Benefits of Online, Unmoderated User Testing

For most usability professionals lab-based research is the only game in town. However, with the growth of Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 technologies online, unmoderated user testing (also known as remote unmoderated or asynchronous user testing) is gaining traction and being used not only as a complement to, but in many cases as, an alternative to traditional lab-based research.

There’s online moderated testing and then there’s online UNmoderated testing. The key difference is that with online moderated testing the moderator uses a web-based service that allows users in faraway locations to participate in what is essentially, an online meeting. The software has the ability to share viewing and control of a web browser that permits the moderator to view the user’s mouse movements and web pages they visit, facilitating discussion similar to that of a traditional lab-based usability test. A good visualisation of the approach can be found here.

In contrast, online unmoderated testing is usually done ‘asynchronously’. That is, first the researcher designs and initiates a study; the participants perform the tasks in their natural context, at home (or the office) using their own computer; then, once all the participants have completed the tasks, the researcher gathers and analyses the data. In this approach there is no need for a moderator to be present during the testing.

Perhaps the most important benefit of unmoderated testing is that it allows for the collection of quantitative usability metrics; in other words, statistics. Traditional lab-based testing often consists of between 5 to 8 participants; perhaps double that if you have a bigger research budget. With such a small sample size it would be wrong to attempt to calculate percentages to assist in reporting, such as the percentage of participants who completed a task successfully or the average time it took to complete a task. The larger sample sizes that are possible with online testing make the calculation of these and many other usability metrics entirely possible, and these metrics can deliver significantly greater insights into the usability of a website than ever before.

If you run some online testing in conjunction with lab-based testing you’ll get the chance to validate your lab findings to ensure they are a valid and true representation of your websites’ user experience.

Associated Link: Online, Unmoderated User Experience Testing

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