Usability isn’t everything, in fact it’s the bare minimum. Before Credo I worked as a user researcher for around 3 years and in my very first few days, I learnt something crucial. There is more to user testing (and to making a site convert) than usability.
I was taught to identify usability issues and explore persuasion factors
Rather than just a quantitative or even think out loud approach, I used a fully moderated approach to user research. This meant delving into the actions participants took without realising, picking up on micro expressions, and exploring perspectives through open questions. The results were always deeply insightful and often went way beyond what the client was trying to ascertain.
Whilst knowing if users could find items of clothing they were looking for on an e-commerce site was hugely helpful, what can be more helpful is understanding why users would or wouldn’t do that on the client’s site if they were not in a research session.
It is the skill of a trained user research moderator that can really dig the why out, to see beyond the superficial answers and to challenge the answers that don’t match up with the user’s behaviour. It is for this reason that in a world of online user testing platforms I still champion the ‘gold standard’ (in my opinion) of one-to-one user research.
We look for usability issues as well as persuasion factors at Credo
I’ve carried the truth that it is often the why that matters most with me to Credo. Every time we audit a site, we identify things that are getting in the way of users completing their tasks; the ‘friction’ identified by the MECLABS Institute Conversion Formula, or the high number of ‘brain cycles’ needed as discussed by the Fogg Behaviour Model.
But we also spend a great deal of time thinking about the users perspective, stepping into their shoes and aiming to determine if what they are seeing would be persuasive enough to convince them to convert. We analyse copy, consider the choice of imagery, and think about factors like questions and anxieties.
The same is true when we work with a client long-term without an initial audit. We still seek to advocate for the user, their functional, informational, reassurance, and motivational needs.
Usability issues are easy to fix – persuasion issues are harder
Finding usability issues is great because they often result in quick wins for our clients. Usability issues can be easy to fix because they are typically functional. If a form on your site is hard to complete, then chances are your conversions are going to be low. Fixing that form should increase your conversions with little time spent thinking about it.
Once your usability issues are fixed though, you are on to the ones that can be trickier to fix. Fixing persuasion issues can involve intense copywriting sessions, user research, and time spent creating new media. It’s also easier to make mistakes and get things wrong because the answer isn’t as simple as ‘change this drop-down to a radio button’ (or something like that).
But, and it’s a big but, getting persuasion factors right can be hugely impactful. Which is why we are there to help our clients on the journey of figuring out exactly what is going to persuade their target audience.
Hi, I’m Charlotte. I love writing about user psychology and tips I’ve picked up from leading user research and CRO projects. Get in touch if you’d like to work with me to improve the user experience on your site or click here to learn more about your future CRO team.