Early and often is not just advice for voting in Chicago—it’s also one of the key principles for designing for a usable experience. Testing an experience while it’s still in its prototype stage allows you to find and fix problems before they become difficult and expensive to fix. User experiences with prototypes (even low fidelity
In earlier articles, we identified 70+ UX metrics and provided guidance on how to select a metric. Seventy of anything is hard to keep track of, much less master. However, there are two ways to make that large list of metrics more approachable: The first is to decompose that list into logical groups (Figure 1).
Measuring the user experience starts with UX metrics. But there is no single UX measure—no universal gauge that provides a complete view of the user experience. Instead, we rely on multiple metrics, each offering an incomplete yet complementary perspective. We’ve identified over 70 UX metrics, encompassing action metrics (what people do) and attitude metrics (what
It’s common in UX research to encounter percentages: 90% task completion rates 10% reduction in time 250% increase in mean scores −20% Net Promoter Score −10% new UX jobs Despite their familiarity, their interpretation can be tricky because the same term (“percentage”) is associated with distinctly different concepts. The three key types are: Absolute percentages
In a previous article, we discussed the pros and cons of using weights to compensate for differences between a sample and a reference population. Due to its risks, the consensus about weighting is that it’s a method of last resort when (1) it’s critically important for proportions of sample groups to match a reference population
Is happy the opposite of sad? Is dissatisfied the opposite of satisfied? Is discourage the opposite of recommend? And is not recommending the same as recommending against? When computing the Net Promoter Score (NPS), people who rate the 0–10-point likelihood-to recommend-item high (a 9 or 10) are categorized as promoters and those who give low
A disorganized closet. A messy bedroom. Clutter can make a space feel stressful and make it hard to find things. But it’s not just your mother talking about clutter. We often use the same language to describe digital spaces like websites. In our UX research practice, we have frequently encountered users and designers criticizing website
In an earlier article, we reviewed when and why to use click testing. Click testing involves presenting images to participants and tracking where they click based on tasks participants are asked to complete. It’s typically administered using a tool like the MUiQ® platform. As we cover in our short course, click testing tends to be
A common logistical consideration when planning a task-based usability study is how much time you should plan for a task. Many usability studies (especially benchmark studies) suffer from trying to do too many things. That includes asking participants to attempt too many tasks. It’s understandable why tasks get packed in—even low-cost usability testing takes time
Click testing is an efficient UX research method for understanding where people click on an image. In an earlier article, we reviewed when and why to use a click test. It is often used in the design and release phases of product development, and it generates mostly quantitative data. We also showed how click testing
