15.05.2010Do I need usability testing? by Rob Smith
Reading time: 1 – 2 minutes
We get asked this question a lot, especially when we suggest that a client needs to run some usability testing to make sure the solution we’re proposing works for their target market.
The reason we get the question
“I’m paying you to design and build the right website for my target market. You’ve done the research into the market and you’re also the professionals. Surely if you have done your job right, then it will work great and doesn’t need usability testing?”
It’s actually a pretty fair argument when you think about it. It’s not quite accurate though. No one ever truly knows everything about how a particular target market works or behaves, especially when introducing something new to them.
The answer
Recently, I heard an analogy on why you need usability testing. I can’t remember who exactly said this although I’m certain it was while I was at SxSWi this year. It’s this:
It’s the story of the tailored suit. You can select the fabric, take the measurements, select the style, and create the suit. But it hardly ever fits first time. That’s why you go for a fitting and the master suit maker nips and tucks around you while you’re wearing the ‘nearly there’ suit. Usability testing is that fitting session. It helps us before those nips and tucks to make the experience perfect.
It was the best explanation of why you need usability testing I’ve heard for a while.
Related Posts
- What we can learn from the US presidential campaign
- Ecommerce growth more difficult now?
- Agency structure vs Client structure
That’s a nice analogy, it does apply to pretty much any manufacturing industry that has any sort of testing though – which is basically all of them
May 28th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
Certainly does John, I would always try and tailor the analogy to the company I’m seeing. The one above for clothing companies / retail, maybe use the design of a new car for the automotive industry (still need real people to drive it to make sure it’s right!).
Thanks for your input John!
May 28th, 2010 at 6:01 pm