Quantitative data sources such as web analytics and heatmaps can tell a lot about where things are going wrong on your website. These sources are mainly used to answer the 'what' question. Figuring out why things are going wrong is a whole other challenge. To do this, as a company, you will really have to talk to your customer.
By talking to your customer, you can get a better grip on the pain points and frustrations they experience in the customer journey on your website. One method to find out is user testing, where observation, asking questions and listening answers the why question. Insights from user tests ensure that you work in a better way, with the ultimate goal: a flawless online experience for visitors to your website.
User testing can be performed in various ways, but takes place in the classic way with a moderator. The moderator leads the session, sits next to the tester, asks questions and gives tasks. During the session, it is important that the moderator responds well to the user's non-verbal communication and thoughts, and asks questions at the right times. The user is asked to be as honest as possible and to think out loud.
Within user testing, a further distinction can be made between remote user testing and in-person user testing. The names say it all. In remote user testing, user tests take place remotely. The advantage of this is that the user is in the natural environment, which can lead to less socially desirable answers. In in-person user testing, both people are in the same room, making it more personal and making it easier to respond to the user's body language.
The fashion brand Norah has a webshop with collections of women's clothing in sizes 36 to 48, and a surprising new collection every week. Norah now has almost a hundred stores throughout the Netherlands, and two in Belgium. In recent years, Norah has built up a loyal following, with customers who come back regularly, online or in-store. What makes Norah unique is a mix of ingredients; the quality of the clothing, the new collections every week, but also the personal attention in the store, and the community-feeling that they create.
Yellowgrape and Norah have been working together for some time in the field of CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization). In January 2023, Norah launched a new platform. Fun, exciting, but this can also involve uncertainties. Questions were: how is the new webshop experienced? How easy is it to place an order? And to what extent are customers sufficiently inspired by the platform? This was the reason for Norah to talk to her customers.
At Norah, it was decided to carry out in-person user tests, which fits well with the brand's personal image. Norah consulted her customer base to recruit testers near the Headquarters in Alkmaar. Thanks to the loyal fan base that Norah has had for years, this was quickly done.
Prior to the user tests, an extensive research plan and test plan was drawn up. The research plan defines Norah's questions regarding the new platform and explains the research method. The test plan is more concrete and includes the interview questions and an explanation of the specific tasks that the user will perform on the website.
On the day itself, Norah's customers came to the head office in Alkmaar to perform user tests, one by one, every 45 minutes. The testers were filmed (unrecognisably), and at the same time an extensive report was made of the conversation. Afterwards, the testers also received a tour of the logistics center and a nice goodie bag (the latter was mentioned afterwards, as we want to influence the testers as little as possible).
Through the sessions, we have gained more insight into how omnichannel customers use the website in relation to their favorite shopping environment (physical store or online) and which parts they miss. With a range of insights, substantiated A/B test hypotheses and personalization use cases can be drawn up. Mission accomplished.
User research is of great value, but it should not be the end point. After the user tests, we will work diligently on reporting the user tests, in which the highlights, most important takeouts and hypotheses are made concrete. In this way, qualitative sources are used to experiment and validate.
In addition, it is very relevant to repeat user tests once in a while. On the one hand, to get feedback on optimizations that have been made in the meantime, and, on the other hand, to further look for possible pain points.
