Usability Testing

Planning

• 5 participants per round (catches ~85% of issues)
• 4-6 tasks per session (1 hour max)
• Mix task types: specific ('Find X') and open ('Explore the settings')

Task Writing

• Scenario-based: 'Your friend recommended a restaurant. Find it and make a reservation.'
• No clues in the task: don't use the same words as the UI labels
• One clear success criteria per task

During the Session

• 'Think aloud' protocol: ask users to verbalize their thinking
• Don't help, guide, or react to mistakes
• Take notes on: what they did, what they said, what they seemed to feel
• Record with permission (screen + face)

Analysis

• Severity rating per issue: Critical (blocks task), Major (significant difficulty), Minor (minor friction)
• Rainbow spreadsheet: tasks × participants, color-coded by success/failure
• Top 5 findings with evidence and recommendations

Reporting

• Executive summary: 3-5 key findings
• Per-finding: observation, impact, recommendation, evidence (video clip)
• Prioritized fix list