How it works
A test always consist out of two parts. Depending on your research question you can combine several methods that works best for your research question.
1. How to show the visual design
2. How to capture the response
3. Choosing the right method
4. Testing complex designs (e.g. a landing page)
5. Tools & resources
Part 1: Showing the visual design
| Method | Description | Use when you want to: |
|---|---|---|
| 5-second test | 5 seconds of viewing time is too short for reading copy or for noticing details like specific fonts or colors, but it is enough for forming an impression which accurately reflects the visual style. | …. accurately capturing people’s ‘gut reaction |
| First click test | Assign people a specific task then show the design. The task is not related to the design. After the user has completed the task ask about the design. | … accurately capturing where people would click |
| Preference test | Show several design next to each other and let users select the design they like. | … test two or more design directions |
Part 2: Capturing the response
| Method | Description | Use when you want to: |
|---|---|---|
|
Ask users to describe the design using 1-5 words of their on choice. | … get specific feedback, while still keeping the question open-ended to discover factors you may not have considered, but which are significant to your audience. |
|
Provide users with a list of reaction words and ask them to pick the words which best describe the design | … focus specifically on whether the target brand attributes are perceived correctly by participants |
| Numerical ratings | Collect numerical ratings about how much the design exhibits specific brand qualities. | …figured out the most common perceptions in previous research and simply want to assess the relative strength of each quality. |
How to choose the right method?
There are a lot of factors that come into play but lets keep it simple:
- What do you want to learn?
- How much do you know about the target audience?
- Do you want to do the test in-person or remotely?
- How 'complex' is the design your testing?
Want to test a complex design (e.g. a lot of elements, a lot of text)?
Testing a simple poster design requires a different approach then testing a dashboard with a lot of metrics or a landing page with a lot of text. If you want to test a subject like this it's better to:
- Test the visual design as a part of a usability test: Let them perform the tasks and after the test is done ask questions about the visual design.
- Scale back the design your showing: Convert a design back into a style tile or only show certain components without context.
Tools & resources:
Usability hub: Great for unmoderated test. Several features that allow you to do A/B test, first click testing and 5 sec. exposure testing. Bonus feature: They have a paid feature where you can send out your designs to a test panel with over 1,000,000+ participants. We've a paid account so use the Hike One login details
A4 template (sketch): When conducting a test in-personal this is the way to go.
Windows Reaction words (English): The original 118 words list with some background info.
Windows Reaction words (Dutch): 188 words translated to Dutch - Translated by Hike One.\