Common Usability Engineering Methods in Singapore
Usability Engineering includes a complete set of user-centred, practical engineering approaches aimed at improving and assessing the quality of product usability for different phases of the product lifecycle. Its basic purpose is to emphasize that in the process of product development, it is necessary to focus on the user as the starting point, with the active participation of users in order to gain timely feedback from users and to improve the design accordingly. So far, dozens or even more usability engineering methods have been developed. Some of them have been continuously improved and mature in many years of practical application. They have been widely accepted and adopted by the industry. According to the work area of usability engineering in the product lifecycle, usability engineering methods can be broadly divided into six categories: planning, standard application, the early prototype, expert evaluation, user evaluation and user subjective evaluation.
Planning
Planning refers to planning the usability of work and its management throughout the product life cycle prior to product development to establish the necessary foundation for usability design, usability testing and evaluation later on.
1. Usability plan
usability plans define the role of usability engineering in the product life cycle and the activities to be undertaken. For each activity, it is necessary to define the tasks it contains. For each task, it is necessary to identify the responsible person, the technology to be used and the schedule. During the early stage of product development, the usability plan should be worked out and the corresponding documents should be formed. The later usability activities should be carried out around the usability plan. usability planning is a dynamic, flexible document that needs to be adjusted regularly as the product development process progresses.
2. Cost-benefit analysis of usability
Analyze and evaluate the costs and possible benefits of using usability engineering methods in product development. First, it estimates the various benefits that may be gained from improving the quality of product usability, including indirect and direct benefits such as increasing user productivity, reducing user errors, and reducing training costs, and then estimating the cost of doing usability work, which includes labor and equipment usage costs. The comparative analysis of the two values, from the perspective of input-output choice more appropriate work usability.
3. Use environmental analysis
This method is mainly through well-organized meetings, interviews and other forms of access to information on product usage environment, including users, tasks, computing, physical, social environment and so on. Typically, usability professionals, project managers, product developers, and user representatives need to attend analytical meetings together to analyze and define the usage environment for software products and create “usage environment reports” and “assessment environmental reports” to give users Characteristics, tasks and work environment, these will be the basis for future product design and usability testing evaluation.
Using standard
The purpose of applying standards is to make ergonomic guidelines and standards effective for product development.
1. ISO 9241 Application Analysis
Product designers and usability professionals work together to analyze the ergonomics involved in the product and how to apply the ISO 9241 standard to address these issues. ISO 9241 contains a well-accepted, preferred software ergonomics guide that facilitates the application of software ergonomics in product development.
2. ISO 9241 compliance assessment
An ergonomics panelist evaluates compliance with ISO 9241 for product and development processes and issues a certificate of conformity or a non-conformity report based on the results of the review. Product developers should provide documentation and evidence that the development process and product attributes comply with ISO 9241 standards. The reviewers passed the review of these documents and evidence, on-site visits, interviews and confirmatory assessments, and finally gave the conclusion of compliance.
Early prototype
Using a variety of technical means to simulate a variety of product design solutions to collect user feedback, you can help designers in the entire process of product development, testing, evaluation, selection and improvement of product design.
1. Paper prototype
Usability professionals and product designers use tools such as paper, card, and transparencies to create various elements of a computer screen design, especially a human-machine user interface, and then mimic the computer’s execution by letting the user “interact with the computer” to accomplish certain tasks , And encourage them to express their feelings and opinions. This method is simple, conducive to repeated testing and improve the design, suitable for early product development.
2. Video prototype
Through the video recording method, the man-machine interface operation and execution process simulated by the paper prototyping material are recorded, and then the process of human-computer interaction is demonstrated to the user. Although the user can not interact directly with the prototype, this approach allows the user to have a comprehensive understanding of the design and is particularly suitable for simulating the dynamics of the product’s functionality.
3. Computer prototype
This approach uses a variety of rapid prototyping tools to create computer software systems that simulate product designs that allow users to interact directly, have high levels of realism, quickly adapt and refine product designs based on feedback, and reduce iterations of system development frequency.
