Test early and often
It’s never too early to learn how users work with your product! Testing concepts early helps you to create a product that is on the right path from the beginning, reduces waste from dead-end design, and ensures the voice of the customer is injected into the product from the very beginning. By testing early concepts, designs and prototypes, you can pinpoint the areas where the greatest investment is needed and refine the product so it’s ready for prime time.

Have a planned method for data collection
Make sure the method is understood and agreed on by those that are part of the study including researchers, stakeholders and clients.

Make participants feel comfortable
Whether conducting user testing in-person or remote usability testing, create an environment that fosters natural, honest feedback. Find a lab space without two-way mirrors to help the participant feel natural and avoid the feeling like they are being watched. When testing remotely, make sure the participant is prepared to use the technology before the real session so everything runs smoothly.

Stay neutral
Remain unbiased throughout the session and avoid asking leading questions or pointing our the “right action”. Getting personally attached to a study or product will skew findings and negatively affect results. A great way to avoid biased both from the participant and researcher is to hire an outside user testing company to run the research blind.

Answer a participant’s question with a question
When user testing you should encourage participants to think out loud throughout the session to better understand what they are experiencing as it happens. When they do get stuck or blatantly ask you what they should do next, rather than telling them, you should instead ask, “What would you expect to do next?”. This will result in richer insights.
 

Make time in the study to ask follow-up questions
When planning your usability study, allocate time in the test plan to ask follow-up questions so that assumptions are not made. Talk through moments where you observed they struggled, but may have given it a high ease of use rating.