Article

John Kuefler
John Kuefler 28 March 2013
Categories

Usability testing might just save your brand

When you already know how something is going to work, it's all but impossible to understand that others don'

Well, it happened again – the same thing that happens every time any digital product is put through usability testing. We found out that the people designing the thing (people who know exactly what it’s supposed to do and how it’s supposed to work) are not the same as the people actually using the thing. And the people who are supposed to use the thing don’t get it. And because they don’t get it, they have three options for how they might respond.

 

Option 1 is that they will tirelessly apply all their time and brainpower to trying to figure out your thing. The problem with this option is that the thing they are trying to figure out is probably trying to sell them something, and no one will work extra-hard just to be sold something. (I make the assumption that it’s trying to sell something because we are a marketing firm, and the things we make are generally supposed to sell stuff.) If the thing is entertaining or fun, you might have a chance for Option 1, but otherwise you can cross it off the list.

Option 2 is they will quickly give up and walk away. Of all the options, this is the one you should hope for, because Option 3 is not what you want.

Option 3 is that your thing will make them feel frustrated or stupid, and they may even get mad. Then their anger may be taken out on your brand, because people need to vent and blame someone for their bad user experience. This is just human nature. They might even be so frustrated that they post something negative on one or more of their social media networks. Then all of their friends, and even their friends’ friends, will know that your thing doesn’t work right. One Tweet turns into 3 million views (hey, it has happened). Ouch. We all know that social media is word-of-mouth on steroids, and bad comments or reviews have the power to make or break brands. This is why you don’t want Option 3 to happen.

The simple remedy


The good news is that Option 3 can easily be prevented. There is a simple fix for all of this, and I mentioned it at the beginning of this post. You simply test the thing before it’s produced, before it goes “out there” all broken for people to use as ammunition in online rants against your brand. This course of action sounds incredibly simple and obvious, which in fact it is, but it’s hardly ever actually undertaken by smaller brands, agencies or development firms that don’t have the deep pockets of Fortune 500s. Mega-brands like Amazon that make usability testing a continuous part of their routine (and their success stories) are the exception, rather than the rule. It seems that for Any Specialty Brand, Inc., usability testing either is not on the radar, is thought of as an unaffordable luxury, or, worst of all, is considered a waste of time and money. This couldn’t be further from the truth, because an ounce of usability testing is worth a pound of cure.

At Callahan Creek, I’m happy to say that usability testing that’s conducted with in-house UXD expertise is now SOP for all digital deliverables. As a UXD expert once told me after conducting hundreds and hundreds of usability tests, the process never once failed to uncover things that needed to be fixed or could be improved upon. That’s certainly been my experience as well. And more often than not the problems that we uncovered with usability testing were completely unanticipated – often with potentially serious consequences if left unaddressed. That’s because the people making the thing can’t get out of their own heads and think like the people who will be using the thing. Fortunately, there’s a simple fix: usability testing.

Feel free to post your reply here.

Please login or register to add a comment.

Contribute Now!

Loving our articles? Do you have an insightful post that you want to shout about? Well, you've come to the right place! We are always looking for fresh Doughnuts to be a part of our community.

Popular Articles

See all
7 Reasons Why Social Media Marketing is Important For Your Business

7 Reasons Why Social Media Marketing is Important For Your Business

In the past two decades social media has become a crucial tool for marketers, enabling businesses to connect with potential customers. If your business has yet to embrace social media and you want to know why it is...

Sharron Nelson
Sharron Nelson 29 February 2024
Read more
B2B Marketers Need a New Approach to Lead Gen to Meet the Growing Quality Challenge

B2B Marketers Need a New Approach to Lead Gen to Meet the Growing Quality Challenge

The biggest challenge facing B2B marketers in 2024 is generating high quality leads. And the problem is getting worse.

Michael Nutley
Michael Nutley 18 March 2024
Read more
How to Create a Landing Page: The Ultimate Guide

How to Create a Landing Page: The Ultimate Guide

Learn how to make an effective landing page with our latest article. Perfect for beginners and pros alike, this article gives you practical tips to create a landing page that works for you. From picking the right...

Ravi Shukla
Ravi Shukla 19 February 2024
Read more
How to Review a Website — A Guide for Beginners

How to Review a Website — A Guide for Beginners

A company website is crucial for any business's digital marketing strategy. To keep up with the changing trends and customer buying behaviors, it's important to review and make necessary changes regularly...

Digital Doughnut Contributor
Digital Doughnut Contributor 25 March 2024
Read more
4 Tips for Building Effective Direct Response Marketing Campaigns

4 Tips for Building Effective Direct Response Marketing Campaigns

Craft irresistible offers and elevate your marketing strategy with direct response marketing campaigns.

Iulia P
Iulia P 22 March 2024
Read more