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User testing

Five people.One afternoon.No more arguments.

Moderated sessions with your real users, on your real product or prototype, run by someone who knows what to look for. Your team watches live. Opinions end when the first participant gets stuck.

Talk about user testing Two to four weeks · remote or on site · prototype or live product
TASK 1TASK 2TASK 3P1P2P3!STUCK 2:40P4P5
When you need it
  • Before a launch you can’t afford to get wrong
  • When the team is split between two designs
  • When support tickets say one thing and analytics another
  • When leadership has never watched a customer use the product
What you get
  • A test plan with realistic tasks, not leading ones
  • Recruitment of people who match your actual customers
  • Moderated sessions, remote or in person, in the participant’s language where it matters
  • A highlight reel short enough that executives will watch it
  • Issues ranked by severity, each with a recommended fix
  • An optional retest after the fixes ship
Inside a session

Forty-five minutes that end arguments.

0 – 5 minWarm-up

Who they are, what they use today. They relax; I learn the context.

5 – 35 minTasks

Realistic goals, not instructions. They think aloud. I stay quiet, which is the hard part.

35 – 45 minDebrief

What surprised them, what they’d tell a friend, what they expected to find.

Straight afterObserver huddle

Fifteen minutes with your team while it’s fresh. One sheet, shared notes.

A sample output

The issue list your engineers start on Monday.

Rules for observers
  • Watch at least three sessions
  • Write what you saw, not what you think
  • No helping, no sighing
  • Bring one clip to the readout
Issue log · sampleSend money, prototype v3
TaskWhat happenedWhoSeverity
Add a recipientLooked for “Add” under Settings, not Pay4 of 5Critical
Review transferMissed the arrival time below the fold3 of 5Serious
Find a past paymentSearched by name; search only matches amounts2 of 5Moderate

Illustrative sample, not client data.

What you won’t get
  • Focus groups
  • Leading questions
  • “Users loved it”
  • A highlight reel edited to flatter
Asked every time
Prototype or live product?

Either. Prototypes are cheaper to fix. Live products tell the truth about speed, data and errors.

Remote or in person?

Remote is faster and reaches more people. In person is better for hardware, accessibility and anything used away from a desk.

Can our team moderate next time?

Yes. I’ll train two of your people while we run this round, and leave the templates.

How it works

Four steps.

  1. Plan

    Tasks, success criteria and the questions we need answered.

  2. Recruit

    The right five to eight people, screened properly.

  3. Run

    I moderate. Your team observes and takes notes against a shared sheet.

  4. Fix

    A same-week readout, then a list your engineers can start on Monday.

Evidence

See how I work before you call.

My UX methodOn this site→Healthcare caseOn this site→Banking caseOn this site→
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