UX Testing: Overview + Examples

If you have ever downloaded an application only to find that the layout is confusing, its interface is distracting, or its form fills are not formulated properly, then you already understand the importance of UX testing.

The aim of UX testing is to avoid the abovementioned flaws to make your app the strongest it can possibly be. If your app lacks intuitive functionality or accessibility and your users spend more time trying to navigate its interface than accomplishing the task they downloaded it for, that is a sure sign that you did not prioritize UX testing. 

UX testing, or user experience testing, is one of the most important components of creating a successful application. In this blog, we will explore what encompasses UX testing as well as highlight some examples of UX testing and its benefits. 

Related Reading: Don’t Crash the Party: Mobile UX Testing

What Is UX Testing?

UX testing, or user experience testing, describes the process of evaluating the user-friendliness of an application. UX testing evaluates the appearance, navigation, flow, and content clarity of your app from the user’s perspective. The goal is to determine how a user will interact with the app to ensure their experience is as intuitive as possible.

Related Reading: How to Excel at Usability Testing for Mobile Apps

The Importance of UX Testing

User experience is one of the primary factors in determining a successful application. Even if your app performs a vital function, such as with banking or healthcare applications, users will be inclined to look elsewhere for their services if the user experience is lacking. On the other hand, a positive user experience can create loyal and valued customers for your brand for years to come. 

UX testing should ideally be performed prior to releasing an application onto the market. UX testing can be done with real-world users and by simulating real-world conditions using service virtualization. 

Some of the main advantages of performing UX testing include:

Increasing Customer Satisfaction

If a customer is happy with the way your app performs, this will ultimately be better for your company’s reputation and bottom line. A negative review of your application can carmore weight than a positive one, so it is best to avoid negative reviews by ensuring your app is fast, intuitive, and seamless. 

Outperform the Competition

If your app performs a similar function to another company’s app, the application that is more user-friendly will tend to outperform the other. Again, this increases your company’s reputation and bottom line. 

Locate Bugs and Glitches Early On

Even if your team has performed testing on your application throughout the app development process life cycle, if UX testing is overlooked, the app will not be well received by your audience. It is therefore imperative that your testing team ensures prime user experience prior to your application’s release. 

Related Reading: How to Do Single User Performance Testing With Perfecto

UX Testing Overview + Examples

Now that we have covered the importance of UX testing, let us look at what encompasses UX testing and some examples of how to perform it. 

Determining how to perform UX testing depends on several factors, including how complex your application is, how many users you expect to interact with it, and whether you have access to real-world users, service virtualization, or a comprehensive digital device lab to perform your UX testing. 

Here are some methods for performing UX testing:

Test Your App With Real Users

Application testing teams often recruit individuals to test their application in real time in a controlled setting. The users will interact with the application and then provide feedback on their user experience. From there, testing teams will determine what needs to be fixed in their application. Keep in mind that teams often test their app with real users in addition to utilizing service virtualization. 

Test Your App “in the Wild”

Occasionally, testing teams will recruit random users out in the world to test their application. While this method does provide real user feedback, it is not as reliable as testing in a lab and testing with service virtualization because of the lack of a controlled setting. While real-world user feedback is invaluable, being able to pinpoint particular areas of your app that you want feedback on can streamline the process.

Test Your App With a Cloud-Based Device Lab

While testing with real users is a legitimate method of UX testing, teams often find that performing UX testing in a reliable and secure cloud-based is their preferred method. The right device lab allows teams to test on real devices in the cloud that simulate real-world conditions for your mobile apps, enabling you to test both user experience and your backend under load. With this method, you can scale for millions of users and simulate realistic mobile traffic patterns and end-user experiences. 

Related Reading: Why Every Company Needs a Digital Lab

UX Testing + Cloud-Based Device Labs

To ensure that your team is performing UX testing that benefits your application, it is important to find the right digital device lab that enables you to combine your UX testing with load testing using real devices. 

Real device cloud testing is especially useful for organizations with globally dispersed testing teams. The right lab will enable teams to test at a large scale using thousands of real devices while giving you the tools needed to quickly and efficiently test your application against all types of browsers, OSs, and devices. 

When pairing UX testing with load testing using service virtualization and real devices, testing teams will be able to ensure an application that leaves a positive impression on their users. 

Ensure Full Test Coverage

It is also important to find a right size lab for your organization. Finding the right size lab will depend on the scale of your app and its audience. To do so, your team will need to identify the digital platforms, devices, OSs, and trends to test against. 

The Test Coverage Guide from Perfecto is your go-to blueprint for strategic testing. With insights into the latest device trends, market shifts, and new releases, you can ensure full test coverage for your team. 

Related Reading: Test Coverage Guide

Bottom Line

Perfecto is your go-to platform for UX testing. In combination with BlazeMeter, your team will experience UX load testing and simulate real-world conditions while scaling up to two million users at a time.

When you use Perfecto in tandem with BlazeMeter, you can perform UX testing as well as test your backend under load in the cloud and simulate realistic mobile traffic patterns. Furthermore, you can generate detailed server and end-user experience reports, which help teams measure and understand how a mobile application is impacted under load. 

To experience the power of Perfecto and BlazeMeter together, request a custom demo. Or sign up for a free 14-day trial of Perfecto today.

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