10 Benefits of Mobile Usability Testing | Guide for App Owners

In this article, you will learn about mobile app usability testing. We will explain why it is so important for the success of your application. We will guide you step by step through the entire process. 

We will also:

• describe how we do usability tests and what benefit it will bring to your business,
• give voice to users and explain 2 examples from our projects.

What is app usability testing?

Usability testing in an application is nothing more than watching how your users (target audience) interact with your product. The general idea is to check if the user interface of your application is friendly.

If you’re wondering what mobile usability is, here is the answer.

Finally, it’s connecting all the dots and discovering: 

• the most common navigation paths,
• behavior patterns,
• usability errors,
• and navigation paths workarounds.

Why is it important to your business?

Everything you learn during usability mobile tests allows you to improve your concept’s user interface. Even before the first line of code is created, you receive feedback from your users.

This knowledge is invaluable. 

With our Product Discovery Service, you will learn how to use it to improve your app idea before development.

Can you do mobile usability testing yourself?

Yes, you can! But it’s not a piece of cake.

This is also what our experienced UX Researchers can help you with. They support clients, like you, in testing their products on a daily basis and let them easily step into the shoes of their users. 

What will you gain then? Above all, you’ll unlock valuable tips on how to make the user experience of your product better. But that’s not all. As per Entrepreneur magazine, you will build trust in your brand with this approach.

When should you do usability testing for mobile apps?

You’re probably wondering how to do it if you don’t have the app yet. We answer – you don’t even need it! According to Forbes magazine, an early application concept is enough to conduct mobile usability testing. 

Simple sketches or a lo-fi prototype (black and white, static, clickable screens) are perfect for great results. 

How do you conduct a mobile app user test?

First, you need to recruit participants from your target group. 

Then you invite selected people to a meeting (live or virtual) and perform mobile usability testing. 

Participants receive tasks, and you moderate them and observe their actions. 

At the same time, you analyze what appears on the screen. Following a series of meetings with users, you are able to draw conclusions and propose improvements for your app’s interface. At this point, it’s worth rembering the most crucial principles of designing a top-notch user experience.

Sounds complicated? Indeed. Observing and analyzing what is happening on the screen requires much research knowledge. Even more knowledge is needed to correctly interpret the results of mobile usability tests. Luckily, all this can be done by our skilled UX experts.

What if you don’t do mobile usability testing?

If you’re still wondering if it’s worth investing money in mobile usability testing, think about these three things:

1. What if your competition is testing a similar concept with users just now? Will you still get a bigger interest in the market?

2. What if you release an untested product? Will your users be more patient than 32% of customers who leave a brand just after one bad experience?^[1]

3. What if we tell you that every dollar you invested in UX brings 100 dollars in return?^[2]

You can plan mobile usability tests of your application and avoid these costly mistakes.

And when it comes to money, let us tell you about the benefits that mobile usability testing will bring to your company.

10 benefits of mobile usability testing for App Owners

Mobile usability testing will bring you and your organization many benefits. Let’s talk briefly about the top 10.

1. You save your money

Imagine that you are testing the concept of your application with users. You then learn that they can’t complete a key task. The interface turns out to be too difficult to navigate. 

Luckily, UX experts can show you a better, more user-friendly solution. They easily improve the concept of your application. 

You don’t even waste $1 on code changes. 

Meanwhile, developers worldwide spend as much as 50% of their time on fixes that could have been avoided!^[3] 

Read also: How Much Does it Cost to Develop an App in 2023? New Cost Breakdown

2. You save time because you stop guessing

Surely, you sometimes wonder how to build a product that your users will love? You come up with solutions and features. You spend a lot of time talking about whether this will work. But, you can do as one of the authorities in the field of UX, Jared M. Spool suggests: 

Stop guessing! As he writes, guesswork slows down product development, and great products are built on the basis of research.^[4]

One of the research methods is mobile usability testing.

User research takes more time upfront than guessing but saves time in the long run – Jared M.Spool

3. You discover usability problems

Did you know that it only takes 5 users to spot many usability problems^[5]? 

If you invest your time in mobile usability testing, you will discover the biggest pain points of your users. Without this knowledge, your development costs can increase significantly. 

Remember: developers are coding masters, but it’s UX Researchers who really empathize with the users. Thanks to this, they can discover usability errors during mobile app usability tests.

4. You get to know how people interact with your application in reality

There is no better way to find out how your users will use your app than mobile usability testing. You’re probably asking why, when you already know that your product’s features are great? 

Well, your idea can be really brilliant. But you won’t find it out if you don’t first check how your users understand it in real life. 

It’s one thing to tell users about your product and another to see how they actually use it.

5. You see whether people understand the language of your product

Applications are not only images and sounds but also words. Buttons, notifications, and messages are related to your product. 

During mobile usability testing, you will discover if what you want to convey is simple for people. You’ll also see if they can freely navigate your application without wondering what a given word means. It is our UX Specialist who will help you simplify the language of your product.

6. You empower user experience

Nothing frustrates users more than an application that they cannot use freely. If the product is not intuitive, users will most likely abandon it without a word. Various data shows this. 

For example, the average app loses 77% of Daily Active Users in the first 3 days after installation!^[6] Therefore, do not put off usability testing for later and take care of the user experience from the very beginning. This will pay off in the future.

7. You increase conversion

A satisfied user is a user who comes back to you. And the user who comes back is the one who will make your product constantly develop.

So how do you keep them coming back?

Bet on mobile apps usability tests and provide your users with an intuitive interface. You’re still wondering what all this is for? You may be interested in this little-known fact: 35% of abandoned checkouts in the US and EU are due to bad design alone^[7].

8. You follow in the footsteps of successful brands

To begin with, think about all the mobile apps you like. Can you tell why you come back to them so often? Are these products easy to use? Can you easily find what you are looking for there? Are there big brands among these applications? 

If so, know that their UX departments take care of your experience on a daily basis through, among others, mobile usability testing. With our UX Researchers, you can follow in the footsteps of those who have achieved market success.

9. You gain a competitive advantage

The competition in the mobile application market is really huge.

By investing in mobile usability testing, you gain a market advantage.

Customers will definitely choose your application if it is easier to use than similar products. This is all the more important because today’s users are very demanding. They expect immediate results and decide very quickly whether or not to give the app they are viewing a chance.

10. You get ideas for product development

Mobile usability testing can be really inspiring. They can often become a mine of inspiration for application development. They also allow you to make faster and more informed decisions about how to make the interface friendlier. 

Thanks to this research, you will also quickly learn what to give up in order to not lose quality.

Alright, now let’s briefly summarize all the key benefits of conducting mobile apps usability tests:

Mobile app usability testing – our examples

It’s time to present 2 examples from our mobile usability tests. We will also briefly talk about how they influenced product development.

1. An application that connects those who help with those who need help

Thanks to mobile usability tests, we managed to simplify the flow for people helping others who settle in a foreign country. After the research, we shortened the user path. Now they can start a chat with a person in need with a single click.

2. Application for warehouse workers

Usability testing on a mobile app for warehouse workers has revealed that users don’t understand order statuses. Thanks to research, we have simplified UX writing so that no one hesitates during their daily work.

So how much do you need to invest?

User experience specialists recommend spending at least 10% of the development price on usability^[8]. It is worth adding that this is money that will bring a return on your investment and allow you to include the user’s perspective in your product.

If you are interested in mobile usability testing, contact our team of Business Developers to know more details.

Mobile app usability testing – takeaways

Getting to know the voice of your users is always a very valuable experience. Thanks to mobile testing, you save both your time and money. 

• Read also: Pros and Cons of Flutter App Development

Plus, you stay ahead of the competition and make sure your app is intuitive. Stories of well-known brands show that it always pays off. And examples of companies that failed learn the importance of researching a product before starting development^[9].

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