Leveraging remote usability testing as UX research

Introduction

UX research is the process of gathering qualitative and quantitative data about your design’s user experience. Remote usability testing is the process of testing your website or app’s user interface and UX design without getting users together in person.  It is conducted virtually, which is convenient for time and budget. During remote usability testing, different users are given specific tasks to perform on the website. The users carry out these tasks, and any problems they encounter are investigated and removed to improve the website or app’s user experience. There are many benefits to leveraging remote usability testing as UX research. In this article, we will go over a few of those benefits.

Remote usability testing as UX research

Remote usability testing is just one type of UX research, albeit an important one. In remote usability testing, users are given tasks to perform remotely. You don’t need a lab. You can conduct moderated or unmoderated testing, depending on your needs. The trend of using remote usability testing as UX research has increased significantly during the last few years. Today, we will look at the advantages of it that have led to an increase in its popularity.

Anytime, anywhere

The first benefit of remote usability testing as UX research is that you can rely on participation. Why? When you conduct in-person user testing, there is an inconvenience factor to consider. Some people may be located far away, so it would cost them time and fuel to be able to participate. This could lead to hesitation from your tester pool.

It’s much more convenient to  ask users to join an online platform for an hour or two using remote usability testing. They would be comfortable in doing so as they won’t have to leave their home to do that.

Global testing

Using remote usability testing as UX research, you can take your UX game to the next level. I mean, all the world knows that the impact of a global audience is far more significant than the credibility of people from a specific geographic location. You can always call people from different countries, regions, and continents to participate in user testing. This will give you a more global perspective on your design’s UX, making it marketable to a larger audience.

Also, remote usability testing doesn’t require you to be at a specific place at a particular time. You can do it at your office, home, university, and any other business with a chair to sit on and an internet connection. This makes it easier for users to dial into user testing at a time that works for them and their time zone, especially unmoderated testing.

The facility of unmoderated testing

Suppose you want to conduct a remote usability testing session. Still, you cannot moderate it as you have some other essential tasks to perform. In that case, you can rely on remote usability testing with a platform like TryMyUI that allows you to record and view the user interaction during testing. You can always review the footage later and evaluate your UX’s performance.

Unmoderated testing allows you to perform multiple tasks in a given time. You can only focus on testing activities with moderated testing. This is another reason why leveraging remote usability testing as UX research is beneficial.

Conclusion

Remote website usability testing is becoming more popular day by day. It has some standout features that make it a better option for UX research. We have discussed the standout features of remote usability testing in detail. Remote usability testing as UX research  allows you to make the participants more comfortable. They can sit at their own places and participate using their own devices, which is a huge plus. We hope you will understand the importance of remote usability testing and its benefits after reading our article.