A scenario that will engage testers
Most websites are extensive, and you cannot expect testers to click through one page after another with us. That is why we select a few key areas and prepare tasks for the testers. Tasks are the most important step in the entire testing process. You need to choose the tasks very carefully. Choose typical user actions. What information are they likely to be interested in? What will they need to find out if they are interested in your offer? Test the conversion paths as well.
To help the tester get into their role more easily, prepare a brief scenario for them. Just a few sentences will suffice. You must indicate to the user what problem they want to solve on the website. Then formulate all tasks so that they relate to the scenario. The tester will find it easier to concentrate.
I WANT TO PREPARE A TEST SCRIPT
To illustrate this, we’ll walk through all the steps using an example. We’ll be testing the usability of the atrium.cz website, which offers timber-frame houses. Here’s what a sample scenario might look like:
You have purchased a plot of land to build a house and are looking for a suitable timber-frame house contractor (you have learnt that this is a cheap, quick and very high-quality technology for building houses). You have a maximum budget of 3 million crowns for the house, including everything (foundation slab, utilities), and you need to select a contractor for a 4-room, 120m² timber-frame house or larger. You have had a bad experience with poor-quality products and want to build a house that you will still be happy with even after 20 or 30 years of living there.
The tester can easily picture a situation like this. He himself would certainly also like a large, high-quality house. If you select the testers correctly, this scenario will immediately spark their interest. They will ask themselves: What sort of house might I have? Will it have a fireplace in the living room?
Prepare your tasks
Build tasks around this scenario. If you sell houses, the most important thing for you is that people find information about the properties on your website, browse the catalogue, and are convinced that you and you alone can build them a family home. Your conversion goals are then to submit an enquiry, arrange a meeting, and download the house catalogue. We will focus precisely on these conversion goals. Next, you will ask about your customers’ key requirements. For example:
- Find out whether the company builds houses to your specifications (this will help you verify the catalogue’s suitability)
- Check whether they will customise the design for you and how much you might pay for this.
- Order a sample house catalogue to be sent to your home (this will verify the conversion path)
- Arrange a meeting with consultants (this will verify the conversion path)
- Find out if and what is being said about the company in the media (references are important to customers)
Choose sample questions that address users’ requirements. Your users probably aren’t interested in the fact that your company’s mascot is Felix the Cat. Instead, they want to know how much the house will cost, whether it’s a turnkey project, and if you’ll help them arrange financing. There’s little point in testing points of interest that aren’t relevant to users. You can supplement practical tasks with additional questions. We primarily asked about the company’s strengths and users’ concerns:
- What would you be concerned about when choosing a timber-frame house supplier?
- Do you prefer a timber-frame house or a brick house?
- Do you see a larger company and a longer history as an advantage when choosing a timber-frame house supplier?
- How important are references or show homes to your decision-making?
If you’re unsure which tasks to choose, create a few customer personas. This will help you empathise with them better and prepare the tasks. Take a look at our case studies for inspiration:
- User testing at atrium.cz
- User testing partnerske-vztahy.eu
- Telephone survey for partnerske-vztahy.eu
How to ask the right questions?
Never ask questions such as “how do you like this?”. A tester can tell you that they like or dislike something, but how does that help you improve the website? If you want to analyse the testers’ feelings, it’s better to use the emotional cards method.
Ask about rational and practical matters – how would you do this? Where would you click? When setting tasks, try not to give any hints. Don’t use keywords such as ‘newsletter’, but ask the tester to subscribe to the newsletter.
How many tasks should you have?
Structure the tasks so that you verify the usability of all elements that are important to the client. If you have a small website focused exclusively on aquarium fish nutrition, 5 tasks and supplementary questions may be enough, and you can complete the entire test in half an hour. If you run a construction firm, like us, prepare 15 tasks and test for an hour.
Also consider testing competitors’ websites. Show the testers a few rival sites and ask for a simple evaluation. You can learn from what they’re doing right as well as from their mistakes.
Bear in mind the time required for testing. After an hour of testing, the tester will be tired and unable to concentrate properly. Testing with one tester should not take longer than an hour.
The article was originally published on mladypodnikatel.cz