7 Huge Reasons Why User Testing Is Important
Wondering whether or not to invest time and resources into user testing?
It really shouldn’t even be a question.
Unless you want to get dropped like a hot potato by your users, you should always conduct regular, thorough user testing. Without it, the path to a successful end product will be riddled with thorns.
Don’t make it more difficult than it needs to be. In this blog, we want to show you why user testing is important by highlighting 7 of its biggest advantages.
User testing – goals
First of all, what is user testing? User testing, sometimes also called UX testing/user experience testing, is the process of collecting data from test users who are interacting with your digital product.
This includes both qualitative and quantitative data. Basically, you gather numbers and opinions/direct feedback to get a clear picture of how your product is performing and how your users feel.
The main goals of user testing are to:
- Understand the product’s strengths and weaknesses;
- Spot problems quickly;
- Understand the user journey across the product;
- Determine the best improvement opportunities.
As we mentioned in our blog on what makes a good user experience & UI, it can and should be done at different stages of the design process. Let’s take a closer look at why that is.
Why user testing is important
1. Clarity
User testing is done on real users – people who have had no prior contact with your product. It’s not your UI/UX designer, or your developers, or your QA engineers, or anyone else from your internal team(s) – it’s just regular people.
This gives you a completely unbiased idea of the experience actual users might have with your product. The feedback, both positive and negative, as well as the numerical data you gather, will help you decide what the best course of action is.
If you test the product on people you know and/or people familiar with it in one way or another, any feedback you get is wonky because it’s influenced by different factors.
An impartial perspective is gold.
2. Saving time
It seems contradictory that a time-consuming process like continuous user testing can save time, but it actually makes sense.
We’re talking about long-term effects here, because it’s important to think big. If you take user testing seriously from the start and invest whatever is necessary for it to be successful, you can avoid lots of costly errors that might occur in the future.
User testing is definitely a case of “better safe than sorry”, because if you put off testing and solving problems, you will, indeed, be sorry. Eliminating issues right away means that any potential errors that occur in the future will be dealt with quickly and easily.
Now imagine the amount of time it would take to solve initial problems and those that occur down the line as the product becomes more complex.
To sum up: spend time now to save a lot more of it later.
3. Saving money
Just like with time, doesn’t it make more sense to invest a little bit of money in the beginning to save much more in the future?
Allowing problems to accumulate can only make things more complicated – and more expensive – in the future. When the product is fully developed, fixing issues gets more difficult. If you invest in user testing tools and methods right away, you are making sure the quality of the product passed on to developers is as high as possible.
Performing a usability test alone (which is only one part of user testing) can actually let you discover up to 85% of all the UX-related problems in your product!
So, why let a situation escalate if you know exactly how to improve productivity across teams and prevent/minimise problems right away?
4. Increased conversion rate
Your digital product is the best possible source of leads, as users of your site/app are the people most likely to be interested in your products/services. A bad experience is likely to chase them off. So, make sure the digital potential of your product is not getting wasted.
The tiniest details can make a difference in whether your users are converting or not. Thorough user testing allows you to spot them. That way, you can catch on early and ensure all crucial aspects are optimised for a better user satisfaction and more conversions.
5. Increase in sales
Higher conversions mean more people who are, at the very least, willing to interact with your brand in some way. So, by optimising UX for a better conversion rate, you’re laying the foundation for an increase in revenue.
User experience strongly impacts the image, authority and reputation of your brand. The more you invest in it, the more you increase user engagement and thereby your chances of boosting sales.
6. Competitive edge
Only 55% of companies are doing any user testing at the moment. So, by investing in this process, you’re already several steps ahead of those other 45%.
Going above and beyond for users and their satisfaction can only be an asset in your digital strategy. Users/potential customers remain loyal to brands that show they care. If you fail to meet their expectations, you’re pushing them into the arms of a competitor who is putting more effort into research and creating supreme user experiences.
7. Improved user retention
77% of people say that it’s the quality of a product that keeps them loyal to a brand. How will you know whether you’ve created a quality digital product if you don’t test it out and make sure it runs smoothly?
As usual, to top off our discussion, we’ve got some more stats for you. Take a look at the image below.
Summary
If you want to produce a successful digital product and support your business growth, take a user-centric approach and never underestimate the powerful reasons why user testing is important. It’s a vital step that will save you a lot of time, money and energy in the long run, and bring you several crucial long-term benefits.
If you have any questions or need help with your UI/UX design, reach out to us. Digital agency GRM Digital has a team of web developers and UI/UX designers that will help you create fantastic experiences for your users, encouraging them to stay loyal to your brand.