Field Report: Lessons Learned from 1-on-1 Usability Smackdown

This is the story of a young startup that made a "totally intuitive" product only to discover through usability testing that using their creation was as simple as resetting the clock on an old VCR. Here are some of the lessons we learned.

This confirms my belief that nothing compares to real-life usability testing.

Not enough people do it, and those that do are always surprised at the results. You can't second-guess users, they are unpredictable. Well not entirely, but the factors to consider are too numerous and complex to predict reliably.

I now rarely accept arguments for change on the basis of "usability" unless it has actually been visibly demonstrated by real users, rather than hypothetical textbook ones. Kudos to Skritter.

The interesting thing about usability testing is that at first it's very surprising and a complete revelation. With time and enough studies, you do get a sense of what motivates other people and subconsciously put yourself in their place while designing.

When switching contexts though, nothing will prepare you for the myriad of ways people can and will use a product, and tests become a necessity again.