A template for UX Designers and UX Researchers to take notes during a Usability Study.
The blog exemplifies a note-taking template from the Google UX Design Specialisation. Here I will showcase the notes from usability testing of the music-sharing App, ‘ JamStorm’, created as the capstone project.
Why is note-taking such a big deal for UX research?
A usability study is quite a resource-intensive step in the product design process, and hence it is just as important to document. Inconsistent scribbles and doodles seldom convey usable data which can convert to actionable insights. Therefore, the first step towards documenting usability study notes is to organise those in a .xls / sheet.
Notes help you capture any thoughts/ideas you have during the usability study.
Notes highlight compelling participant quotes to include in the research study report.
Notes summarise all participants’ experiences.
Using a template for note-taking creates consistency in data collection and documentation of the entire usability study.
Consistent documentation avoids biases like implicit bias, confirmation bias, friendliness bias, social desirability bias and Serial position effect.
Consistency in data collection facilitates pattern and theme identification for affinity mapping.
Template for note taking
Record and revisit usability testing recordings to fill the template note-taking sheet. Then, use the notes taking template to fill in the following:
Tasks participants complete.
Click path, or sequence of actions, a participant follows for each task.
Observations, participant behaviours, feelings, and pain points as they interact with the product.
Direct quotes from participants that highlight their experience.
How easy or difficult you thought it was for the participant to complete each task? Mark these on a quantitative scale from 0-3. Zero(0) = user not being able to complete the desired task even after guidance. Three(3) = if the user completed the task quickly and easily on the first attempt.
Noteworthy additional observations made during the study should also be added.
Exemplar: Usability testing notes for a Music Sharing App, ' JamStorm.'
Following are the notes from usability testing using the given template using the example of a Music sharing app I created during the Google UX Design Specialisation. The usability study was carried out with 5 participants. However, I will be showcasing notes from 1 participant only for simplicity.
Check out this pre-filled template(exemplar) for a music-sharing app. Also, you can download your free note-taking template here.
'Note-taking for usability study' is the second blog of the series, 'Fail Fast', focused on running a successful usability study. It will cover topics from planning and running UX research studies to deriving and implementing actionable insights. Next, learn how to transform your usability testing observations into actionable insights.
You can also listen to the blog through a smart text-to-speech assistant on my medium blog. Thanks for reading. :)
Resources: Cover illustration from Freepik.com