Remote user testing is the fine art of moderating research with a user in another location. Although traditional software usability research involves face-to-face interactions, remote user testing has its own advantages. You’ll see the play-by-play as the user operates his own machine. With the right equipment & the right users, remote testing may be solid option for your next study.

Access to a Bigger Pool of Users

What I would give for a Baby Ruth bar right now

If you’re designing software for a specific group that is scattered across a geographic region, you may want to consider user testing. For example, you may have limited access to meaningful subjects if you live on frat row in a college town and the software is designed for middle-aged soccer moms.

Cost

This is the advantage management loves to see. How much will this cost? This will require some number crunching on your part, but you can potentially save money if it’s too expensive to physically meet with your subject. Let’s say you are designing software for a bank located in Rio De Janeiro but there’s no money in the budget for travel. Instead of paying the airfare, hotel & other travel related costs, you can conduct research via phone & internet tools.

Observe Users in Their ‘Natural Habitat’

Some guy in his natural habitat

The term ‘user research’ often conjures images of two way mirrors, camera tripods hanging in sterile white walls, and scientists in lab coats scribbling notes on clipboards. These methods certainly work in many cases, but let’s face it- it’s tough to accurately recreate a ‘real-life’ scenario in a lab.

Real Distractions
When a user is REALLY using your software, he or she will be bombarded with other distractions- phone calls, background noise, instant messages, that guy from accounting that can’t take “no” for an answer and insists on dropping by the office every morning to “see how you’re doing”. This is a great opportunity to see how the user handles your applications in an office environment. Is it easy for them to resume a task? Or did they become completely lost and need to “start over”?

Which icon do I click to redeem my free Nintendo Wii?

Real Computers
When conducting a remote user test, we have the chance to see users interact with software on their native machines. This means, the users will be operating in a familiar environment, instead of a computer station in a testing facility they’ll be using their operating system, their desktop shortcuts, their bookmarks, etc. Software testing proves more meaningful if the user is interacting with their own files. For example, if your software application involves uploading personal photos or organizing documents, you can see how the user interacts with and manages real documents.

Instant Back & Forth Dialog

When a physical visit is no longer an option, remote testing is a great way to receive instant feedback. An online survey can be useful, but a real-time online session provides the opportunity for a back-and-forth dialog and deep discussions.

Get (More) Honest Feedback

I FOUND YOUR SOFTWARE VERY ADEQUATE AND WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND IT TO A FRIEND OR CO-WORKER

Now, you CAN say that you can observe a person in their natural habitat via contextual inquiry or ’shadowing’- and you’d be right. However, we all know that subjects tend to act differently when they’re under observation. Even after you build trust and assure them they won’t be ‘graded’ they feel they need to be on their best behavior.

This also means they may also censor their feedback because they “don’t want to say anything mean” to your face. With remote testing, the user won’t be as likely to hold back on negative feedback, since you’re just a voice over the telephone (when’s the last time you felt bad about telling a telemarketer to go jump in a lake?) People have no problem being brutally honest when the tester isn’t in the same room.

I’m Convinced! How Do I Get Started?!

There are many remote user testing software tools available for download. Here are factors to consider when choosing a tool:

• How do I plan on talking with the user? Phone? Computer Microphone?
• How will I see the user’s screen?
• How will I take notes?
• Do I need to record audio or video from this testing session?
• Does my a company already have a license with a remote usability tool?

Links to Some Collaboration Tools

• Adobe Connect
• Uservue
• GoToMeeting
• WebEx
• Skype
• IChat
• Yuuguu

Further Reading

http://escapethelab.com/
http://remoteusability.com/

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