Published on November 27th, 2019 | by Sunit Nandi

Usability Testing: Types And Drawbacks

You may already be wondering what a usability test is-let alone its types and possible drawbacks. Nonetheless, it is not rocket science and you should not be so apprehensive about learning how to apply it as its advantages far outweigh its disadvantages. It is a sort of tests that real Internet users take without having to perform any extraordinary tasks or reach to imaginative solutions. Its main goal is to let the researchers be led to some conclusions concerning the usability of the product or the site or app which is under scrutiny.

Kinds Of Usability Testing

The first type of those tests is the comparative one. It aims at depicting as clearly as possible which are the similarities and differences of two websites or creations. On certain occasions three or more services or so-called subjects are examined. To make a long story short, this comparing approach tries to help the owner of a company or online location to attract more funds by changing the design or the set-up of his website. That way, they will be able to surpass competition at least in terms of image and friendliness and stand out from the crowd which during the past few years is getting larger and larger .

Moving on with the second form of the assessment we come across explorative method. This technique is rather different to the previous one as it focuses even more on the product itself and the impact it will have on the potential customers once released. To keep it simpler, it has to do with the product’s capabilities and the functionality it presents. Unless it is well-designed and receives 5-star reviews from the “exam-takers”, it has to be reconsidered and redesigned. It is not ready, in other words, to be approved for reaching the shelves of the stores and will have to rejected or reformed.

Test Summary

Cons of the Procedure

Despite the fact that the aforementioned types of tests make our customer experience to be of higher quality as both services and products are upgraded and faults are avoided up to a certain degree, there are some downsides that need to be taken into account and be on the back of our minds if we are involved in the method. It is for sure that no matter how hard both the scientists and the owner of the idea of the product try, they just cannot test their object as much as they would actually yearn. That is to say, only when the actual item is released and tested by dozens and dozens of people will they be able to know without doubts if they succeeded or failed to create a masterpiece. All of us know that then it may be too late to improve any faults, but that is how it works and you have to live with it from then on. Usability testing though is still one the best methods out there when it comes to product upgrading and fining.

Tags: drawbacks, software development, types, usability testing

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.