A good way to create a good customer experience is through the discipline of usability testing.
Usability has been defined as the "measure of quality when interacting with something". This can cover anything from ATMs to websites, mobile phones to retail branches. Usability means people interacting with an organisation can do so quickly and easily. It must be a simple, engaging and enjoyable experience.
Probably the most popular method of usability is user testing. This is the process of learning about ordinary customers by watching them interact with a touch point. This process involves observing a number of representative users in one-on-one sessions as they carry out set tasks. The facilitator watches what they do whilst listening to participants think aloud as well as looking out for patterns of behaviour across participants.
User testing is not quite the same as a focus group. Where a focus group will learn about people's opinion, user testing will learn about what people actually do when interacting with a product. Traditional market research is particularly useful for understanding how people think, but generating good customer experiences require more work than that. This is where user testing really shines as we can learn how people will behave in a real situation.
There is a strong attraction to believe that there is some "magic formula" when it comes to creating a good consumer experience. This is definitely not the case and many industries and/or companies can easily slip into this trap. In 2003, the LA Times reported that a British academic had worked out the specific requirements for creating a box office smash. Apparently the movie had to consist of the following - 30 percent action, 17 percent comedy, 13 percent of good vs. evil, 12 percent of sex/romance, 10 percent plot, 10 percent special FX and 8 percent music.
As attractive as the numbers sound, they don't work in real life. This world is messy, complicated and full of real people wanting to get things done in the shortest possible time. We must use a mix of research methods to understand their needs. Simply understanding consumer opinion through market research is not enough. We need to understand their behaviours as well.
Usability research ensures that customers' interactions are efficient, useful and satisfying. You cannot have a world-class consumer experience without it.
Usability has been defined as the "measure of quality when interacting with something". This can cover anything from ATMs to websites, mobile phones to retail branches. Usability means people interacting with an organisation can do so quickly and easily. It must be a simple, engaging and enjoyable experience.
Probably the most popular method of usability is user testing. This is the process of learning about ordinary customers by watching them interact with a touch point. This process involves observing a number of representative users in one-on-one sessions as they carry out set tasks. The facilitator watches what they do whilst listening to participants think aloud as well as looking out for patterns of behaviour across participants.
User testing is not quite the same as a focus group. Where a focus group will learn about people's opinion, user testing will learn about what people actually do when interacting with a product. Traditional market research is particularly useful for understanding how people think, but generating good customer experiences require more work than that. This is where user testing really shines as we can learn how people will behave in a real situation.
There is a strong attraction to believe that there is some "magic formula" when it comes to creating a good consumer experience. This is definitely not the case and many industries and/or companies can easily slip into this trap. In 2003, the LA Times reported that a British academic had worked out the specific requirements for creating a box office smash. Apparently the movie had to consist of the following - 30 percent action, 17 percent comedy, 13 percent of good vs. evil, 12 percent of sex/romance, 10 percent plot, 10 percent special FX and 8 percent music.
As attractive as the numbers sound, they don't work in real life. This world is messy, complicated and full of real people wanting to get things done in the shortest possible time. We must use a mix of research methods to understand their needs. Simply understanding consumer opinion through market research is not enough. We need to understand their behaviours as well.
Usability research ensures that customers' interactions are efficient, useful and satisfying. You cannot have a world-class consumer experience without it.
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