If the idea of usability testing your website is intriguing to you, but you’re not sure where to begin—there are at least 6 good places to start.
Open Exploration
If you’ve never tested your website before, this is a great place to start.
Learn how real customers or users are really using your website or software from the moment they enter until they exit. Recruit existing customers via email or a website intercept, and then ask them to show you how they most recently used your website.
Lead Gen Forms
If generating leads is the primary purpose of your website, then set up the usability test from the initial contact point all the way to fulfillment. Follow them through the download, demo, or sales call, if you can.
Competitor Websites
So someone at your office thinks Competitor X’s website is really awesome. Go find out once and for all. Make sure you recruit for their target audience, not yours for deeper insights. Why did they choose Brand X over Brand Y? How does that brand keep them loyal and engaged?
Landing Pages
Follow your users from banner ad, email, or print advertisement to the final destination (your website). You’ll learn a lot more than what works (and doesn’t) on the web page, but also insights about your advertising’s effectiveness, too.
Account Registration
Are brand new visitors able to successfully create an account? Do they understand the benefits of creating an account? What happens when repeat customers try to log in again or retrieve a forgotten password?
Checkout Process
Give your customers real money to buy real products, then watch what happens. Observe all aspects of the transaction—including research, comparison shopping, and email notifications.
Related Articles
- The Art of Asking the Right Questions in Usability Studies
- 12 Less Obvious Usability Issues to Look For
- 3 Tips for More Successful Prototype Testing
- Your (Super Important) Role as a Usability Study Observer
- What to Usability Test First
