Usability Testing
Scope
Covers
- Designing task-based usability studies tied to a specific product decision
- Testing live flows, prototypes, and “faked” implementations (fake door, Wizard of Oz)
- Running moderated sessions (remote or in-person) and capturing high-quality evidence
- Turning findings into a prioritized fix list (including high-ROI microcopy/CTA improvements)
When to use
- “Create a usability test plan and script for .”
- “We need to test a prototype with 5–8 users next week.”
- “Validate a value proposition before building (fake door / Wizard of Oz).”
- “Help me synthesize usability findings into a prioritized backlog.”
When NOT to use
- You need statistically reliable estimates or causal impact (use analytics/experimentation)
- You need open-ended discovery (“what problems do users have?”) → use
conducting-user-interviews
- You’re working with high-risk populations or sensitive topics (medical, legal, minors) without appropriate approvals/training
- You don’t have a concrete scenario/flow to evaluate (clarify the decision first)
Inputs
Minimum required
- Product + target user segment (who, context of use)
- The decision this test should inform (what will change) + timeline
- What you’re testing (flow/feature) + prototype/build link (or “recommend stimulus”)
- Platform + environment (web/mobile/desktop; remote/in-person)
- Constraints: session type, number of participants, incentives, recording policy, privacy constraints
Missing-info strategy
- Ask up to 5 questions from references/INTAKE.md.
- If still unknown, proceed with explicit assumptions and list Open questions that would change the plan.
Outputs (deliverables)
Produce a Usability Test Pack in Markdown (in-chat; or as files if requested):
- Context snapshot (decision, users, what’s being tested, constraints)
- Test plan (method, prototype strategy, hypotheses/risks, success criteria)
- Participant plan (criteria, recruiting channels, schedule + backups)
- Moderator guide + task script (neutral tasks, probes, wrap-up)
- Note-taking template + issue log (severity/impact, evidence)
- Synthesis readout (findings, prioritized issues, recommendations, quick wins)
- Risks / Open questions / Next steps (always included)
Templates: references/TEMPLATES.md
Expanded heuristics: references/WORKFLOW.md
Workflow (8 steps)
1) Frame the decision and the “why now”
- Inputs: User context; references/INTAKE.md.
- Actions: Define the decision, primary unknowns, and the minimum you need to learn to make the call.
- Outputs: Context snapshot + research questions/hypotheses.
- Checks: You can answer: “What will we do differently after this test?”
2) Choose the right stimulus (real vs prototype vs faked)
- Inputs: What’s being tested; constraints.
- Actions: Select the cheapest valid setup: live product, clickable prototype, fake door, Wizard of Oz, or concierge flow.
- Outputs: Prototype strategy + what will be real vs simulated.
- Checks: The setup tests the core value/behavior (not pixel perfection).
3) Define tasks and success criteria (keep it neutral)
- Inputs: User goals + scenarios.
- Actions: Write 5–8 realistic tasks (each with a starting state), success criteria, and key observables (hesitation, errors, workarounds).
- Outputs: Task list (draft) + observation plan.
- Checks: Tasks don’t reveal UI labels (“Click the X button”); they reflect real intent.
4) Pick participants + recruiting plan (include buffers)
- Inputs: Target segment, access to users.
- Actions: Set inclusion/exclusion criteria; choose channels; build a schedule with backups and slack for no-shows and busy participants.
- Outputs: Participant plan + recruiting copy/screener (as needed).
- Checks: Participants match the scenario (behavior/context), not just demographics.
5) Build the moderator guide + instrumentation
- Inputs: Task list + prototype.
- Actions: Create the script (intro/consent, warm-up, tasks, probes, wrap-up). Assign note-taker roles; decide what to record.
- Outputs: Moderator guide + notes template + issue log.
- Checks: The guide avoids leading questions and includes “what would you do next?” probes.
6) Run sessions and capture evidence (optional “reality checks”)
- Inputs: Guide, logistics, participants.
- Actions: Run sessions; capture verbatims, errors, rough time-on-task, and moments of confusion. Optionally observe comparable flows “in the wild.”
- Outputs: Completed notes per session + populated issue log.
- Checks: Every issue has at least one concrete example (quote/screenshot/time/step) attached.
7) Synthesize into prioritized fixes (micro wins count)
- Inputs: Notes + issue log.