4. Disguise the prototype
This is a variation on a prototype computer. Developers behind the scenes manipulate the computer to simulate a system’s behavior, allowing users to interact with the “system” without their knowledge. The developer receives the user’s input and then mimics the computer to give the output. Through this process, the user’s needs and expectations are studied, and the usability of design solutions is analyzed. This method is particularly suitable for complex product design.
Expert assessment
Expert assessment is the usability or ergonomics of product design assessment of usability and review, to determine whether there is usability problem. Does it conform to the appropriate style guidelines, standards or usual ergonomics? Such methods are mainly “empirical assessment” and “usability assessment.”
Empirical Evaluation Two to three experts in ergonomics or human-computer interaction examine and evaluate product designs based on some commonly used criteria and principles, as well as their own experiences to identify the usability issues that users may encounter and to evaluate Severity order. This method is suitable for all stages of the development cycle.
Usability review is a method used to discover the usability issues with the paper prototype of screen designs. Users, developers, and usability experts review the design from their own perspectives, then focus on the content of the design one by one and improve improper design. This method is fast and easy to apply to the early stages of product development.
User assessment
The biggest difference between user evaluation and expert evaluation is that it is based on the user’s real experience and feelings. There are two main forms of assessment: one is to allow users to interact with the system without assistance and interference, and the other is to work with designers to evaluate the system.
1. Feedback gathering based on user observations
The user uses a prototype or finished product to perform a given task on his own, and the usability staff records the test process and then analyzes the usability issues to improve the product design. Its focus is on usability issues, so you do not have to involve too many users, 3-5, and you do not have to make too many records. This method is relatively simple, fast, commonly used in early prototyping.
2. Performance measurement based on user observations
This method is the same as the feedback-based method of user-based observation, but its purpose is to obtain the user’s performance measurement data of the system. Therefore, it is required to simulate the real environment and products as much as possible, and the number of users who need to participate is relatively large. The event and time of the test process should be recorded in detail and the video recording and recording methods should be used when necessary. Afterwards, the test data careful analysis to calculate performance measurement data.
3. Collaborative assessment
Let users use a prototype to accomplish a given task, in which users are encouraged to explain their actions by communicating with usability or talking to themselves. Usability users record unexpected user behavior and user comments on the system, while asking questions about the user’s intentions and expectations. From this process, you can find the problems encountered by users and the reasons for these problems. This method is suitable for early design, can also be used for the improvement of existing products.
4. Supportive assessment
This approach allows users to use a prototype or finished product to accomplish a given task, with the usability staff documenting the issues that warrant further exploration and then discussing with developers and users to identify causes and propose improvements. This method can be used for both prototyping and for user experience needs as the original product improves.
User subjective assessment
Subjective assessment of users through questionnaires or direct communication to obtain the user’s subjective feelings about the product design information to determine the availability of existing problems. Common methods include the SUMI questionnaire, cognitive burdens, focus groups, and personal interviews.
The SUMI questionnaire applies only to software products and is a method of collecting and analyzing subjective feelings from users who actually experience the use of the product. It allows users to fill out a standard questionnaire containing 50 psychological test questions, and then use a dedicated data analysis software to analyze the questionnaire results, come to quantitative indicators of customer satisfaction. This method is suitable for finished or high-fidelity prototypes and is often used in conjunction with other usability engineering methods. It can be used as part of a laboratory usability assessment, or it can be used to conduct a mail survey.
Cognitive burden surveys can understand the cognitive burdens that users endure when using the product to determine whether the product design is acceptable to the user on the cognitive burden. It can be obtained through subjective burden assessment based on the three indicators of time, mental burden and psychological stress. A standard questionnaire can also be used to evaluate the user’s subjective feelings. Results can also be obtained by collecting objective data such as heart rate and breathing.
The Focus Group is an informal seminar organized by representatives of all stakeholders involved in product development. The usability staff organizes participants to comment on the evaluated product design, derives the user’s initial need for the product, or collects user feedback on the prototype .
