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

What's the "secret" to TiVo's great user experience? It isn't 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 it.

It makes the designs better

Putting 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 didn't correctly set their expectations. You will learn what they read, what they look at, where they couldn't 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 product.

It makes the designers better

The best designers I've 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 doesn't, is the best way I've 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 won't make the same mistakes again.

It helps us predict the future

It isn't uncommon to uncover issues in usability testing that you just won't be able to "fix" 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 "known issues" when you release the product. Once you know, you can plan your communication, you can start working on a follow-on 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 received.

It isn't that hard to do

Usability testing doesn't have to be time-consuming 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 "quick and dirty" 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 "the other side of the glass." 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 user's experience.

So just do it!

With all the benefits that usability testing can have on your designs, your designers, and your company, simply insist that it happens. Even "small" 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 – users are more satisfied and companies are more successful.

Margret Schmidt is Vice President of User Experience for TiVo Inc. Follow her athttp://twitter.com/tivodesign

Other articles by Margret:

InteracTiVoty: Getting to Know DVR Users

InteracTiVoty: Designing for TV: Keep It Simple