If you’re trying to make your website or app better, sometimes you might find it helpful to let real users explore on their own.
We have seen how unmoderated user testing, where you let your users try your product without a facilitator hovering over them, can give you some really honest insights.
It’s a neat, cost-friendly approach that shows you what people really do when they interact with your digital product.
Apart from that something must be said about the speed of this kind of user testing as well. Without the hassle of scheduling formal sessions, you can get lots of feedback in very little time.
In many cases, being able to reach a large group simultaneously speeds up the process and fills your data bank with useful information. And since people take part from wherever they want, it usually turns out simpler and less pricey to set up than one might expect.
That said, even though this method often works wonders, you’ve got to watch out for a few missteps along the way. We’ve noticed that if you aren’t super clear on what you want your users to do, things can quickly go off track.
Mistake 1: Unclear or vague task instructions
When users don’t exactly get what’s expected, they tend to guess or make wild assumptions, which means your results might not be as reliable as you’d hope.
Poorly worded tasks mean users might interpret instructions differently than you intended. This misunderstanding can significantly impact the quality of your data, making it difficult to pinpoint real issues with your design.
To avoid this, always use simple, straightforward language when writing tasks. Give clear, action-oriented instructions so users know exactly what steps they need to take. It’s also a good idea to pilot test your tasks first. Doing a quick test run with a small number of people can help you spot confusion and fix problems before starting the main testing process.
Mistake 2: Targeting the wrong participants
If you test your website or app with people who don’t represent your actual users, the insights you gather might not be useful. This happens because the feedback you receive won’t match how your real users behave or what they truly need.
When your testers differ significantly from your intended audience, the results can mislead you into making incorrect design decisions.
To avoid this issue, clearly define your ideal user beforehand. Think carefully about who your product is designed for, like their age, interests, habits, or any other factors that matter.
Once you have a clear user profile, use reliable recruitment methods or tester panels to find suitable participants who truly represent your target audience.
This makes sure the feedback you get accurately reflects real user behaviour, giving you more helpful insights from your unmoderated user testing sessions.
Mistake 3: Collecting too little context
In unmoderated user testing, it’s important to know not just what users are doing but also why they are doing it. A common mistake is collecting feedback or observations without asking for context. Without understanding the motivations or thoughts behind user actions, it becomes much harder to interpret the results clearly.
For example, if a user clicks on something unexpected or skips an important feature, you won’t know if this happened because they were confused, uninterested, or simply misunderstood the instructions. This lack of context can lead you to make incorrect assumptions about your design or content.
To avoid this, make sure to include short follow-up questions or provide open-text response fields after each task. This way, users can explain in their own words why they made certain choices.
Gathering this additional context helps you better understand their actions, making your unmoderated user testing insights much clearer and more useful.
Mistake 4: Not testing on the right device or environment
When you’re running unmoderated user testing, it’s crucial to test your product on the devices and environments your users actually use. A common mistake is testing only on desktop computers when your users mostly access your site or app on mobiles or tablets. This approach means you’re not seeing the real user experience, and it can seriously distort your test results.
For instance, a website might look clear and easy to use on a desktop but have issues like tiny buttons, unreadable text, or slow loading times on mobile phones. If you miss these problems by not testing in the right environment, you’ll think everything is fine when it’s not, causing frustration for your real users.
To fix this, make sure your unmoderated user testing matches your users’ typical conditions. Include mobile phones, tablets, and various browsers as needed.
Mistake 5: Ignoring technical or tracking issues
In unmoderated user testing, technical problems like broken links, pages that don’t load, or clicks that aren’t tracked correctly can cause big issues. These glitches disrupt the testing experience for users and make your test results incomplete or inaccurate.
Users might become confused or frustrated when technical issues happen, causing them to abandon tasks or give misleading feedback. As a result, you might end up with data that’s unreliable, wasting both your time and resources spent on testing.
To prevent these problems, always carefully test your prototype or website before launching your unmoderated user testing session. Check links, page load times, and task tracking to ensure everything works smoothly.
Also, choose testing tools that reliably capture and record user interactions. Doing this will give you more accurate and complete insights into user behaviour.
Mistake 6: Failing to analyse results properly
A common mistake is gathering lots of feedback but not analysing it properly. Without a clear plan for analysis, important insights can easily be missed, leading you to make decisions based on guesses rather than evidence.
If you don’t carefully look at and interpret the data you’ve collected, you might overlook usability problems or misunderstand what users really need. This means your design improvements might not actually solve the right issues, wasting valuable time and resources.
To fix this, always set clear success criteria before starting your unmoderated user testing. Decide in advance what you’re looking to measure or learn. Combine numerical data (quantitative) and user comments or feedback (qualitative) to get a complete picture.
If you have session recordings, make sure to review them to see exactly how users interact with your product. Doing this ensures your decisions are based on solid evidence rather than assumptions.
In conclusion
Avoiding these common mistakes in unmoderated user testing can make a big difference to your results. When you carefully plan your tests, pay attention to small details, and always put your users first, you gather insights that accurately reflect how real users feel and behave.
So, the next time you start unmoderated user testing, remember to approach it thoughtfully. Clear planning and attention to detail will always lead to more helpful, actionable insights.
