Content testing is an easy way to test the clarity of the content on any page, whether it’s a paragraph of texts, a user flow or dashboard, or something in between. Our goal is to determine how users perceive the content we present. It’s not just about finding things that cause confusion, or prevent users from finding the correct answer on a webpage. It’s also about whether our content accurately and clearly communicates what we want to say. This article is a part of our ongoing UX series. Smart Interface Design Patterns contains more information on UX strategy and design patterns. A live UX training is coming soon. Free preview. Banana Testing Banana Testing is a great way to see how well your design matches the mental model of a user. We ask users to guess what each key action could be. It not only tells you if the key actions are immediately understood and if they’re in the right spot, but also if icons are helpful or if interactive elements like links or buttons are perceived that way. Content Heatmapping A reliable technique for assessing content is content heatmapping. We would ask participants to complete a task and then highlight any things that were unclear or clear. We could also define other dimensions or styles lenses: e.g. phrases that inspire more confidence and those that don’t. We then map all highlights onto a heatmap in order to identify patterns and trends. You can run this with printouts in person or remotely using Figjam, Miro or any other tool that has a highlighter. Run moderated testing sessions These techniques help you identify content issues. However, they do not tell you what’s missing from the content or what users are doubting, worrying, and having issues with it. We need to dig deeper into user needs. Users often say that a webpage is “clear” and “well-organized”, but when you ask specific questions, their understanding is different from what you wanted to bring into focus. It’s more effective to observe the behavior of participants and ask questions immediately, whether in person or remotely. Test Concepts and Not Words We need to know our goals before we begin testing. Write down a plan first, including goals, customers, questions and script. Don’t just tweak words — broaden your vocabulary. Avoid speaking out loud during the session as this is not how most people consume content. Ask questions and then wait. After the task has been completed, ask the users to explain to you the product, flow and concepts. Do not ask them how they feel, what they prefer, or what their thoughts are. Avoid using the word “content” when testing, as users may perceive it differently. Choosing the Right Way to Test There are many different tests you can use: Banana TestAsk to explain by replacing key actions with “bananas”. Cloze test
Ask users to fill in blanks. Reaction cards
Write emotions on 25 cards and ask users to choose. Sorting cards
Asking users to group topics into meaningful groups. Highlighting
Ask users to highlight confusing or helpful words. Competitive testing
Ask users to explain competitor’s pages. Consider the following guidelines when choosing the best way to test: Do users understand the page?
Cloze test, interviews, highlighting
Cloze test, banana testing What is the best word?
Card sorting, A/B tests, tree testing Why does it not work?
Interviews, highlighting and walkthroughs: Do we understand user needs?
Competitive testing and process mapping Closing Up For many tasks, the carefully chosen words on a sheet of paper can have a greater impact than anything else. It’s not just the words that you use, but also the tone and voice that you choose to communicate. Use the techniques to test and measure the way people perceive the content, but also how they perceive the entire experience on the website. The wrong words on a critical page can send the wrong message or create a suboptimal user experience. Even if the rest of the software performs well, if the user is blocked from a critical page they will leave before you blink. Useful Resources Practical guide to content testing, by Intuit. How to test content with users, by Kate Moran. Five fun ways to test words, by John Saito. A simple technique for evaluating content, by Pete Gale. New: How To Measure Your UX and Design Impact. Use the code IMPACT for 20% off today. Jump to the details. Video + UX trainingVideo onlyVideo + UX training$ 495.00 $ 7999.00 Get Video + UX training25 video lessons (8h), plus Live UX.
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