Upfront user testing to avoid product failure

‍Do you wonder why businesses fail even when they put in their best efforts? 

Because they often forget about empathy with their users. Efforts and empathy go hand-in-hand, one fails without the other. Every business puts the best efforts, but only a few are empathetic while building software. Some businesses make these common mistakes to make their software more about themselves and less about users.

‍

• Businesses provide software solutions without identifying users' actual needs. Instead of creating software, you think users will like, identify users' needs and desires by understanding their behaviors, habits, and practices. 

• Businesses add "perceived-to-be-cool" software features to attract users.  It's always better to keep your software simple, classy, and highly functional. Such user experience will attract more users.

• First, businesses assume what users need and then they leave users to assume what they have provided. Users understand how their commands and actions are being interpreted, so you better be certain. Make everything clear - from guidance to consequences. 

• Businesses keep all the call-to-action buttons in the same area on the screen without grouping them. Users working speedily can't unintentionally decide the fate of any important information. We suggest you put CTAs of the same screen together, and engage confirmation dialogue boxes to explain the consequences of fatal actions and provide a way to hit the brakes and reverse. 

• Businesses forget about accessibility to meet various user needs. Understand that users don't have the same abilities, culture, language, age, and technology. Diverse users appreciate inclusive software.

‍

To avoid such mistakes, bring empathy while building software and put users first. Know what their problems are and what solutions will work best for them and how your software can be that solution to make their life better and them happier. 

‍

To build promising software, user testing can do wonders. Let's do it right! 

‍

Know why you are testing software with users - Are you testing to check usability? Accessibility? Functionality? Be clear with your testing objectives. Clarity will bring you to the same page as your users and boost their satisfaction. Satisfied users will have better digital experience, buy more, and they will ultimately become your best salesperson and advocate. 

‍

Know what problem you are fixing - Instead of fixing everything like performance, usability, accessibility, and all browser versions and screen sizes, pick one at a time. 

‍

What steps to take? 

‍

At Fabric we suggest following these simple steps to discover true user needs and test multiple solutions with them to reduce the risk of business idea failure:

• Set your expectations clear though a collaborative user research workshop
• Document what you can test and what you can't
• Pick user testing plans
• Recruit users with different habits, consumer behaviour and preferences
• And be flexible while executing plans depending on users' responses. 

‍

Know how to test - You may have all the testing tools and technologies, but if you don't know how to test, you won't get the desired results. While using any testing tools and technologies, keep users in mind. Sit with users, understand their mindset, and then use your testing tools and technologies. The more you tune in with end users, the better user testing outcomes you'll get. 

‍

This way you will get to know your users better, validate their idea, and embrace these ideas while building software.

Go ahead and keep testing software until you give end users exactly what they want. And if you are looking for a trusted partner that can take the lead of your new digital initiative in Melbourne, Sydney and Singapore, plan and run user research, design and build new custom software and implement the change for your business and make your users go wow, work with us today!