Usability Task

Usability testing checks if people can use a product effectively, efficiently, and with satisfaction. But how do you organise these observations? The answer is the Usability Task. A usability task is a clear activity or goal for a participant to achieve using the product or prototype in the test. These tasks mimic real user goals and actions. They help in observing behaviour, spotting usability issues, and collecting useful feedback. Well-designed tasks are crucial for any usability study, as they keep the session focused on important user actions.

What are Usability Tasks?

Usability tasks go beyond asking participants for their opinions, like “Do you like this design?” Instead, they focus on observing real behaviour, such as “Show me how you would accomplish X.” These tasks reflect real situations and goals that target users face when using the product.

By asking participants to attempt specific tasks, researchers can directly observe:

• Can users figure out how to start and complete the task?
• What path do they take through the interface?
• Where do they hesitate, make errors, or get confused?
• How long does it take them?
• Do they use the intended features or find workarounds?
• What are their verbalized thoughts and reactions during the process (using think-aloud)?

Watching users try to complete these tasks shows clear signs of usability problems and successes. This forms the main data gathered in both moderated and unmoderated tests, like those done with Userlytics.

Crafting Effective Usability Tasks

The quality of your usability test findings heavily depends on the quality of your tasks. Effective tasks generally share these characteristics:

1. Realistic and Relevant: Tasks should reflect actual goals your target users have and activities they would realistically perform with your product. They should be grounded in user research insights (e.g., derived from personas and scenarios).
2. Action-Oriented: Phrase tasks as actions the user needs to perform, focusing on their goal, not just exploring the interface (e.g., “Reserve a meeting room for tomorrow afternoon” vs. “Look at the room booking options”).
3. Specific Goal, Open Path: Clearly define the desired outcome or end state of the task, but crucially, do not prescribe the specific steps, clicks, or UI elements the participant should use. Let them figure out the path themselves. (e.g., Use “Find the contact number for customer support” NOT “Click the ‘Help’ link in the footer, then click ‘Contact Us’ to find the phone number”). Avoid embedding UI terminology in the task itself.
4. Clear and Unambiguous: Use simple, plain language that participants can easily understand. Avoid internal jargon, technical terms, or ambiguous phrasing.
5. Measurable Success Criteria: Before the test, the researcher must clearly define what constitutes successful completion of the task (e.g., reaching a specific confirmation page, finding a particular piece of information, correctly configuring a setting). This allows for objective measurement.
6. Appropriate Scope: Each task should typically focus on one primary goal or a distinct part of a workflow. Avoid making tasks too broad (combining multiple unrelated goals) or too minuscule (testing trivial interactions in isolation, unless that’s the specific focus).

Writing Process:

• Start with your research objectives.
• Identify key user scenarios and goals relevant to those objectives.
• Draft task instructions focusing on the user’s goal and context.
• Define clear success criteria for each task.
• Pilot test your tasks: Have a colleague or one or two pilot participants attempt the tasks using your instructions. This is essential for catching unclear wording or unforeseen problems before the main study.

Why Well-Designed Usability Tasks are Crucial

Usability tasks are more than just prompts; they are fundamental to the value of usability testing:

• Simulate Realistic Use: They provide the structure for observing user behavior in situations that closely mirror real-world product interaction.
• Surface Usability Problems: Difficulties, errors, or inefficiencies encountered while attempting tasks are direct indicators of specific usability issues in the design.
• Provide Context for Feedback: Tasks ground participant feedback (especially think-aloud commentary) in specific goals and actions, making it more concrete and actionable.
• Enable Meaningful Measurement: Well-defined tasks with clear success criteria allow for the collection of quantitative usability metrics (success rates, time, errors).
• Focus the Research Session: Provide clear direction for participants and structure for moderators, ensuring the session addresses key research objectives.
• Allow for Reliable Comparisons: Using the same standardized tasks enables objective comparison of usability across different design iterations, competitor products, or participant groups.
• Generate Credible, Actionable Insights: Findings derived from observing users attempt realistic tasks carry significant weight and lead directly to specific design recommendations.

Designing Usability Tasks: Benefits & Pitfalls

Crafting effective tasks is a skill. Focusing on the user’s goal is key, but pitfalls exist:

Benefits of Good Task Design:

• Realistic simulation leads to relevant usability insights.
• Clearly reveals usability barriers related to key user goals.
• Provides essential context for interpreting user behavior and feedback.
• Enables objective measurement of usability metrics.
• Keeps the usability test focused and structured.
• Yields credible findings that drive actionable design improvements.

Pitfalls of Poor Task Design:

• Unrealistic Tasks: Tasks that don’t reflect genuine user goals produce irrelevant or misleading findings.
• Leading Instructions: Telling users how to perform the task (e.g., mentioning specific button names or steps) prevents observation of their natural problem-solving and navigation behavior.
• Ambiguous Wording: Confusing or unclear task instructions frustrate participants and invalidate results – failures may be due to misunderstanding the task, not the interface.
• Undefined Success Criteria: Lack of clear success metrics makes it difficult to objectively measure performance or compare results consistently.
• Scope Issues: Tasks that are too broad make it hard to isolate specific issues; tasks that are too narrow might miss important contextual interactions.
• Insufficient Context (Lack of Scenario): Without enough background information, participants might struggle to adopt the right mindset or make realistic decisions.
• Skipping Pilot Testing: Failing to test task clarity beforehand risks wasting valuable participant sessions during the main study due to flawed instructions.

Focusing Usability Tasks

Usability tasks are prompts that guide participants during usability tests. They help researchers see how easy a product is to use. These tasks turn passive observation into a focused study. They show how well an interface helps users achieve specific, realistic goals.

Designing effective tasks is key to gathering valid usability insights. These tasks should be realistic, goal-oriented, clearly worded, and have measurable outcomes. It’s also important not to prescribe the solution path. Platforms like Userlytics allow teams to deliver these tasks to remote participants easily. They gather detailed performance data. This includes screen recordings, audio feedback, and numerical metrics. With well-designed tasks, UX teams can go beyond opinions. They can gain objective evidence about their products’ usability. This leads to focused improvements and truly user-centred designs.