greeting and friendly small talk about the weather.”

Jake Knapp, How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days

Part of making the interviewee feel comfortable is starting out with simple questions about them. Not only does this give you context, but it makes them feel at ease before they even see the prototype. It’s also important to make sure you have consent. A signed form or verbalized recorded consent to submit to the user testing must be done before you begin. 

It is finally time to introduce the prototype. Execute the testing session just like you planned with the sprint group. Guide the participant through the product and encourage them to explain their thoughts as they go. The more honest, the better.

After the interview, it’s time to review the data. The goal is to look for patterns in the responses from the interviews. What did everyone agree worked well or did not? You’ll use this to decide what needs to be changed in the prototype before taking a leap into a market.

“It will still be up to you to decide how to interpret and apply what you learn.”

Jake Knapp, How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days

This whole user testing process is helpful in many ways. It helps you improve your prototype and learn more about what the average person is looking for in your product. It’s the opinions of those people that matter the most and that will make you the most successful.