What Is Usability Testing And Why Is It Important
The software industry has become very competitive with the rapid digital transformation in the past couple of years. It is important to provide the best possible user experience to gain the trust of the users. This can be done only if there are no bugs and UI issues in the application. Studies have shown that there is a great possibility that the user will uninstall the app after using it once if there is a usability issue.
What is Usability testing?
Usability testing is performed by a small set of users to figure out the usability defects in the application. It is done in the initial phase of software development when the design is proposed. The focus is on how easy it is for the user to use the app and if the system is meeting its expected objective. This type of mobile testing can also be performed on online android emulator.
When and why is it performed
The earlier we find a bug in the software development life cycle the better. This is because the software goes through many changes during each phase of development. This makes usability testing necessary in each phase with constant improvements. This will help in the agile development process or else it will be difficult to fix the bugs.
How is it done
There are a few methods by which we can carry out the usability testing. One is during the design phase where you can evaluate the design by just drawing on a piece of paper. Random tests can also be done once the app is build to check for usability. That can be done by real users on the site which can then provide the result. Apart from that, a tool might be very helpful with the statistics based on the inputs on design and wireframes.
The first step to perform usability testing structurally is to identify the user to perform the usability app. It is necessary to choose the users according to the behavior of the app with a difference in geography, age, gender, etc. The next step is to design the task that the user is supposed to perform and then it the time to analyze the results of the testing done.
Usability can be done in an isolated test area in front of observers who will inspect the testing and create a report on the assigned task. The next option is remote usability testing. In this, the observer and the testers are located in different locations and the task assigned is done remotly. Testers detailes like their reactions will be recorded by an automated software.
Conclusion
The importance of usability testing has increased as the common user’s expectations have raised with the industry standards. This is also important because there is fierce competition in the industry. The user review and ratings matter a lot for the business. This is why the companies are focusing on providing a better user experience. So if the User experience is the core of the app functioning then usability testing cannot be avoided at any cost.