Become A UX Testing Expert
NET|September 2018

UX expert Joshua Garity shares his experience to reveal the questions you need to ask and the procedures you need to follow when it comes to composing effective UX tests

Joshua Garity
Become A UX Testing Expert

Evaluating the success of user experience strategies in a project requires a deep understanding of why decisions were made and what core goals motivated the project in the first place. Purpose is what provides context to data. Without that context, the data you review is always going to be clouded with your own personal bias and assumptions.

It’s why all of those impressive unauthorised redesigns of websites like Facebook that make the rounds every year mean absolutely nothing. Making something better is often based on opinion. I once worked with a user experience expert – self-proclaimed of course – that would frequently try to guide major decisions with opinions and not quantifiable data: ‘I don’t like using drop-downs in navigation.’ User experience strategy is selfless. It’s not about you or me. It’s not even about the stakeholder in the department asking you to improve something. It’s about the organisation’s clients. The customers that spend their hard-earned money on the company’s products or services.

User experience is about understanding their needs and assessing the best way to accomplish those goals with the resources currently available. You will never have enough time, enough budget or enough teammates with just the right experience to do something the way you may want to.

So, how do we start this journey? Good. We’re glad you asked.

Determine purpose of tests

One of the most difficult aspects of effectively testing anything is understanding the purpose behind the request. Why are you currently being asked to test anything at all? In many cases the organisation only recently began to find value in user experience, likely driven by a past failure, but doesn’t know where to begin.

This story is from the September 2018 edition of NET.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the September 2018 edition of NET.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NETView All
Camille Gribbons
NET

Camille Gribbons

UX designer at Booking.com, Camille Gribbons reveals how she first got into the industry

time-read
7 mins  |
June 2020
THE 5G UI REVOLUTION
NET

THE 5G UI REVOLUTION

Tris Tolliday describes his vision of a web UI catapulted forwards by 5G

time-read
3 mins  |
June 2020
HOW TO SHOWCASE YOUR DEV SKILLS
NET

HOW TO SHOWCASE YOUR DEV SKILLS

Aude Barral shares 5 top tips for landing your dream developer job

time-read
3 mins  |
June 2020
KNIVES OUT
NET

KNIVES OUT

Murder mystery film, Knives Out, grabbed everyone’s attention, and so did the fun website that promoted it. Oblio tells Tom May how it created its innovative 3D navigation

time-read
6 mins  |
June 2020
HOW EMOTIONAL LABOUR HINDERS WOMEN IN TECH
NET

HOW EMOTIONAL LABOUR HINDERS WOMEN IN TECH

Christine Brewis, head of digital marketing at Studio Graphene, discusses how gender parity in tech has changed over the last ten years, and what more can be done

time-read
5 mins  |
June 2020
EDAN KWAN
NET

EDAN KWAN

He swapped life as a singer for a career making eye-popping digital visuals. The Lusion founder chats to Tom May about battling demons, winning awards and where digital advertising is heading

time-read
8 mins  |
June 2020
ANDREW COULDWELL
NET

ANDREW COULDWELL

The Brit in LA discusses his new book on design systems, Laying the Foundations

time-read
3 mins  |
June 2020
Top 5 Tips For Ensuring Web Content Is Accessible For All
NET

Top 5 Tips For Ensuring Web Content Is Accessible For All

Merlyn Meredith outlines five top tips for ensuring web content is accessible for all

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2020
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR BROWSERS?
NET

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR BROWSERS?

Nico Turco examines the state of play with browsers, whether developers should encourage diversity or monopoly and how Google fits into it all

time-read
6 mins  |
May 2020
YEARS IN THE MAKING
NET

YEARS IN THE MAKING

Exclusively for net: The latest in a series of anonymous accounts of nightmare clients

time-read
3 mins  |
May 2020