How to test your website or app for usability

Moderated usability testing  

This is a type of usability testing during which a facilitator sits with the user while they navigate a specific goal or task. It can also be done remotely using screen-sharing.  

To do this you’ll need to clearly define and explain the task, while not telling the user how to do it. Ask them to talk out loud to explain their thought process. And throughout, be careful to ask open, unbiased questions. For example, don’t ask: “Did you find the donation process too confusing?”, but “How did you find the donation process?”. 

This approach can help you glean in-depth information, as you can also ask follow-up questions or ask for clarification. It also allows you to easily pick up on non-verbal responses and emotional reactions.  

Catalyst shares some helpful information about how to test your website with users. 

Unmoderated usability testing  

This follows the same process as moderated usability testing, but tasks are carried out independently, without a facilitator being present. Participants are asked to work through a task independently and are usually videoed. That means you can get feedback from a wider pool of users, from different locations.  

Because there isn’t a facilitator, users might feel more relaxed and respond more naturally to the task in hand. And while you can’t watch and ask questions in real-time, you can always go back to them if you have follow-up questions.  

A/B testing for usability

Use A/B testing when you want to compare the effectiveness of two different versions of the same thing. For example, you might want to test how effective a donations page is that has one main call to action, or the same call to action repeated several times.  

With A/B testing it’s important to only change one item per version, so that you know exactly what is prompting the user to behave differently.  

Using metrics is the best way to discover which option is most effective. You might like to use click-through rates, bounce rates, conversion rates, and time on the page. Take a look at our Data analytics 101 or guide to Google Analytics 4 for more information.     

Focus groups to improve usability

Focus groups are helpful to gather more general input from users about your website or app. That might be early on in development, when you’re finding out exactly what users want and need from the site, or when discussing more emotive topics like what they think of a new tone of voice or imagery. They can also be helpful to explore ways of improving the platform. 

To run an effective focus group limit it to between six to ten people and make sure you have very clear objectives to keep the discussion on track and useful.  

Surveys to improve usability

Surveys are a handy way to gather information from lots of people, at a low cost. We share some hints on how to create a perfect survey.  

It can be useful to run a survey alongside another testing method, such as moderated or unmoderated testing. This will allow you to get a broad perspective from lots of users, and then zoom in for more specific and targeted information with one-to-one testing.