Personal interviews with usability staff and users about how they use the product talk to find out about usability issues. Interviews can be structured, that is, according to the list of questions prepared in advance to do; also be unstructured, that is, around a theme freely play; also be semi-structured, that is a combination of both. In the specific application of what form in the end, mainly depends on the topic of interview and the extent of the user’s assessment of the extent of the assessment.
Wrap up
The usability engineering methods described above are both proven effective and effective after years of industrial practice. In the practical application of each method, some details of the method execution can be flexibly grasped according to the specific conditions. How to choose the usability engineering method used in a particular product development project is directly related to the effectiveness of usability engineering. It is important here to take into account the stage of development at the time, the information provided by the various methods and the resources they need in terms of skills, personnel, time and equipment. Based on this, we choose a group of methods that are suitable for specific situations, complement each other and connect with each other, so as to make the user-centered design idea as fully as possible.
see more:http://user-experience-in-sg.hatenablog.com/entry/2018/01/25/125042
5 Things that Make for a Superior User Experience in Singapore
If you are already using the mobile social app Path, you will certainly enjoy its user experience. The path has a very sophisticated design, and very easy to use. In other words, Path has a great user experience. This is not a decisive factor in whether a high-tech product needs to be adopted, but it is a top priority that can determine how many users to use.
1.Elegant UI
A good user experience is inseparable from the User Interface(UI), but also a great role. Although I’m not a qualified Path user, I still browse through it when it’s open. The top five smiley icons are even more loving. This is exactly where facebook did not realize.
2.Addictive
Good design has to make people see its intrinsic value. It must be able to solve one of your needs, or can give you pleasure. In other words, it is necessary to make people inseparable. The recent rise of a web service called Pinterest is one such case. Because it gives you a place to store pictures around the theme.
3.Quick start
Kindle Fire as a product is not comparable with the iPad 2, Fire smaller and more rectangular, looks like an iPad little brother, but Fire is better than the iPad does not take much time for beginners, you download something you have to open the App Store. And your information in Amazon will be fully integrated into the Fire, users can download the content you want directly the first time.
Although other aspects may not be very cool, but it is worth mentioning.
4.Seamless
With so many connected devices, a consistent experience is important. One recent example is Rdio, an online music application. On iPhone and PC desktops, every step of Rdio makes you feel much different from downloading to listening offline. And the default is to let you download the song in the wifi, it will not appear in the 3G waste a lot of traffic charges you.
5.Change the user
Good technology products will change the way we do things, iPhone and iPad is the best example of these years, twitter is also, these products have created a new user experience or change some of the original habits of people.
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User Experience Has Nothing to Do with the Feelings but User Habits in Singapore
User experience is not a sign of emotion
User experience is an emotional explanation at the usage level, but in the area of product design expertise it is an avatar with a hierarchy of areas of expertise. When a product enters the market, “how does a product come into contact with the outside world and play a role?” That is, how people “touch” and “use” it. This is the user experience feedback. May wish to visualize the user experience to the following levels:
- Performance layer – the user’s sensory experience, presented to the user experience of audio-visual, emphasizing comfort, usually in color, sound, images and so on.
- Framework layer – interactive experience, presented to the user experience on the operation, emphasizing ease of use, usually in the click, input, output and so on.
- The Structure Layer – Interaction Design focuses on describing “possible user behaviour,” while defining “how systems fit and respond” to user behaviour and emphasizing the user’s browsing experience.
- Range layer – to define the scope of the project at the same time to do two things:
- This is a valuable process
- At the same time can produce valuable products
For functional products, the scope layer to determine the functional specifications; information products, the scope of the layer to determine the content requirements. Most of the time when people speak of a need, they think of a short description of a feature that the product must have.
Determine demand priority. Sometimes a strategic goal will have multiple needs. On the other hand, a demand can achieve multiple strategic goals.
