2017 is being hailed as the Age of Customers and the Age of Digital Transformation where software development life cycle will be driven by end user experience causing a significant shift in the way how software is designed, developed, tested, and even deployed in production. Enterprises are embarking on a journey of Digital Transformation with ultimate focus on user experience and brand building. Although the impact of digitization on the business is not new, the digital world is entering a new age which is highly focused towards the confluence of consumer demands. It is forcing not only developers & testers, but also operations to put the user experience first because its most likely that users will switch loyalties if the end-product is not up to their expectations. Hence, it becomes imperative to focus more than ever on Usability Testing of the application(s).<\/p>\n
[Tweet “With the spread of #OmniChannel, users have multiple interactive touch points for their transactions, which are key for #UX metrics.”]<\/p>\n
The path to digital transformation is strewn with multiple challenges. Apart from delivering a nearly flawless application, one of the key challenges is the changing nature of user expectations \u2013 one satisfied user does not guarantee another. However, if a product is launched without proper usability testing, it will most likely frustrate and possibly alienate the users which would have substantial impact on the business. Hence, a key determinant in Usability Testing is to understand the target users of the application & their business needs and to try and mimic their behavior during the entire software development life cycle. This allows identifying the user specific problems much early in the life cycle and reduce the end-product release time to meet the expectations of the user.<\/p>\n
\u201cPaul Boag, one of the leaders in user experience design, moved from First Direct to Barclays bank not because he had a better deal, but because he was fed up with user experience of his current bank\u2019s mobile app.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n With the advancement of Omni channel, users have at their disposal multiple interactive touch points for their transactions. This puts a lot of pressure on enterprises to measure the user experience across multiple channels like Web and Mobile, to ensure unified user experience that results in higher conversion rate. For example, say a User uses the app\/website of an electronic retailer and identifies a deal on an electronic item, but due to time constraint he doesn\u2019t buy it at that moment. However, when he revisits the website, the mobile or web application interface is so complex that the user drops the idea of buying it from that retailer and gets it from somewhere else. Thus, purely due to the complex user interface of the application, that retailer loses a customer to a competitor. It thus becomes imperative for retailers to ensure that the usability aspects of their applications are validated to avoid loss of business.<\/p>\n Usability Testing is a phase of testing where application(s) are tested to determine if they are Useful, easy to Navigate, Accessible, Usable, & Desirable. In essence, it ensures that the end-product satisfies users\u2019 demands and can deliver a consistent & seamless user experience. Usability Testing is the key to success, and if done right, provides a good user experience that enriches a brand and leads to more uses, more users, and ultimately more growth. With the growing number of mobile devices and browsers, Automation of Usability Testing has a significant role to play.<\/p>\nBenefits of Usability Testing in Digital Transformation<\/h4>\n