Avoid These 2 Simple Usability Pitfalls

Usability testing is probably the simplest, most underused way to improve your website. It’s one-off work you can do that offers a huge amount of insight & pays you back every time someone new comes to the site. However, there are a couple of simple pitfalls worth avoiding…

Pitfall Number One: Not Testing On Your Actual Website

If you can avoid it - don’t bother mocking up versions of pages; don’t create wireframes; use your actual website, or put together a modified ‘test’ version your actual website. You’ll never catch the nuance or unexpected ways a visitor would use your genuine website.

Pitfall Number Two: Load The Situation

If you’re running an A/B test between two different potential options, be careful not to load the scenario. It’s too easy to tailor a scenario to get the outcome you want (subconsciously or consciously), but it defeats the purpose of running the testing in the first place. Ask your colleagues - “is this really a fair test?”