- Strategic level
- What do we get this product? (Product target)
- What do our users get this product? (User needs)
- User Segmentation Breaks down all users into smaller, common needs groups, which in turn help us to better understand user needs
- In the process of user experience design, the persona is extracted from the user research and can become a sample virtual person (commonly known as user portrait)
The user experience will not be a shield to any excuse when we represent a user experience that resembles “feelings” to every level of product design
How to balance the relationship between user experience and user habits?
In Internet products, users always keep their original habits or do nothing, until their benefits or rules force them to change this habit So far, this is the law of inertia of user behavior.
At present, many APPs on the market, when users use the products, rely on the experience or habits from the products they used in the past. How to use them and how to use them? Based on past experience. Today, we get a new TV, use a new refrigerator, or use a smartphone, not many people will read the manual carefully? Why is that? Because we already have enough natural experience, we do not need to rely on learning to master how to use, and we are too lazy to look at the new things about it.
So when many product managers design their products, they find that they can be huge once the product design changes.
According to a recent report from iResearch on the user’s track record of using the app, most people do not like to change, and they like to keep their existing and familiar behavior patterns and habits. Sometimes, this also means not doing things, and although we want users to try out a feature, users do not go one step further. Not because users do not need it, but simply because they are too lazy to try, do not want to figure it out, or refuse the instinct of something unknown.
Users do not like to change unless we tempt them or force them to change. For the former we have to give users sufficient benefits, for the latter, we have a lot of energy.
On the non-user thinking, this content can go to read “DO NOT MAKE ME THINK” second edition of the Chinese version, and here on the user experience is the design of the whole discussion, in other words how to determine whether to change the user Habits, and judging what kind of habits are real user habits?
The concept of custom, in product design can be divided into two kinds to think: one is trained in a particular environment; one is that most people in life slowly accumulated the most primitive habits Most suitable for user experience).
For example: alphabetic sorting on the keyboard, you can say that he accustomed to user habits, but definitely not in line with the user experience. I believe any one who has never used the keyboard, see such a layout will feel big, but the old user? A lot of blind play is not a problem, it is customary for them, but in general this layout of the keyboard, everyone’s experience should be “not used”. Design that does not qualify as a good experience rule but becomes the habit of most people often has its own historical cause.
The trade-off between user habits and better design
So to make a trade-off between user habits and better design, consider:
1. What is the value of this design, it is not worth the old user to pay the study cost
- If this design can be of great help to the user, for example, to speed up their work efficiency, to avoid a larger number of new users make mistakes, and so on, it is worth a try.
- If this design is only meticulous, the change is better, the user is basically acceptable if there is no change, and there are no more new users waiting to be there. In addition, there are more valuable places where you need to improve, then you can put aside.
2. The relationship between design itself and industry practices/standards
- If a design detail is not ideal, but the mainstream of the entire industry is already the way, and users are accustomed to, such as the QQ send button, shortcut keys, etc., we do not necessarily have to risk to get rid of it.
- The success or failure of a product user experience is not limited to one place. So think about it. Even if we are as poor as our counterparts in this place, can we be 10 times better than our rivals in another place that does not hurt our users’ habits?
The most troublesome thing is that the value is not small, had to refer to other principles.
3. The proportion of new and old user base
- Design changes will affect the old users, but will benefit new users, then you need to measure the impact on the value of old users and new users;
- Your product is already a relatively stable product, the proportion of old users account for a larger? Still like this, is a still testing product, the future there will be a large number of new users come in? If the latter, then the need for a correct change is great.
4. Your product’s influence in the industry
Microsoft’s Office is the best example of the Office 2007, condemning a lot of users accustomed to Office 2003 and previous versions of the interface for the Office 2007 new Ribbon interface completely unbearable, always cannot find the command where.
In fact, the 2007 interface from the design point of view is very good, is completely subvert the user’s inherent habits. However, because Microsoft has enough influence here, they can push the design, and ultimately allow users to adapt and accept.
It is worth mentioning that Microsoft is still here to apply for a patent, one day sooner or later, this interface and the newly formed user habits will become Microsoft’s powerful weapon. By that time other opponents want to follow the example of Microsoft’s interface there are legal issues, but their own new interface, they will face user habits barriers.
