There are times we are asked to test websites just after launch in order to “validate“ the design.

There are many different ways to approach usability testing these days… lab-based testing, online surveys, field research and self-videoing testing to name just a few. While all have their place in the UX world, you need to consider carefully which methodology you choose. Pick incorrectly and you are likely to end up with low-quality insights and wasted time and money.

You’ve just completed a research project and have a shiny set of recommendations. You’d like to think that is the hard work done. However, in many organisations the implementation of these recommendations is often the harder part of the battle.

Before Steve Jobs revealed the original iPhone back in the summer of 2007, no one considered interacting with a phone without buttons. Now we don’t think twice about it.

Within the UX world, more and more technologies are emerging that measure users’ physiology to gain a deeper understanding of their thoughts and emotions. These include measuring heart rates, sweat gland activity and even brainwaves. One example is facial recognition software. By people in the know it is described as the ‘systematic analysis of facial expressions’. To everyone else it means using a computer to understand someone’s emotions by reading their expressions.

We consider three elements to be key in any user experience research we undertake:

Most of the research we do on websites is now done during the development stage: thank goodness the days of usability testing just before, or even after, launch is now in the past for the vast bulk of our clients. See User test early - Quicker, better, cheaper outcomes.

All websites should be accessible to disabled users, not only for ethical and commercial considerations, but also for legal. The Equality Act 2010 (EQA) prohibits discrimination from providers of services, good and facilities (EQA Section 21(1)). In 2011 the Human Rights Commission published a Statutory Code of Practice for "Services, public functions and associations" under the EQA explicitly stating that commercial websites are included in the scope of the EQA for the provision of services.

Your website should be usable and accessible for everyone. Testing with disabled users is essential to achieve a comprehensive accessibility evaluation of your website.

How many times has a report landed on your desk, you’ve given it a cursory glance then left it there to gather dust? Whilst reports are a valuable way to document findings of usability testing, on their own they will have limited impact. However, by combining said report with a rigorous buy in process, you will get many more members of your organisation on board and have a far easier job implementing your research findings.