- Actions: Cluster issues; label severity and frequency; connect to funnel/business impact; propose fixes (including microcopy/CTA tweaks).
- Outputs: Synthesis readout + prioritized recommendations/backlog.
- Checks: Each recommendation ties to evidence and an expected impact (directional).
8) Share, decide, and run the quality gate
- Inputs: Draft pack.
- Actions: Produce a shareable readout, propose next steps (design iteration, follow-up test, experiment). Run references/CHECKLISTS.md and score references/RUBRIC.md.
- Outputs: Final Usability Test Pack + Risks/Open questions/Next steps.
- Checks: A stakeholder can make a “ship / fix / retest” decision asynchronously.
Quality gate (required)
- Use references/CHECKLISTS.md and references/RUBRIC.md.
- Always include: Risks, Open questions, Next steps.
Examples
Example 1 (Prototype test): “Create a usability test plan + moderator guide to evaluate our new onboarding flow (web) with 6 first-time users next week.”
Expected: full Usability Test Pack with neutral tasks, recruiting criteria, session logistics, and a synthesis structure.
Example 2 (Wizard of Oz): “We want to test an ‘AI auto-triage’ feature before building it. Design a Wizard of Oz usability test plan and script for 5 sessions.”
Expected: stimulus plan defining what’s simulated, tasks focused on value, and an issue log + readout.
Boundary example: “Run a usability test to prove the redesign will increase retention by 10%.”
Response: explain limits of small-n usability; recommend pairing with instrumentation/experimentation for causality and use usability to diagnose friction.
1---2name: usability-testing3description: Plan, run, and synthesize usability tests and produce a Usability Test Pack (test plan, tasks/script, logistics, notes template, issue log, findings + recommendations). Use for usability test, user test, prototype test, user testing, usability study, Wizard of Oz, fake door.4---5
6# Usability Testing
7
8## Scope
9
10**Covers**
11- Designing task-based usability studies tied to a specific product decision
12- Testing live flows, prototypes, and “faked” implementations (fake door, Wizard of Oz)
13- Running moderated sessions (remote or in-person) and capturing high-quality evidence
14- Turning findings into a prioritized fix list (including high-ROI microcopy/CTA improvements)
15
16**When to use**
17- “Create a usability test plan and script for <flow>.”
18- “We need to test a prototype with 5–8 users next week.”
19- “Validate a value proposition before building (fake door / Wizard of Oz).”
20- “Help me synthesize usability findings into a prioritized backlog.”
21
22**When NOT to use**
23- You need statistically reliable estimates or causal impact (use analytics/experimentation)
24- You need open-ended discovery (“what problems do users have?”) → use `conducting-user-interviews`
25- You’re working with high-risk populations or sensitive topics (medical, legal, minors) without appropriate approvals/training
26- You don’t have a concrete scenario/flow to evaluate (clarify the decision first)
27
28## Inputs
29
30**Minimum required**
31- Product + target user segment (who, context of use)
32- The decision this test should inform (what will change) + timeline
33- What you’re testing (flow/feature) + prototype/build link (or “recommend stimulus”)
34- Platform + environment (web/mobile/desktop; remote/in-person)
35- Constraints: session type, number of participants, incentives, recording policy, privacy constraints
36
37**Missing-info strategy**
38- Ask up to 5 questions from [references/INTAKE.md](references/INTAKE.md).
39- If still unknown, proceed with explicit assumptions and list **Open questions** that would change the plan.
40
41## Outputs (deliverables)
42
43Produce a **Usability Test Pack** in Markdown (in-chat; or as files if requested):
44
451) **Context snapshot** (decision, users, what’s being tested, constraints)
462) **Test plan** (method, prototype strategy, hypotheses/risks, success criteria)
473) **Participant plan** (criteria, recruiting channels, schedule + backups)
484) **Moderator guide + task script** (neutral tasks, probes, wrap-up)
495) **Note-taking template + issue log** (severity/impact, evidence)
506) **Synthesis readout** (findings, prioritized issues, recommendations, quick wins)
517) **Risks / Open questions / Next steps** (always included)
52
53Templates: [references/TEMPLATES.md](references/TEMPLATES.md)
54Expanded heuristics: [references/WORKFLOW.md](references/WORKFLOW.md)
55
56## Workflow (8 steps)
57
58### 1) Frame the decision and the “why now”
59- **Inputs:** User context; [references/INTAKE.md](references/INTAKE.md).