5. Product design is not the best, only trade-offs
Many times, a good product design is not in line with user habits design it? The boundaries between the two have been rather vague, only to weigh the specific issues to see which high returns, which loss is small, make a decision.
Former point of view
Finally, I list some of the product user experiences I used to make social products:
- Keep consistency and normative
- In line with the user’s expectations, selectively allow users to exceed expectations (which can be combined with the operation)
- What you see is what you get(WYSIWYG)
- Do not waste the user’s time, make full use of product design “short” law
- Do not give users too many choices, when necessary, to help users make the choice;
- Do not interrupt or interfere with the user during the user’s operation
- Do not limit the user’s habits, but you can change the user’s habits (preconditions have an objective judgment of habits)
- Do not meet the needs of all users, subtraction (with the operation can be combined to do a good job of the user framework)
Conclusion
User experience is a neutral concept. It is worthless in itself. A product is easy or difficult to use are all user experience. This is a description of the user experience, but not equivalent to the user experience.
User experience design is through the design of products to affect the user’s subjective experience (thereby affecting the user’s decision to achieve commercial purposes).
When you want to change an inherent user behavior, it is unwise to make changes in design for just one point, and it is a “more reasonable” that the entire ecosystem of the product needs to support that change the design of guide.
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How Can Website Give Users a Good Website Experience in Singapore
There are a group of people on the Internet who keep abreast of the website every day. These people are really trying every day on their website. They want their websites to have more traffic and more independent IPs. However, for websites, Want to have so much traffic and IP, the prerequisite is not to have a good user experience, for our website, if we want to give users a good experience? To do the following aspects.
Contents
- Easy to remember domain name
- Simple and elegant template
- Rapid access speed
- Wonderful website content
- Complete navigation settings
- Good interaction
- Related entries
- Reference source
Easy to remember domain name
The first step users enter the site is to look down the site’s domain name, just like a person’s name, the domain name is shorter and easier to remember, and the domain name is the best choice and site keywords, so users in the search Keywords, the domain name will have a certain priority, and remember the site’s keywords, do not remember the website’s domain name is also very difficult. And for the average Internet user, .com’s domain name more than other domain names easier to remember.
Simple and elegant template
Users enter the site, the first thing you see is the site’s overall template, the simplicity of the template to the user a fresh feeling, in fact, for the general website, it is not necessary to engage in the site like the palace, concise and generous template Is the common taste of the public, everyone’s preferences are different, but everyone does not exclude simple things generous, so the choice of template is very important.
Fast access speed
As the user should be the most annoying to waste your time waiting for your site to open, if because of his own speed problems, this can still be solved, but if because of your space server problems, causing the site to open very slowly , Then the user experience is estimated to be less than half the score, so the site user experience to speed up the site from the speed of access, and now the host of foreign visit to the fast IX host in the country, the server in the United States suffered less attack ventilation. Can improve the speed of access to users not good experience.
Wonderful website content
The content of the king’s opinion in the webmaster’s heart is very high, the content of the site is also a core part of the site, the user came to the site, you want to see your own things on your site, so for webmasters, We must analyze their own users to their own website, what kind of information you want, what kind of information they can give users, so as to retain users and improve their experience in the site. The website’s high-quality original content is the chief task of webmasters to set up their own websites, and it is also a prerequisite to improve the user experience.
Complete navigation settings
Users into your site at the same time, will certainly look around the site contains information, after reading the user, want to return to other related directories, but how not to go back, that no way, the user can only choose to quit. This user experience is very unfavourable, so the site must be set up a complete navigation directory, breadcrumbs navigation buttons must take into account the user’s experience, at any time to return to the page you want to go and directory.
Good interaction
Such an interactive exchange for independent blog, the user’s experience is at a high point, independent bloggers should be pumping the relevant time, and their own users to communicate, the user asked in the message, bloggers must make every effort Help you to complete, or you can not help solve, you have to respond to the exchange, so that the user, at least blogger saw this question, as can be solved is another matter.
