Find the best User Testing Software

If your business is involved in developing websites, software solutions, mobile apps, or any other product, you must already know the importance of user testing. User testing is the process of getting your product’s prototype tested by a group of target users. These users check if the product design is user-friendly, if engagement is as expected, and if the product is functioning the way it should.

The insights shared by the test subjects are then used by the development team to iron out chinks in design, user experience, and functionality before releasing the final product. But user testing can be time-consuming and complicated to manage on your own, especially if you have a small team.

User testing software helps streamline the process by offering features such as remote user testing, mobile user testing, app testing, surveys, and reporting. There are many user testing tools available on the market, but one size doesn’t fit all. This buyers guide has all the information you need to choose the right software for your business.

Here's what we'll cover:

• What is user testing software?

• Common features of user testing software

• What type of buyer are you?

• Benefits of user testing software

• Key considerations

What is user testing software?

User testing software, also known as usability testing software, is a software tool that allows businesses to test a new product, such as a website or mobile app, with a sample set of target users before launching it in the market. It collects user behavior data to help businesses understand if real customers would be able to use the product easily.

The software lets companies test if their product’s application design is user-friendly, if features are working correctly, if any links are broken, and if the product is capable of meeting its goals. Usability test data is used by designers and developers to make changes in the prototype and release a final product that is more in line with customer expectations.

Screen sharing and recording a testing session in UserTesting (Source)

Common features of user testing software

These are the common features most buyers seek when purchasing a user testing software solution:

What type of buyer are you?

Before you start evaluating software options, you'll want to know which buyer category you belong to. Most buyers of user acceptance testing software fall into one of these categories:

• Small and midsize businesses (up to 500 employees): These buyers have a small customer base and thus, expect fewer client interactions compared with large businesses. They usually have fewer resources, a limited budget, and conduct usability tests with a small number of subjects. They should opt for a basic version of user testing software to identify common customer pain points. A software tool with features such as surveys, video recording, A/B testing, and reporting would be a good fit for these buyers, as it would help them understand what to focus on to offer a superior user experience.

• Large businesses (over 500 employees): These buyers have a large customer base and experience large volumes of sales and customer interactions. Thus, they have more complex user testing requirements than SMBs. They need a solution that can keep up with the demands of web, desktop, and mobile app development, especially the frequent iterations in the development stage. Since they need to test usability with a large pool of subjects, they should opt for a full-featured solution that offers functionality such as usability testing videos, quantitative metrics, user segmentation, test summary, and advanced reporting. They should also look for a tool that integrates well with their existing software applications so that data can be easily shared between the tools.

Benefits of user testing software

Let’s go through some of the key benefits of purchasing a usability testing solution for your business:

• Save time and money: User testing software allows you to run surveys to collect feedback from test subjects. Feedback data helps your design and development teams identify bottlenecks or breaks in the product prototype before it reaches the final build phase. This helps avoid expensive development errors and address customer concerns proactively, saving your business both time and money.

• Understand customers’ pain points: Usability testing software lets you video record testing sessions to get a clear picture of how test subjects are interacting with your product prototype—which buttons they’re clicking, how they’re navigating the user interface, where they’re facing difficulties, etc. This makes it easier for your designers and developers to tweak the prototype based on the pain points experienced by users.

• Protect your brand image: Usability testing tools give an overall picture of what users like or dislike about the product design. You can use the feedback to make iterations before releasing the final product. This ensures real customers don’t face issues such as downtime and broken web links, which can make them lose trust in your brand.

Key considerations

Listed below are some key considerations to keep in mind when purchasing a user testing tool.

• Supported platforms: Check if the user testing tool you’re planning to purchase supports the platforms used by your team. You could be using web, mobile web, iOS native, or Android native platforms. Since most user testing tools work for desktops, ensure the solution you’re selecting supports the platforms on which you want to run usability tests.

• Budget: It’ll not benefit your business to invest in software features your testing team doesn’t need. Thus, discuss your requirements with team members first. Create a list of necessary vs. good-to-have testing features. Thereafter, select a tool that offers the features you need, without straining your budget.

Note: The application selected in this guide is an example to show a feature in context and is not intended as an endorsement or recommendation. It has been taken from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication.