Example of an effective usability test

Once you've taken a look at our guide for setting up a usability test, you might still need some inspiration. Check out this example mission for some help!

Screener tab
Usability test tab
Example: Desktop usability test
Additional resources

Screener tab

On the Screener tab, you can communicate an incentive your participants will be paid. You can also add a description and choose an image associated with the mission.

You have several options for recruiting participants for a usability test. You can auto-recruit through the Dscout panel, invite Dscout panel scouts from a previous screener, or bring your own participants via a share link. You must choose a single recruitment approach for your mission – you cannot combine recruitment approaches in a single mission.

If you are using auto-recruit to find participants via the Dscout panel, you’ll target your ideal participants through screening questions and targeting attributes. In the Screener tab of your mission, you can include up to 5 single or multi-select knockout questions and quotas. Any scout who is eligible based on your screening criteria will move directly into the mission after passing your knockout criteria. Your mission will automatically close once you have received your desired sample size of eligible recruits.

For example, let’s say you are looking for scouts who purchase clothing online:

1. [multi select]
   How have you purchased clothing in the past? Please select all that apply:
   • In-store
   • Online [must select]
   • None of the above [knockout]
2. [single select]
   When was the last time you bought clothing online?
   • This week
   • Within the past month
   • Within the past 6 months
   • Within the past year [knockout]
   • Over a year ago [knockout]
3. [single select]
   When do you next plan on purchasing clothing online?
   • This week
   • This month
   • In the next 2-6 months
   • 6-12 months from now [knockout]
   • Over a year from now [knockout]

Usability test tab

Use the Usability test tab to design your mission by providing mission instructions and adding questions. Only participants who are eligible based on your screening questions, or participants added directly to your study will answer these questions.

For a full breakdown of each question type, question description, and which activity it is available in, check out: Question types in usability tests.

In the following usability test example, you are seeking to learn more about how users shop online for clothing.

Example: Desktop usability test

1. [talk out loud] - (for mobile usability tests, use a video question instead of a talk out loud)
   To start, please introduce yourself and tell us about your last experience shopping for clothes online. What type of clothing were you shopping for? Where were you shopping? How was the experience?
2. [task]
   Please take us with you as you shop for an item of clothing on the [client] website. Please shop for an item you would actually want to buy. Once you’ve found the item, please place it in your cart. You can end the task once the item is in your cart. You do not need to purchase an item in order to complete this task!
   
   As you shop, please speak aloud and tell us what you are doing and why.
3. [self-reported completion] - (optional power follow-up question)
   Were you able to successfully complete this task?
4. [self-reported completion] - (optional power follow-up question)
   Overall, how difficult or easy did you find this task?
5. [self-reported completion] - (Only participants who rate this task with a difficulty rating of 1-4 will see this question.)
   Why was this task difficult?
6. [task]
   Now, we’d like you to take us with you as you shop for an item of clothing on a different website. This time, you’ll be using the [competitor] website. Please shop for an item you would actually want to buy. Once you’ve found the item, please place it in your cart. You can end the task once the item is in your cart. You do not need to purchase an item in order to complete this task!
   
   As you shop, please speak aloud and tell us what you are doing and why.
7. [self-reported completion] - (optional power follow-up question)
   Were you able to successfully complete this task?
8. [self-reported completion] - (optional power follow-up question)
   Overall, how difficult or easy did you find this task?
9. [self-reported completion] - (Only participants who rate this task with a difficulty rating of 1-4 will see this question.)
   Why was this task difficult?
10. [single-select]
    Now that you’ve shopped using both of the [client] and [competitor] websites, which did you find more intuitive?
    • Client
    • Competitor
11. [open-end]
    You indicated you find the [PIPE Q10 ANSWER] website to be more intuitive. In a few sentences, tell us: why is this website more intuitive?
12. [single-select]
    Now that you’ve shopped using both of the [client] and [competitor] websites, which website are you more likely to shop on in the future?
    • Client
    • Competitor
13. [open-end]
    You indicated you’d be more willing to shop using the [PIPE Q12 ANSWER] website. In a few sentences, tell us: why this website?

Additional resources

Here are other resources you may find useful when it comes to running a usability test on Dscout:

Build your usability test

• Manage appearance of a usability test
• Task questions
• Card sort questions
• Figma Integration – Getting Started

Find the right participants

• Recruitment options in a usability test

Field your usability test

• Test a usability test mission
• Pay participants in a usability test or media survey

Analyze the data

• View usability test responses
• Heat Maps and Click Events for Figma Prototypes
• Flagging and excluding data

Learn more about usability testing from Dscout’s People Nerds community:

• A Step-by-Step Guide to Usability Testing [with Template]
• Usability 101: Become a Task Writing Pro
• Best Practices for Planning and Scoping Usability Tests