The requirements of users on the website is still very high, the development of the site must meet the requirements of users, from the perspective of the user to see the site’s problems, so that the construction site can be more in line with the user’s idea, a good user experience can be established.
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User is King: 10 Keys to Bring Good User Experience to Mobile Website in Singapore
At present, the mobile phone has taken up most of the people’s leisure time. The traffic of the Internet is gradually inclined to the mobile terminal. Paying attention to the user experience of the mobile terminal can add a lot of unexpected functions to the client. However, there are still many companies and webmasters do not know how to build mobile sites should be consistent with the user’s habits.
Below, we need to pay attention to what aspects of mobile site production analysis, for your mobile site construction users with some reference.
1. Plan the contents
First of all, you need to make it clear what you want to display on your mobile website, analyze your mobile browsing habits, and then make relevant content in a targeted way so that you can attract users and bring a certain amount of potential to your business uses.
2. The design method in line with mobile phone usage habits
General mobile phone screen, text or pictures to read more need to be enlarged. Even though smartphones have the ability to zoom in and out of the page, it’s also troublesome to watch, so when designing a mobile web page, you should be able to read the page by sliding the screen.
3. Can not refer to the PC side of the site to design mobile site navigation features
Different from the normal PC-side webpage, the mobile web page should be designed according to the mobile phone screen due to the size of the screen of the mobile phone and the operation of the screen. Therefore, the simplified web page cannot be completely copied at the same time when reading the article to the end, to facilitate the user back to the front, reducing the chance of scrolling, making the page easier to read on mobile devices.
4. Consider a variety of browser compatibility
Due to the variety of browsers on the mobile phone, when browsing the web page, if the compatibility of the mobile website is poor, it is likely to appear in some browsers webpage deformation, the content of the incomplete display.
5. Minimize user input text
Entering text on your phone is much more annoying than using a computer keyboard. Therefore, to reduce the chances of users entering text, such as username, password, etc., are to try to avoid cell phone website production.
6. Both non-touch screen design
Although most mobile phones are smartphones, there are also a large number of traditional mobile phones that do not have the function of touch. In this case, the production of mobile web pages should take into account the non-touch screen mobile browsing. Such as reducing the number of hyperlinks in the screen, increase the text to reduce the error.
7. Try to simplify the web content
The general mobile phones, tablets and other mobile devices, not easy to accommodate the next high-capacity personal computer information on the page, so the first mobile phone site production is to reduce the content of web pages, it is best not to use pictures or video and audio, text should be streamlined, but To maintain the readability of web content.
8. Pay attention to the display of web products and services
Mobile users visiting corporate mobile websites often come prepared to find the detailed pricing, services, and features of a product or service. Therefore, enterprises in the mobile site on the display of products and services, you can choose the company’s main products, its various parameters or prices to be described in detail, if necessary, can be illustrated, but the size of the picture should be as small as possible.
9. Transform from mobile website and PC website
To ensure that the mobile site or PC-side website on each page has the appropriate navigation or tips link so that users can switch between the mobile version and the PC version, but also easier for search engines included. Under normal circumstances, we can see a PC version of the mobile phone version of the button, or when the phone enter the domain name will automatically jump to the phone site, this technology changes the user experience of mobile phone users.
10. Simplify the site structure
For the mobile version of the corporate site, the site structure is best not to exceed three layers, too many levels is not conducive to search engine spiders crawling, the contents of the deep page is not easily spiders crawl out, the tree structure (“Home – – Section Page – Details Page “structure) is the relatively ideal structure.
There are other details, such as desktop and mobile terminal not too big difference, at least the same style. Do not let the user feel for a change of environment so that users can hardly feel this is a site of two display platforms, this puzzled design will allow users to reduce the sense of receptivity.
In a word, a real mobile website that can satisfy the user must have a reduction of user’s disgust, cling to the user so that the user does not uninstall or not close, and make the user more and more like the mobile terminal and become an indispensable part in the mobile phone kind of software features.
