What Is Remote Usability Testing?

When you think about usability testing, you probably picture a room full of people sitting at computers and using software in front of them. But what if we told you that it's possible to do usability testing without anyone even having to leave their homes? That's right: remote usability testing is the future and is here today. Remote usability testing is a type of testing wherein designers and engineers do research on a user interface by testing it on end users. In this type of testing, planners or testers use remote access technology to test interfaces on users "in their natural environments. " So if having to bring users into a lab and make them sit in front of a computer for hours, you can send them an email with instructions on how to get set up with the product and let them go from there! Remote usability testing is excellent. We love it, and we know you'll love it too! But there are some things you should know before you go all-in on remote usability testing. First: remote usability testing has its drawbacks. Security is one of them when sensitive information may be compromised; testers have to be careful about setting up a secure virtual private network or using other technologies to ensure proper security. On the other hand, remote usability testing offers benefits that can't be ignored: it helps to deal with browser- or operating system-related questions or other issues about changing the natural access that end users have. It requires fewer resources in many cases because testers do not have to set up users in a laboratory or otherwise collect participants. The testing community has developed several standards for remote usability testing, from timelines to complexity. These standards help ensure that remote usability tests are run to give the best information about how end users interact with their technologies.