How to optimize your web design with user testing

User testing with real users is one of the areas that many companies and web designers simply neglect. Often, for example, the budget isn't large enough.

However, conducting user tests over the internet can be relatively inexpensive – and the results can make a big difference in the Customer acquisition or user registration! In fact, web design is the main reason why users click away (bounce rate).

This not only has a negative effect on the Search Engine optimization (SEO), but also on the likelihood that your brand will build its reputation online or generate sales or registrations. A website optimized for user-friendliness and rated by users themselves is therefore extremely important.

Unlike focus groups or tests in design studios, online user testing is affordable. Testers access the website from the comfort of their own homes and, like real users, click through all its functions to evaluate them. It's worthwhile to have this process video-recorded and to ask the users to think aloud.

This way, weaknesses become most apparent, and ideas for improvement can be voiced immediately. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for all involved to spend days or weeks writing to achieve results. Recording videos directly from the screen is extremely easy these days and is therefore a good way to quickly share information.

In fact, user testing isn't about writing lengthy reports. It's much more important to ask the right questions and use the gathered feedback to make better decisions.

In the following lines, we will discuss how users are selected, where they can be recruited from, how tasks are formulated, and how to adapt the website based on these results.

How to select the right users

The first important step is to decide who should test your website. Demographic factors such as age, marital status, and whether they have children should be considered, depending on the industry.

However, it is much more important that users are somewhat familiar with technology and have already used similar platforms.

The best approach is to create a profile of the absolutely essential qualities. Be flexible with characteristics such as income level or professional background, and instead make reliability, language skills, and professionalism the absolute minimum requirements.

Testing web design is primarily about seeing whether users can easily navigate the site, how they like the design, whether they can find all the functions, and what can be improved.

Users can find you either on freelancer sites such as Freelancer.de, Twago.de or Fiverr.com, or on websites specializing in remote user testing, such as RapidUsertests.com, Applause.de or Uninspect.me.

It is recommended to conduct the tests with at least 5 people, as this will uncover approximately 85% of the problems.

You should explicitly allow users to test only on pre-defined devices. Therefore, a minimum of 5 tests should be conducted for the desktop version of your website, and the mobile version should be considered separately.

If you already have many users on your site, it can also be advantageous to choose users who are unfamiliar with it. This minimizes the risk of bias and results in the most natural outcomes.

Create tasks for users

The value of your results depends on the questions you ask your users. Think very clearly about what you want to find out through the tests.

You might want to know if your users can find a specific function on the website, or what their first and last impressions of the site are. Testing unusual tasks can also reveal how intuitive certain website functions are.

The following tasks can generally be given:
• Search for something specific on the website – to find out how easy and intuitive it is for users to find.
• Perform one of the basic functions – such as creating an account or something similar – to find out if it works and is intuitive enough.
• Perform a highly specific, unusual function – to test whether it is easy to perform and appealing.
• Have users explain what the website is about after scrolling through the page for 5 seconds – the 5-second rule states that users will click away if they don't find what they're looking for within the first 5 seconds. So, test exactly that.
• After a few seconds, ask users to describe their first impression of the website – do they like the web design? Would they stay on the page?
• At the end, ask users what they would change about the page if they could – this provides an opportunity to contribute their own ideas and suggestions for improvement, which can further optimize the web design!
Once the questions are set, it's time to start the tests. Please be patient, as it may take some time to gather enough results. You can also continue watching the answer videos and further refine the questions.
Once you have completed the first run and gained some initial insights, you can analyze the results and, based on that, conduct an optimized test with a larger number of users to obtain even more information and, if necessary, directly test changes to the site.

Drawing conclusions from user data

Now analyze all the responses and draw conclusions from the collected data. Common issues include a lack of clarity or other obscurity in the navigation, insufficient visibility of website elements, malfunctioning functions, or content that is overly complicated and difficult to understand.

Whatever it is, fix it as soon as possible and, if possible, test the reactions to the modified website.
Whether conducting remote user tests or adapting the web design – MIC Group is happy to help and provide advice and support.

We are your trusted web design agency for Zurich and environment.
Would you like a detailed consultation or a quote for web design or user testing? Then please get in touch with us. We are always happy to assist you and look forward to hearing from you.