When a user uses a software or an application and finds the design clunky, there’s a good chance that the software or the app will be abandoned. Good usability is what truly completes a software/app which is built with end-users in mind. Not all software companies in UAE prioritize usability of the software surprisingly. Many of them focus too much on a broad range of features and timely delivery that they neglect the significance of the software’s usability.

One approach that leading companies in the software testing Dubai industry adopt to ensure good usability is involving real users to test and evaluate the software before it’s officially released. This also allows the development team to observe and analyze how users interact with the software. Meanwhile the test manager can take not of the software’s shortcomings and other issues that the users encounter while using the software. 

That said, here are a few useful tips to perform successful user testing.

Invest in finding the right tools

Technological advancements have given birth to a plethora of useful tools that will make user testing a hassle-free process. The key is to determine the right tools for the job. There are free and paid tools. 

Educate users on the test’s purpose

Before letting users interact with the software, they should be made aware of the purpose of the task they are about to undertake. The purpose of user testing is primarily to evaluate the quality of use of the application. The users should be encouraged to take notes of even the smallest hassle they experience when using the software/app.

Ensure that the users know nothing about the software

Another important thing to keep in mind for successful user testing is to ensure that the users know nothing related to the software they are about to test since the objective of the test is to determine how easy it is to figure out the software and what it can do.

Focus on areas with bigger risks

There should be some parts of the software that the development team identified to possibly have vulnerabilities associated with the usability. Prepare tasks that guide the users to try out the functionality that comes under those parts and assess how usable they are.

If the user gets stuck at some point…

If, while performing a task, the user gets stuck or encounter some issue hindering the task, ask them to skip the task and proceed with the next one. Such a scenario emphasizes that the software’s usability still needs a lot of work.

Conclusion

Testing the usability and releasing the final version of the software isn’t where the job ends. User expectations may change as technologies evolve and new UX trends become popular. What was considered good usability might need some modifications in the future to remain usable. Post-launch support is also important to ensure that the software’s usability stands the test of time. 

A good Application Management Services company would also undertake the responsibility to keep the software or app usable should you require assistance regarding software performance & usability.