Only 20% of the problems found after the launch of a product are actual bugs. The rest are UX issues, most of which can be fixed before launch with crowdtesting.

We’ve already covered what happens when you disregard UX in your product development in the article “Why UX is important to your business“. Today I want to talk about how crowdtesting can help you validate your UX concepts.

Reasons for User Experience Testing

According to usability consulting firm Experience Dynamics, 73% of companies that don’t do user experience testing already plan to start doing so within the next 12 months. But what are the reasons for this? And shouldn’t you also hop on the bandwagon and crowdtest your UX concepts?

1. Make accurate assumptions

Not only is it costly, but more importantly, it’s time-consuming if you need to make major improvements after your product’s launch. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happens if you don’t allocate enough time to create and review your UX concepts. By thoroughly reviewing all feature requirements, designs, and information architecture at the prototype stage, your developers can make better estimates of time and cost for the project. In addition, detailed testing shields you from a rude awakening after your product launch.

2. The right content in the right place

We all know how important it is to deliver the right content at the right time. And if that content is then backed up by an engaging design, it’s even better. Whether it’s a website or an app, content ultimately determines whether a user converts or not. That’s why it’s also so important to make sure your content serves its purpose early on, rather than after the app or website is already available to the public.

Why user testing is so important

User testing or crowdtesting involves real users testing your product’s usability. This helps you understand how your target audience uses your product and whether they’re adopting the features and use cases you have planned.
You’d be surprised how many different ways of performing a particular action your users might find, for example when requesting a quote. Ways that your developers or project managers – who have been working intensively on the product for weeks and months – would never have thought of. This operational blindness is the main reason that makes crowdtesting so important to your UX success.

Especially if you spend a lot of in-depth time on your product, it can be easy to become biased about necessary features and where they should be found. You should never forget: you are not your users! And just because you think something is necessary doesn’t mean your customers will feel the same way. What your users think and how they navigate your website is pretty much guaranteed to differ from your own thinking and behavior.

That’s exactly why user tests with testers outside your company yield so many valuable insights. Not only do they help you understand how your customers use your digital products, but they also uncover potential UX issues – all while you’re still in the prototyping phase, where you can still easily and quickly address any problems you identify.

Different forms of UX and usability testing

In the field of UX and usability testing, there are many different ways to find out more about the usage habits and preferences of your users. These depend on your objectives, but also on the development phase your product is currently in.

During the prototyping phase, it makes sense to get feedback on planned features, design, and user guidance of your product at an early stage. This allows you to incorporate the wishes and ideas of your target group into the development of the product. This minimizes the risk of developing a product that misses the needs of your target group and, at the end of the day, is not used or at least not to the extent that was expected.

For in-depth insights into how your users use your product and what goes on in their heads, remote interviews or remote usability videos are ideal. In the latter, testers use the think-aloud method while performing different use cases and narrate exactly what is going on in their thinking and reasoning.

Remote interviews are closely related to remote usability videos, but they differ in that you have the opportunity to interact and communicate directly with the testers. For example, you can ask specific questions about certain test cases or difficulties. In particular, the possibility to conduct these interviews independent of location offers great advantages. No matter where you or your users are located, you can quickly get feedback from your target group. Unlike if you were to conduct the interviews in person, for example.

As we have seen, user and UX testing is an important issue for the success of your products and hopefully you see why you should invest some time and money in it – you’ll definitely get it back when you start finding and solving problems earlier and achieving faster and better releases.

Finally, it remains to repeat that very few bugs found after a product launch are actual bugs. Almost 80% of problems are user experience related. Problems that you can avoid with extensive UX testing.