Mobile apps are everywhere these days. We rely on them for just about everything – communicating, working, entertainment, you name it. With millions of apps out there competing for our attention, creating one that people actually want to use is tough. A great user experience is what makes an app stand out from the crowd. There’s no better way to create an awesome UX than by testing your app with real users. Here’s how to do it right.

Why User Testing Matters

Testing an app with actual users reveals what works and what doesn’t. Watching people use your app in action makes it easy to spot frustrating areas and opportunities to improve. Here are some key reasons why hands-on user testing is so important:

– See Pain Points Firsthand – By observing real people use your app, you quickly detect parts that confuse, annoy or downright infuriate users. These pain points might never occur to you otherwise.

– Make the App More Intuitive – User testing shows you how people think the app should work. You can make the flows and UI more intuitive based on insights into user expectations.

– Save Time and Money – Fixing usability issues early on saves ridiculous amounts of time and money compared to rebuilding a launched app.

– Increase User Happiness – An app that’s easy and fun to use keeps users coming back. Testing leads to happier users, better ratings and organic growth.

– Get a Competitive Edge – Apps live and die on user experience. Testing your UX gives you an advantage by making your app stand out as best-in-class.

Kinds of Testing Methodologies

There are a few proven ways to test an app’s usability:

Moderated Testing 

In moderated tests, you engage with users as they work through your app. A moderator guides them through key tasks and asks questions during the session. The interaction helps uncover more insights.

Unmoderated Testing

With unmoderated tests, users test independently without any guidance. You get to see recordings of their real-time reactions as they use your app. It scales easily by sending remote tests to a diverse audience.

Eye Tracking 

Eye tracking uses cameras to literally track eye movements across screens, revealing how visuals draw attention. The gaze heatmaps show you exactly where users looked – super helpful for designing interfaces.

Creating a Test Plan

To get meaningful results, you need to plan out your test objectives, methods and metrics ahead of time.

Define Goals 

Be clear on the specific things you want to evaluate with users – new features, workflows, onboarding, etc. Know what questions you want answered.

Pick a Target Audience

Find testers that reflect your real target users. Factor in demographics, behaviors, expertise level, etc. Recruit users with relevant pain points to uncover.

Choose a Testing Environment

Will users test on their own devices or will you provide them? Remote testing allows you to easily reach tons of devices in real environments.  

Map Out Key Scenarios

Define tasks that walk users through critical workflows and features. Keep them realistic and focused on goals you want to measure.

Set Success Metrics 

Figure out quantifiable metrics like task completion rates, errors, time on task, satisfaction scores, etc. Set goals to benchmark success.

Create a Discussion Guide

For moderated tests, draft questions to probe deeper into user reactions beyond just observing. Practice moderating beforehand.

Select Tools

Pick tools like Validately, UserTesting, etc. based on features you need like recruitment, remote access, analytics, videos, etc.

Finding Test Participants

Use screening criteria to find users that match your target audience. Offer reasonable thank you incentives for valuable feedback.

Build a Screening Survey

Create a screening questionnaire to find qualified candidates based on criteria like demographics, mobile usage, expertise, etc.

Leverage Recruiting Companies

Recruiting firms maintain pools you can sample from to find users matching your criteria.

Promote on Social Media 

Post recruiting ads on social media targeting relevant groups. Offer prizes or gift cards to motivate responses.

Provide Fair Incentives

Gift cards, cash bonuses, donations, etc. show users you value their time while motivating them to give detailed feedback.

Running an Effective Test

Use these tips to ensure your usability testing sessions produce maximum insights:

Prep the Test Environment

Confirm the app works flawlessly before testing. Brief users on devices/apps but avoid priming their expectations.

Make Users Comfortable 

Greet users warmly and explain how the session will go. Assure them their honest feedback helps improve the product.

Give Clear Instructions

Explain tasks clearly and concisely. Users should understand what to do without leading them to expected outcomes. 

Observe Without Interfering 

Take notes as users work through tasks. Even when they struggle, don’t interrupt or assist unless absolutely necessary. You want to see their real behavior.

Probe for More Details

After tasks, ask open-ended questions to uncover more on thought process, emotions, pain points, suggestions, etc. 

Thank Participants

Express gratitude, provide incentives, and reinforce how their input helps shape the product. Follow up if needed.

Analyzing Results & Iterating

Dig into the data to find opportunities for improving user experience.

Look at Quantitative Metrics

Compile task times, completion rates, errors, etc across tests to spot poor performing areas. Flag usability issues supported by hard data.

Identify User Insights

Review open-ended feedback from interviews, surveys, recordings etc. Note strong recurring themes around emotions, difficulties, likes/dislikes. 

Study User Behavior 

Analyze videos and observations for body language, confusion, frustration etc. Note where users deviated from expected workflows.

Build User Personas

Create personas summarizing user expectations, pain points, motivations, goals etc. Guide design through the lens of these target user perspectives.

Prioritize Key Issues 

List top usability issues revealed across metrics, feedback, behaviors and personas. Prioritize the problems causing the biggest user struggle.

Recommend Solutions

For each major issue, suggest ways to resolve it through app improvements. Enhance workflows, UI, help content, etc. to create a smoother user experience.

Report Findings  

Present stakeholders with a report of quantitative and qualitative insights from testing. Demonstrate opportunities to optimize UX with user data.

Make Improvements 

Use insights to redesign key areas that need it. Test again to validate changes had the desired effect on usability.

Key Takeaways

Testing with actual users reveals UX flaws and areas for improvement you’d never find on your own. Plan tests around clear goals with metrics to track. Observe users closely as they work through tasks. Dig into feedback for deeper insights. Analyze results to uncover key issues, then keep optimizing the experience. Adopting ongoing user testing helps create apps people absolutely love to use.