User Testing
Watch and listen to customers use your design, and get guidance and recommendations you can rely on from the world's leading user research firm.
Types of Usability Testing Research
Nielsen Norman Group researchers are experts in many different types of usability research. We'll help you determine which type of study is best for your circumstances, plan the study details, carry out the research, and prepare rich analysis of the findings to ensure you have actionable, prioritized results.
Rapid User Testing
Rapid User Testing
Direct feedback from users via a flexible 'think out loud' behavioral study is the best way to gather rich insights into complex problems, identify root causes, and suggest potential solutions. Watch users interact with your design, hear them explain their thought processes and expectations, and get the "why" answers that can help drive your design process forward. Highly experienced researchers ensure you receive valid, unbiased feedback - either in-person, or via remote observation. Starts at $20,000 USD.
NN/g user studies typically include:
- 5 to 10 users
- 3 days of testing
- Expert moderation by an NN/g researcher
- Your team can observe the user sessions, and discuss findings with the NN/g researcher
- Detailed report with in-depth analysis and prioritized design recommendations
- Presentation and discussion of the findings with your team after the study
More Types of User Testing
More Types of User Testing
We can also conduct user tests to compare your product's interface to your competitors, or rigorously measure user success and satisfaction to create performance benchmarks.
Competitive User Testing
Understand how your product stacks up against your competitors with a direct side-by-side comparison study. Competitive studies collect qualitative feedback, quantitative measures, or both - it all depends on your strategic goals. Because this type of study involves evaluating multiple different interfaces, expect the time and cost to increase depending on the number of competitors included in the study. Starts at $40,000 USD.
Quantitative User Testing
Rigorously designed research studies collect metrics about users' success, satisfaction, and efficiency when interacting with your design. Metrics about user behavior provide a reliable basis for data-driven design decisions. Starts at $20,000 USD.
NN/g quantitative studies typically include approximately:
- 20 to 200 users
- 1 to 4 weeks of testing
- Unmoderated, remote sessions including national or global user populations that match your target audience
- Detailed findings report with in-depth analysis and prioritized design recommendations
- Presentation and discussion of the findings with your team after the study
Contact us to learn more about User Testing:
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Deliverables: What will we get?
- A: With a Nielsen Norman Group usability study your team will benefit in two major ways:
- Immediate Learning: If your team attends the the study to observe, we can facilitate group note-taking, affinity diagramming of observations, and discussion of emerging themes to provide immediate, actionable insights.
- Final Report on Study Findings: Within 2 to 3 weeks after the study, we deliver a comprehensive, detailed report of the study findings which serves to capture and record important insights, communicate them throughout your organization now and for future reference. This report will include examples with callouts, discussions of best practice, and actionable recommendations. We customize our deliverables to serve your needs. You choose the format. We can deliver results as written documents, slide decks, video highlights, and live presentations.
- Q: Why Nielsen Norman Group?
- A: We have conducted thousands of user tests and can help you make the most of your research investment. Our experts design and facilitate sound studies, analyze data, and guide discussions to help you interpret the findings. In the end you will have a clear picture of user behavior with your designs, and expert advice with actionable recommendations for improvement.
- Q: What can we test?
- A: Websites, applications, desktop, mobile, physical devices, prototypes, and voice interfaces can all be evaluated with rigorous, reliable research methods. We can also test paper prototypes, and conduct iterative testing on revised prototypes as you implement design improvements.
- Q: What type of test should we do, qualitative or quantitative?
- A: A qualitative study is usually the best starting point to quickly learn about problems and get ideas for how to improve a design. Quantitative research may be better if you need to start establishing performance benchmarks so you can track how a design improves over time. Learn more about types of usability testing, and when to use which method.
- Q: Should we do in-person or remote research?
- A: We can conduct your usability study either in-person or using remote tools, depending on your needs and research goals. In-person testing allows your team to gather, observe, and discuss user behavior in an intensive setting that can be extremely productive. Remotely moderated sessions are ideal for recruiting specialized audiences who can’t travel to the lab or when target participants are geographically dispersed, making travel cost prohibitive. We facilitate sessions with participants in their natural environment using screen-sharing or remote viewing tools. Learn more about remote usability testing.
- Q: How long does it take?
- A: Once the project is confirmed, the entire research process typically extends approximately 8 weeks, including planning the study with your stakeholder input, conducting the research, analyzing the results, and delivering the findings and recommendations to your team.
- Q: What will it cost?
- A: Cost depends on the number of participants; studies with more participants require more time to collect and analyze data. Most studies of a single design and a single user group start at approximately $20,000 USD.
More complex studies involving multiple types of participants, or comparing multiple designs, can range up to $40,000 to $80,000 USD.
