Planning: Task Scenarios
The success of your user testing depends on how you ask users to perform tasks [1]. You do not want to give away the precise steps users must take. User testing should provide participants with enough information to complete the tasks independently rather than guiding them to the goal.
Give your task scenarios some room, and pay attention to what type of instructions you give: Share just enough information to get the task done. Giving too many or too little instructions can defeat the test's objective.
Preparing Tasks
Here is an example of a bad and a good task [1]:
| Bad Task Example | Good Task Example |
|---|---|
| Go to the search bar, type in red sandals, select size 8, click on the ‘add to cart’ button and continue to the checkout. | Explore the website and buy a pair of red sandals in your size using the credit card number provided. |
Remember to include open-ended (explore the website) and goal-specific tasks (buy a pair of red sandals) when creating task scenarios. While goal-specific tasks efficiently evaluate specific features, open-ended questions are ideal for observing consumers interact with a product freely without guided interruption. When utilised properly, both are incredibly helpful in user testing.
Sources
[1] - Adam Fard. “6 Simple Steps to Conduct User Testing Successfully” https://adamfard.com/blog/conduct-user-testing [Accessed December 2022]. [1] - Adam Fard. “6 Simple Steps to Conduct User Testing Successfully” https://adamfard.com/blog/conduct-user-testing [Accessed December 2022].