7 Website Usability Testing Myths Debunked

Here’s the problem with the internet – it has too much content and too many sites. Okay, that’s really not a problem. In fact, that’s why we all looooove the internet.

The real problem is many of those sites suffer from many usability issues that using them is often difficult and frustrating and unpleasant and generally a waste of time. Come on, you know you have a list of sites popping up in your mind when I said that. That’s because you know it’s true.

Usability Testing User Generated Design

So why won’t these site owners try to make their pages better? Because there are just so many myths that tell them it’s not worth it. I list the top 7 down and tell you why they’re bollocks.

1.       Usability testing is pointless because you can’t make the changes anyway.

 The argument is you do all the testing. But you do not have the resources needed to make the changes anyway. Maybe they require too much effort, or time, or money, whatever. You don’t have it. So why bother with testing at all?

However, testing might give you an idea of what you can change with what you can afford right now. It doesn’t have to be the biggest change. Even the smaller, more subtle ones have the potential to improve your page by leaps and bounds.

2.       You’re not the only one making decisions. And the committee will likely overrule you.

 Design committees get the flak for being a designer’s worst nightmare. But usability testing is actually way to get around that. How? Well, usability testing is more than just saying put that button there, transfer that menu to the other side, put the link here, or what not. It’s telling all those things and showing exactly why and how it will affect the bottom figures. It showcases options and it’s hard to disagree when presented with facts on what works best.

Convincing management to run tests is practically impossible

3.     Usability testing takes too long and you just don’t have the time.

This one’s a frequent excuse. But you should know usability testing doesn’t always take weeks of time to accomplish. Modern tools can pretty much get things done in minutes.

4.     It’s expensive.

 Who wants to spend thousands of dollars on usability testing when you can spend that money somewhere else? Well, lucky for you. It doesn’t really take a thousand dollars to do usability testing these days. Like I said, remote testing tools cost a pittance. You just need to find what suits your needs.

5.     Convincing management to run tests is practically impossible.

 This may be true. But management is mostly concerned with expenses. If you can show them usability testing can be done without spending too much, then you can possibly pull it off.

Top Usability Issues

6.     Your site looks okay. Why bother with a test?

 Because newsflash: there’s almost always a way to make things better. And if you think your site is perfect the way it is, then it would also be great to have evidence to back it up. So test.

7.     Showing the value of testing is impossible.

Eh, why do you say that? Do you really think that you can’t? Don’t you want to know if your layout that cost a thousand dollars to create is actually increasing your conversion rate? Because if it isn’t then you just wasted a thousand dollars. And that’s the value you can show to usability testing.

At the end of the day, doing website usability testing will give you more benefits than not doing it. And in today’s competitive world, the truth is you simply cannot afford not to do it.