How to Guarantee App’s Success before Launch? A Sneak-Peak to User Testing

User testing also called product testing/design testing/usability testing is one of the most important factors in the lifecycle of an application. It is about testing the design and usability of an app with real people in real environments. This helps you find issues with the app, how users feel about it and how you can make things better.

An app achieves success only if it goes through repeated testing. User testing helps you gain insights letting you know what is working and what is not? It is like watching the reactions of real users who use your app. You can ask them any questions and tell them to explore the app as per the need.

Why conduct user testing of an app?

There is an old saying among the UX community: “You are not the user.” This is usually true because as a designer, you think everything is up to the mark and app runs exactly the way users want it to.

But that’s not true.

You feel so because you have everything related to app’s goals, concepts, purpose and flow clear in mind.

Since your end users have no clue about it, a lot of apps fail to perform.

Hence it is recommended to test your app vigorously before launch. You might encounter cases where users feel disconnected or confused. This might create a negative impression about your product in users’ mind forcing them to abandon it completely.

When to user test your app?

An app goes through several phases of design and development and usually app creators treat testing as the final stage of development, which definitely should not be the case.

You need to start testing from the very beginning. Each phase of development requires verification and rectification. Test your app multiple times during the production lifecycle of the app to get the best out of it. However, the goals will vary at every phase. Make sure you have quality analysts doing their job religiously.

For example, if you test before the beginning of the development phase your goal might be to explore and discover new ideas. If you do it during development, then your goals will be more focused on validation and evaluation. Whereas, if you conduct the test after the app’s launch, then you will focus more on measurement and other validations to know if the UX appeals to users.

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Types of users who participate in app testing

You can conduct user testing either in person or remotely. In both cases, you have to observe the users who participate in testing to better understand their experience.

If you opt for in-person testing, you can easily analyze their reactions and read their body language. You can instantly ask questions to get clarifications while continuing to observe.

On the other hand, remote testing is good if you are on a low budget. You don’t have to select a place and create an environment. The participants can share experience from their own place. This saves money, time and effort involved for in-person arrangements. However, you can’t observe their body language effectively.

How to conduct user testing of an app?

Follow the steps below for successful testing of your app.

• Make a ground-breaking testing plan

Putting together a plan is necessary because it is going to save you from wasting your valuable time. Basically, your plan should include the things that you plan to test (features, functionalities, tasks) and most importantly how?

For example, if you test an app meant for transportation, then your plan should include testing of journey planning, ticket ordering and reservations. You should have a number of questions in mind: Can users easily plan the journey? Is the ticket ordering quick and easy?

Before you start the testing session, make a list of users in Excel with a number of columns. These columns should include names of users, features of the app to be tested, the experience of users with those features and the reason behind poor UX.

• Finding the right user-base

You have to find the users who understand your product and can share an unbiased review. Getting unbiased feedback is crucial because that’s when you tend to improve.

You can contact your social media friends or ask people for references. You need to find people who are or can be the potential users of such an app. For example, for your transportation app, you should search for people who usually travel by bus or cab or other similar means of transportation.

Find at least five people rather than sticking with 1 or 2. There should be a gap of around 30 to 45 minutes between each test to analyze the user behaviour properly. You can offer some goodies, snacks or a gift card to the users upon completion of user testing as rewards.

• Finding an appropriate place to run tests

If you opt for in-person testing (which is the most recommended option), try to find a place that doesn’t distract users. You want the users to remain focused on the app, while you observe their body language and other signals such as tension and sighs.

The suitable places for user testing can be a café’s corner or somewhere outside where users don’t get interrupted. Many professionals don’t suggest testing at offices and homes, because offices can make the user feel nervous, while homes may have a pet, children or other family members to disturb.

For certain apps, like in the transportation apps, it will be better to conduct testing in real environments (in a bus).

• Running the test

If you have set a plan and chosen the right place, then things are going to be easier for you. Be ready with the list of questions and let the users be free to use the app. Don’t make them feel as if they are writing an exam. They should feel like they are using it in a real-life situation.

Convince them to share their genuine feedback and ask open-ended questions, like what are the most appealing features of the app? What made you hesitate? What else would you like to see in the app?

In case of remote testing over Skype or other video call options, you should record the entire session. Watch it a number of times to observe better.

• Document the testing and optimize

As mentioned earlier, put together the tests in an Excel sheet to easily analyze the results. Ask your partners as well to gain insights and suggest changes. The success rate of your app should be higher than 80%.

If the success rate is lower, work on the problems you found during testing and optimize the app. Embrace the changes and conduct another test when you are done with optimization.

Wrapping up

User testing is the process that can guarantee success even before you launch the app. If you conduct proper testing sessions, have a plan, choose a suitable place for testing and analyze user behaviour effectively, then all you need to do is work on the app and make it better.

Once you gain user insights, modify your product accordingly and the success rate of the app crosses 80% (before official launch), it is time to unleash and enter the market with all guns blazing.

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