8 Effective Steps to Get Accurate Customer Feedback on Your Website
The customer feedback, or "usability testing phase" has become a key part of any professional web design project. With its fundamental objective of creating a website that has an accessible web design targeted to all users, usability testing gathers feedback from the very people it is intended for - before it is published. But how do you maximize your test sessions to reap the fullest benefits from them?
1. Choosing Your Subjects
The results of your session well depend largely on the people you test it on. Do not get people who may be biased, such as family, friends and workers from your company. People who have prior exposure to your project may yield flawed results and rate your site high in web accessibility when in fact, it is not. Assemble a focus group, people who fit a specific profile, to be the subjects. You can ask a market research firm or a temp agency to source out your participants. Subjects must not know the name of your company or other details to maintain objectivity.
2. Before Starting the Usability Testing Session
The atmosphere of the web usability study session must be as normal as possible. To achieve the best results, participants should be at ease and feel like they are using the site at home or work. Make sure the participants know the exact location of the testing session; if necessary, meet them at local stations. Do not use technical terms such as "usability testing" or "market research' as these will only cause confusion and create tension.
Inform your subjects beforehand of the length of time the testing will take and the type of tasks they are expected to do. When the participants have familiarized themselves with the environment, it is time for the signing of legal documents. Use simple English language that is easy to understand and make your forms as short as possible. Legal papers can add to a subject's nervousness. Assure him that the tests are completely confidential and you only need his permission to use the information generated during the test as part of the results.
3. How to Start the Website Testing Session
Acquaint the subjects with their surroundings before going to the main tasks. Tell them the name of the website and the URL and get their initial thoughts, like what they expect from the site or what they would like the site to be. Assure the subjects that their tasks will not be difficult and, most of all, that they are not the ones being tested.
Record the terms or phrases they use; this shows you value their opinions and feedback. These terms may also be used as pointers for future references in functionality and site navigation concerns. Next, let them look at the website they will be testing.
Handy Tip: Find out what their initial reactions are before allowing them to get familiar with the site. Such inputs may give you ideas on how they evaluate a site for web credibility.
4. Choosing Tasks
Choose tasks that your potential customers will consider important to their decision of whether to purchase or not. These play a major part in ensuring the success of your website. Such tasks are:
- Buying products
- Paying bills
- Contacting the client
Encourage the participants to give suggestions of other tasks they want included. You can determine their expectations and requirements from their suggestions and set new functionality and priorities.
5. How to Express Tasks
People respond and perform in more natural way if they are given scenarios instead of instructions. In phrasing the tasks, it is more effective to say "Scenario A has occurred, and you need to ring the company urgently - find the telephone number" rather than "find the contact us section of the site".
6. Presentation of Tasks
Give participants one task at a time. Simultaneous tasks may intimidate them, or alter their normal approach to the testing. If you require the subjects to use inputs from outside the test (e.g. an email giving them a password to the site), give them these inputs in the form they will be presented. This will provide useful feedback on all elements of the process, rather than simply the site.
7. What Your Behaviour Ought To Be During Testing
Always keep in mind that the object being tested is the website, not you or the participant. All input is treated as important; this should be emphasized to the participant. If there's a task or a step they can't do, they must be informed that it's not their fault. You must not be seen or heard during the test.
You MUST NOT do the following actions:
- Provide clues
- Suggest directions
- React to what they say or do
These could alter the test results. So keep your actions neutral, even a shaking of your head or huffing is a no-no. The only time participants should hear from you is when they need help in giving an opinion or clarifying a response. Because they have invested much time and money in the project, clients often find it hard to keep quiet during tests. If your client wants to be present, put him in a separate room and provide an audio/video link.
8. When the Usability Testing Is Done
Upon completion of all tasks, gather and document as much information as possible. Ask for overall impressions of the website and detailed feedback on each task. You will be able to measure their experience, whether expectations were met and if their views have changed during the process.
Always welcome suggestions- they will be useful in providing insights to improve web usability and accessibility and creates goodwill between you and the participants. Finally, ask the participants what they remember about the site structure and its functions.
If they remember these clearly, it is a confirmation that the site is structured logically and this will help identify any labeling issues you may have missed.
Summary
The most successful online businesses rely on customer feedback to make sure their site is easier to use and more rewarding to visit than their competitors. If you're not getting some customer feedback on your site - you're heading for trouble - so consider adding it to your online marketing mix.
