Usability testing
Also called user testing, moderated usability testing, unmoderated usability testing
Usability testing watches people attempt real tasks in a product to find where they hesitate, make mistakes or give up.
In a moderated session a researcher sits with the participant and asks them to think aloud. In an unmoderated one the participant records themselves working through the tasks alone. Five participants is the familiar rule of thumb for finding most of the problems in a flow.
It remains the best way to understand people with real stakes. Its limit is cadence: recruiting, scheduling and writing up a round takes weeks, so most products are tested far less often than they change.
Where Stunt Double fits
Actors run the same kind of task-based session in minutes, on every change. Teams use them to cover the ground first and keep sessions with people for the questions only people can answer.
Related terms
- Think-aloud protocolThe think-aloud protocol asks a participant to say what they are thinking as they work through a task, so a researcher hears the reasoning behind each click, not only the click.
- Heuristic evaluationHeuristic evaluation is an expert review of an interface against a set of principles, such as Nielsen’s ten usability heuristics, that lists each problem found and the principle it breaks.
- AI user testingAI user testing sends AI agents with defined personas through a product in place of recruited participants, and reports what each one did and where it got stuck.
- Prototype testingPrototype testing puts an unfinished design in front of users to see whether they can complete the key tasks before anything is built.
See it on your own site
Give an actor your URL. It opens a real browser, works through the site, and shows you every step it took.
Free to start, or watch a live demo.