6.4 KiB
Module 17: Usability Testing
Lesson 1: The Test Scenario
Preparing everything before the user arrives
Why Planning Matters More Now
When building takes an afternoon, you can't afford to spend a week planning a test. But you also can't afford to waste a test session because you weren't prepared.
The test scenario is your script. It ensures every participant gets the same experience, every task is clear, and you know exactly what to observe. Create it once, use it for every session.
Pick One Flow
Don't test the whole product. Test one flow.
A flow is a complete user journey with a beginning and an end:
- Creating an account
- Booking an appointment
- Finding and purchasing a product
- Changing account settings
Good test candidates:
- The primary journey (what most users do first)
- A flow you're uncertain about
- A flow with many steps or decision points
- A flow that's critical for business goals
Write the Tasks
Tasks are what you'll ask the participant to do. They describe a goal — not a path.
Good Tasks
- "You want to try this product. Go ahead and create an account."
- "You received an email about your upcoming appointment. Find the details."
- "You want to stop receiving email notifications. See if you can figure out how."
Each task:
- Describes what the user wants to achieve
- Doesn't say where to click or what to look for
- Uses language a real user would think in
- Is completable in 2-5 minutes
Bad Tasks
- "Test the signup form" — What should they actually do?
- "Click the blue button and fill in your email" — You're giving them the answer
- "Navigate to Settings, then Notifications, then toggle Email off" — Step-by-step instructions aren't a test
3-5 tasks per session is enough. More than that and participants get tired, which affects the quality of later tasks.
Select Participants
How Many
3-5 people per test round. Research shows 5 users find approximately 85% of usability problems. Three is the minimum for spotting patterns.
Who
They should match your personas — or at least be reasonably close. If your persona is a dog trainer with moderate tech comfort, don't test on software developers.
Where to find them:
- Existing users of similar products
- Friends or colleagues who match the persona's profile
- People from your professional network
- Community groups related to your product's domain
Who to avoid:
- Yourself (you already know how it works)
- Other designers on the project (same problem)
- Anyone who has seen the specifications or design
- People who will tell you what you want to hear instead of what they actually think
When to Recruit
Before you start building. This is the key insight.
Send a message while the prototype is still being built:
"Hi! I'm working on a product and would love 20 minutes of your time to try it out sometime this week. No preparation needed. Would you be available?"
When the prototype is ready, they're ready. No delay.
Prepare the Materials
The Introduction Script
Write it down. Read it the same way to every participant:
"Thanks for helping me with this. A few things before we start:
I'm testing the design, not you. There are no wrong answers
and you can't do anything wrong.
I'll give you a few tasks to try. Please think out loud as you
go — tell me what you're looking at, what you're thinking,
what you expect to happen.
I won't be able to help you during the tasks. If you get stuck,
that's valuable information for me. Just do what you would do
if I weren't here.
Any questions before we start?"
Same words, same tone, every time. This removes you as a variable.
Task Cards
Write each task on a separate card or in a separate message. Present them one at a time. The participant should only see the current task.
Task 1:
"You've heard about [product name] and want to try it.
Go ahead and create an account."
The Observation Sheet
Prepare a simple sheet for each session:
# Usability Test: [Flow Name]
## Participant: P[#]
## Date:
## Location:
## Device:
### Task 1: [Task name]
- Started:
- Completed: Yes / No
- Time:
- Notes:
### Task 2: [Task name]
- Started:
- Completed: Yes / No
- Time:
- Notes:
### Task 3: [Task name]
- Started:
- Completed: Yes / No
- Time:
- Notes:
### Post-session notes:
Recording Setup
Decide how you'll record and test it before the session.
At their location (preferred):
- Phone camera capturing screen + hands
- Screen recording on their device (ask permission first)
- Both if possible — screen for details, camera for reactions
Remote (when necessary):
- Video call with screen sharing and recording
- Less ideal than contextual, but far better than no testing
Always ask permission to record. Explain that it's for your review only and won't be shared.
The Complete Test Scenario Document
Put it all together:
# Test Scenario: User Registration Flow
## Flow Under Test
User registration from landing page through account creation
to welcome dashboard.
## Prototype
[URL or file path to the prototype]
## Participants
- 3-5 people matching Felix persona (moderate tech comfort)
- Recruited: [date]
- Sessions scheduled: [dates]
## Introduction Script
[The script above]
## Tasks
1. "You've heard about [product] and want to try it.
Go ahead and create an account."
2. "You just created your account. Take a look around —
what can you do here?"
3. "You want to change your email notification preferences.
See if you can find where to do that."
## What to Observe
- Can they find the registration CTA?
- Do they understand the form fields?
- Do error messages help them recover?
- Do they know what to do after registration?
- Can they navigate to settings?
## Recording Method
Phone camera + screen recording
## Post-Session Questions
- What stood out to you?
- Was anything confusing or unexpected?
- If you could change one thing, what would it be?
This document is your preparation. When you arrive at the participant's location, you know exactly what to do.
What's Next
The scenario is ready. In the next lesson, you'll learn how to conduct the session — and why not helping is the hardest part of the job.
Continue to Lesson 2: Conducting the Test →
Part of Module 17: Usability Testing