60- **Actions:** Define the decision, primary unknowns, and the minimum you need to learn to make the call.
61- **Outputs:** Context snapshot + research questions/hypotheses.
62- **Checks:** You can answer: “What will we do differently after this test?”
63
64### 2) Choose the right stimulus (real vs prototype vs faked)
65- **Inputs:** What’s being tested; constraints.
66- **Actions:** Select the cheapest valid setup: live product, clickable prototype, fake door, Wizard of Oz, or concierge flow.
67- **Outputs:** Prototype strategy + what will be real vs simulated.
68- **Checks:** The setup tests the core value/behavior (not pixel perfection).
69
70### 3) Define tasks and success criteria (keep it neutral)
71- **Inputs:** User goals + scenarios.
72- **Actions:** Write 5–8 realistic tasks (each with a starting state), success criteria, and key observables (hesitation, errors, workarounds).
73- **Outputs:** Task list (draft) + observation plan.
74- **Checks:** Tasks don’t reveal UI labels (“Click the X button”); they reflect real intent.
75
76### 4) Pick participants + recruiting plan (include buffers)
77- **Inputs:** Target segment, access to users.
78- **Actions:** Set inclusion/exclusion criteria; choose channels; build a schedule with backups and slack for no-shows and busy participants.
79- **Outputs:** Participant plan + recruiting copy/screener (as needed).
80- **Checks:** Participants match the scenario (behavior/context), not just demographics.
81
82### 5) Build the moderator guide + instrumentation
83- **Inputs:** Task list + prototype.
84- **Actions:** Create the script (intro/consent, warm-up, tasks, probes, wrap-up). Assign note-taker roles; decide what to record.
85- **Outputs:** Moderator guide + notes template + issue log.
86- **Checks:** The guide avoids leading questions and includes “what would you do next?” probes.
87
88### 6) Run sessions and capture evidence (optional “reality checks”)
89- **Inputs:** Guide, logistics, participants.
90- **Actions:** Run sessions; capture verbatims, errors, rough time-on-task, and moments of confusion. Optionally observe comparable flows “in the wild.”
91- **Outputs:** Completed notes per session + populated issue log.
92- **Checks:** Every issue has at least one concrete example (quote/screenshot/time/step) attached.
93
94### 7) Synthesize into prioritized fixes (micro wins count)
95- **Inputs:** Notes + issue log.
96- **Actions:** Cluster issues; label severity and frequency; connect to funnel/business impact; propose fixes (including microcopy/CTA tweaks).
97- **Outputs:** Synthesis readout + prioritized recommendations/backlog.
98- **Checks:** Each recommendation ties to evidence and an expected impact (directional).
99
100### 8) Share, decide, and run the quality gate
101- **Inputs:** Draft pack.
102- **Actions:** Produce a shareable readout, propose next steps (design iteration, follow-up test, experiment). Run [references/CHECKLISTS.md](references/CHECKLISTS.md) and score [references/RUBRIC.md](references/RUBRIC.md).
103- **Outputs:** Final Usability Test Pack + Risks/Open questions/Next steps.
104- **Checks:** A stakeholder can make a “ship / fix / retest” decision asynchronously.
105
106## Quality gate (required)
107- Use [references/CHECKLISTS.md](references/CHECKLISTS.md) and [references/RUBRIC.md](references/RUBRIC.md).
108- Always include: **Risks**, **Open questions**, **Next steps**.
109
110## Examples
111
112**Example 1 (Prototype test):** “Create a usability test plan + moderator guide to evaluate our new onboarding flow (web) with 6 first-time users next week.”
113Expected: full Usability Test Pack with neutral tasks, recruiting criteria, session logistics, and a synthesis structure.
114
115**Example 2 (Wizard of Oz):** “We want to test an ‘AI auto-triage’ feature before building it. Design a Wizard of Oz usability test plan and script for 5 sessions.”
116Expected: stimulus plan defining what’s simulated, tasks focused on value, and an issue log + readout.
117
118**Boundary example:** “Run a usability test to prove the redesign will increase retention by 10%.”
119Response: explain limits of small-n usability; recommend pairing with instrumentation/experimentation for causality and use usability to diagnose friction.
120
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