Why should small businesses be interested in Usability Testing?

Monday 13 June 2011 - Filed under Usability News

First of all Usability Testing in the coming years will become standard for small business’s of any size. From small one person ‘ Ebay style’ operations right the way through to companies with 50 or more employees.

It will go from being the luxury of the medium and large sized corporations who account for Usability Testing in their annual budget’s, to an essential analysis that any business can afford from as little as $125.

This change in the industry is lifting off as I type this Testing User blog.

It’s happening in the same way that 3 or 4 years ago it was almost impossible for a business of any size to design, implement and manage a website without the drain of spending thousands with a web design agency.

Nowadays the choice is endless. You can design, implement and manage a website from as little as $50. With the developments of customizable templates and clever CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems,  you can choose from pay as you go packages right the way through to licensed and even open source products that are free to use. As always the industry moved quick.

Some small business saw the opportunity and advantages of investing in this, and whilst many have benefited most are playing ‘catch up’.

Oh yes the sky is the limit now for those small business that could see round the corner. They have similar if not the same capabilities as a large corporation with budgets for web presence and usability testing that ironically may well exceed that small business’s annual turnover.

They even get access to the most complex and clever analytical tools that have nothing to envy from those used by the bigger boys. All this included as part of one of many budget packages out there.

But Wait. There’s an important comparison to be made!

So your setting up a new business after what may or may not have been a tough start to get an ‘up to standard’ web presence out there for your customers. You may have expected after launch to be inundated with enquiries and interest, but you weren’t. Or at least it didn’t explode on the internet population like you might have anticipated. There is the comparison. These analytic s can tell you where a person left your website, but they can’t tell you why.

Its too important to not ask the question. Why do people leave your website?

Indeed Usability Testing has become an integral part of web development. It’s no secret though, the basic model for User Testability up until Testingusers.com, started with the commissioning of a video orientated UT website to get ‘people’ to click around your website in a ‘You Tube’ style voice-over video. This has its place in the User Testing market but due to serious lack of industry imagination and dare I say it laziness this inadequate method has become the User Testing norm, with both small businesses rarely being able to obtain significant feedback as its too expensive and large corporations frustrated that even after spending testing budgets of thousands they are still having to settle for ‘second best’.

The above model costs on average from $40 all the way up to $100 per video. I don’t believe this model can produce any economical data because put simply, one video = one person’s opinion.

After speaking to clients on the phone and email I hear the similar concerns as one in three that contact Testing Users were ‘very’ disappointed with the above User Testing services already purchased. It’s the industry’s problem though as it stubbornly sticks to uneconomical and un-comprehensive video testing.

James Roth is Marketing Manager at a small tile business based in Dallas, TX. He frankly explained to me the problems he had experienced with video testing analysis and was kind enough to review to our Testing User service.

” I commissioned five testing videos for just under $300. I can’t believe this is the price tag to receive voice-over videos my teenage son could have done. Even though I had requested a certain demographic and that the testers have some information about the way we operate passed on to them, I still received some ridiculous suggestions like ‘get an online store’ despite it being made clear that we are a custom design company, holding no stock, hence no store. The money I can live with but I’m a stakeholder in the company and my time is precious, especially when it comes to sitting through these videos to try to get out and analyze meaningful stuff for my report. There was some revelations to be had but nothing mind blowing. Testing Users gave me the full package. A wide ranging user testing panel, a report, analytics and opinions. Ten times more for half the price. This is the future for small business Usability Testing”

The Testing User analysis addresses all these concerns. All business’s want user and customers to return to their website and be retained.

No business wants empty shopping carts, where prospective clients pull out due to frustration or distraction from their website.

All business wants to function smoothly, limiting the number of calls and emails relating to issues that should be right with your website. Equally importantly you don’t want people put off from contacting you because your product message isn’t conveyed clearly enough.

So to answer the question Why should small businesses be interested in Usability Testing?

Its now to affordable to anyone to hit the changes that need to be made before they hit you.

From the board room of the biggest corporation to the dorm room home to a one person ebay store you can now have the same great value, comprehensive and professional User Analysis, sent to you presentation ready and board room ready.

Read our Usability Testing – Are the services out their bad? Or just plain Lazy.

2011-06-13  »  Sam