If you’ve had your ear to the ground recently, you may have noticed that moderated user testing has been making waves across the web, tech and financial sectors. Today we’re going to explain some of the reasons behind its rise. But, first things first, what exactly is moderated user testing?
Broadly speaking, moderated user testing is when a company recruits people (testers) to test out their software, website, prototype, or app and supervises (or watches or even guides) them while they run through the test. Often the companies wishing to have their product tested under these conditions commission a specialist UX agency to do it on their behalf.
It’s fair to say this kind of testing doesn’t come cheap. And in the current economic climate most companies just don’t have huge R&D budgets to be splurging – spend needs to be carefully justified and accounted for. So why are so many companies investing in user testing?
Well, for a start, here are four interlinking reasons companies keep going for user testing, also four reasons why you might want to seriously consider it.
1. Improved user experience (UX)
UX is a huge buzz word in design and development these days and for good reason. And UX essentially is a user’s overall experience when using your product, be it software, a website or an app. But how does UX link to moderated user testing? Well, moderated user testing (or remote user testing for that matter) is designed to draw out key insights from users on what works and what doesn’t for your product. The idea is you then take these insights and use them to make vital improvements to your user experience.
This could be anything from including stronger and more visible call to actions (CTAs), to building a store finder or redesigning your checkout page. Why does your product need a strong UX? There are many reasons, but it’s safe to say if it doesn’t have a strong UX, your customers won’t be sticking around long.
2. Repeat business and reduced cost of sales
Simply put, the better UX you give your customers and potential customers, the more likely they are to become a repeat or loyal customer. And such repeat business significantly benefits your costs of sales. The better the user experience the more likely they are to recommend your product to a friend. You can think of it as the digital version of going into your favourite Italian joint where all the waiters know your name and there’s an on the house limoncello. You’d tell your friend about the service, your customers will recommend your product based on its utility and their overall user experience.
3. It can boost your bottom line
Following on from the potential for lower cost of sales and increased word of mouth marketing above, user testing can boost your bottom line by keeping your bounce rates low and your conversion rates high. Do you want to know where the pain points are in your purchase flow that are resulting in abandoned carts? Or maybe your sales have dropped off since you launched your new site? User testing can shine a light on what’s not working, what’s causing lower conversions. This will let you know exactly where you need to focus your development and changes to strengthen your sales.
4. For a more inclusive and accessible product
Statistics from as far and wide as Australia and the UK have shown time and time again that the older generation are using the internet more and more. User testing can point to ways in which your site can be made more accessible, not just to the older generation but also to culturally and linguistically diverse audiences, as well as the less technologically literate. Greater accessibility means greater inclusivity, which should be important to any responsible company in 2019. Great accessibility also means more potential customers can engage with your product, a win-win situation.
Final Summary
If you’re thinking of getting started with some moderated or remote user testing, you may be wondering what kind of user testing software you’ll need.
Thankfully, there is a lot of free user testing software out there that testers can download for themselves or you can provide for them on the premises. And watch this space for an upcoming guide to setting up your own user testing, in which we’ll walk you through the best user testing software on the market today.
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