InteracTiVoty: Why We "Test" Our TV UI Designs - Margret Schmidt - MediaBizBlogger

What39s the quotsecretquot to TiVo39s great user experience It isn39t a secret at all it is simply that we ALWAYS test our user interface designs with users There are three reasons we insist all designs are tested it makes the designs better it makes the designers better and it gives us an indication of how the feature will be received when we release itIt makes the designs betterPutting your designs in front of eight users watching and listening to their experiences and then making changes to the design as a result will make your product better It always does You will discover which wording choices confused them You will understand when they are surprised at something that happened because you didn39t correctly set their expectations You will learn what they read what they look at where they couldn39t figure out how to do something and how interested they are in the concept at all Testing often uncovers small easy changes that make huge differences in the usability of your productIt makes the designers betterThe best designers I39ve worked with have a strong design gut They have an intuition for what will work They have empathy for their users And they are always willing to go with a better idea when they hear it Watching users trying out your designs and really understanding what works for them and what doesn39t is the best way I39ve seen to build a great design gut and a great designer There is nothing like watching three users struggle to understand the same concept to not just highlight that there is a problem but to give you the clues to help you solve it You will remember the lessons you learned in previous tests and apply them to your current project You won39t make the same mistakes againIt helps us predict the futureIt isn39t uncommon to uncover issues in usability testing that you just won39t be able to quotfixquot in time for a release Technical limitations and hard deadlines are a reality and design compromises happen Testing can help you understand how users are going to react to any quotknown issuesquot when you release the product Once you know you can plan your communication you can start working on a followon release or you may even decide to hold the release in order to protect your brand When a design makes it through testing and the changes needed are all doable you can have confidence that your product will be well receivedIt isn39t that hard to doUsability testing doesn39t have to be timeconsuming or expensive While TiVo is fortunate to have a team of user researchers available to test our designs there are books and web resources that can teach you how to do your own quotquick and dirtyquot usability testing For something more rigorous you can hire a usability consulting firm to run your tests Whatever you do make sure your designers are watching and learning from quotthe other side of the glassquot If you want to spread your usability lessons throughout the company then record the sessions and share a highlight reel with your team Seeing the failures and the successes will help focus everyone on the user39s experienceSo just do itWith all the benefits that usability testing can have on your designs your designers and your company simply insist that it happens Even quotsmallquot features like an interactive TV advertising spot or a web microsite will benefit greatly from the design improvements you will make as a result of user feedback Your designers will strengthen their skills and your project risks will be reduced We all win when great designs make it out into the world amp8211 users are more satisfied and companies are more successfulMargret Schmidt is Vice President of User Experience for TiVo Inc Follow her at httptwittercomtivodesignOther articles by MargretInteracTiVoty Getting to Know DVR UsersInteracTiVoty Designing for TV Keep It Simple

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InteracTiVoty: Why We "Test" Our TV UI Designs - Margret Schmidt - MediaBizBlogger

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