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B2C E-Commerce Operations Core: Products, User Experience, Promotion, Logistics, Supply Chain in Singapore
1. Products
In the premise of high profits, choose the most familiar and most likely to get the resources of the product. Small can choose a certain type of vertical products and more than 30% profit in the progressive development of products. B2C has a special user loyalty is extremely low, where to cheaper, do not expect the early accumulation of users do not make money.
2. User experience
User Experience is the core competence of B2C. The same is 100 visitors, website with a good user experience can convert 5 orders, the bad experience may not have one conversation, this is the biggest difference.
The fundamental purpose of B2C is to look at the conversion rate rather than the traffic. Through continuous testing, such as product descriptions, so put a few days to look at sales, for a description, in the same page view volume, so as to extend to all aspects of web design, including payment processes, order processes, etc. . Different products have different characteristics. At the same time, in the web site design should always thinking about how to put a $ 100 order into a $ 1,000 order, which is to increase the amount of a single order or a combination of orders, to ensure that not wasting every sales opportunity.
3. Promotion
There are many ways to promote, here is not elaborate, and simply mention. While doing SEO, take care of the user experience, can not afford to lose out. B2C do CPS to have a strong brand effect as a prerequisite, that is to have enough advertising and matching can play a very good effect.
4. Logistics
Now the general quality of third-party courier delivery staff is not high, resulting in many users experience is not good, customers will be directly reflected in the recognition of the site, so self-built logistics will be a trend, in addition to cost-saving purposes One thing is to improve service.
5. Supply chain
The future of B2C e-commerce competition will be the core supply chain competition.
If you want to do bigger B2C e-commerce business, there must be tens of millions of inputs, or you are honest in a sub-field, high profit margins earn some money now.
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Focus Group vs Usability Testing in Singapore
User research is a crucial part of any website or product development. It can help you identify user needs and understand how your website or app can improve. Focus groupsand usability testing are two very useful but very different user experience research tools.
This focus group approach calls for a group of about 6 to 8 participants, who can represent your target audience and a moderator who can be used to guide the subject about feelings, attitudes and opinions about the subject. This method is designed to collect users’ ideas and opinions about ideas or designs.
Usability testing is a one-on-one (one subject and one mentor) test method that requires a system or website. The instructor should complete the core tasks with the subjects and understand how they operate and how they feel throughout the experience. This approach focuses on the interaction of people with websites or systems (ie, understanding how well people can accomplish their tasks and how designs can improve and where they improve).
Both of these tools can help you get more information about your target market and your users, and get valuable advice on how to improve the user experience on your site. However, because the two tools are focused and used differently, the information you get is different. To better understand when to use which tools, you need to understand their strengths and weaknesses.
Focus Group
- Can reach a large number of user groups at a very low cost
- Learn more about the target market and know what they are thinking and what they want
- Only collect ideas from users about concepts and ideas and do not know if they are well used
- Communication between groups is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the ideas will communicate and deepen in the group to stimulate new ideas; on the other hand, these ideas and opinions are not very credible and the more powerful people in the group will influence others to express their opinions.
Usability testing
- Compared with the focus group, the cost is higher so the number of participants will be relatively less
- For each participant and their thoughts or opinions, the feedback you get will be more detailed
- The results are more credible (they will not be disturbed by others)
- Focus on people interacting with the site or system. So you can get the exact information, such as how they use the site or system, where they go wrong and why they go wrong
So, when should you use these two research tools? Of course, it depends on the amount of research you have done.
Focus groups should be used in the following situations:
- If the project started earlier
- If you know almost nothing about your target market
- If you want to deepen new ideas, but not sure what will happen
Usability testing should be used in the following situations:
- If you want to create a new website or system from scratch or make some changes on an existing website or system
- If you need to use this method regularly during the development cycle
- If you want to find out how your website or system is functioning
Focus groups and usability testing all provide a great deal of customer information: who they are, what they feel and what they do. However, in order to ensure that you get the best possible results from your investment, it is critical that you know exactly what you want and use the most appropriate method.
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