How do you test your creative prototypes?

2 Define your testing criteria

Before you test your prototype, you need to define what you want to learn from the testing and how you will measure the results. You can use the SMART criteria to set your testing goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, you can set a goal to test how well your prototype solves a specific problem for a specific target group within a specific time frame. You also need to define the metrics and indicators that will help you evaluate your prototype's performance, such as user satisfaction, error rate, completion time, etc.

3 Select your testing methods

Testing your prototypes is essential to ensure they meet your testing criteria and prototype type. User testing involves observing and interviewing real or potential users of your solution as they interact with your prototype, allowing you to gather qualitative and quantitative data on user behavior, preferences, needs, and feedback. Additionally, you can use expert review to gain insights on the technical, ethical, legal, or market aspects of your solution from professionals in the field. Finally, A/B testing allows you to compare two or more versions of your prototype to see which one performs better on a specific metric or outcome. This method enables you to optimize your design choices and features based on data-driven evidence.

4 Prepare your testing materials

To conduct your testing effectively, you need to prepare some materials that will assist with communication of your prototype and data collection. This includes a testing plan, which is a document that outlines the purpose, scope, methods, procedures, and roles of your testing. It helps you organize activities and maintain consistency and clarity among team members and participants. Additionally, you should create a testing script - a set of instructions or questions used to guide sessions - in order to structure interactions with participants and obtain the necessary information. A consent form is also necessary; this document informs participants about the purpose, risks, benefits, and confidentiality of your testing, while also asking for permission to participate. This helps to protect participant rights and privacy while complying with ethical and legal standards. Finally, a data collection tool is needed; this could be a camera, microphone, survey, spreadsheet, dashboard etc., in order to capture and organize data in a reliable and accessible way.

5 Conduct your testing sessions

Once you have prepared your materials, you are ready to conduct your testing sessions with your participants. To ensure a smooth and productive experience, it is important to recruit and select your participants carefully. This means selecting people who represent your target users or stakeholders, and having a sufficient and diverse sample size. Additionally, you want to set up and test your environment in a way that simulates the real or intended context of use, and test your equipment and materials beforehand. Finally, it is important to brief and debrief your participants, informing them about the purpose, process, and expectations of your testing, thanking them for their participation, asking for their feedback, and providing any follow-up information or support. This helps build rapport and trust with your participants.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?