Many businesses use prototype testing to achieve and surpass the goals set by their companies. You may be wondering how does prototype testing work and how to do it efficiently?

Not to worry! Here’s a detailed guide of everything you need to know when it comes to conducting online market research for prototype testing.

What Should Be Included in Testing?

Before you begin prototype testing, some factors need to be included in the testing. The first thing included will be the prototype that you’re seeking to gather data on. You can do prototype testing on a digital product, like software, or a physical product.

Before you begin testing, you’ll also need to create a list of goals that you want to be completed through the testing process.

And lastly, you’ll need to keep in mind the deadlines that you’ve got to meet. Adhering to the deadlines will ensure all data is complete with enough time to make changes if necessary.

Now that we’ve detailed what will be included in your testing, it’s time to talk about the steps needed to test your prototypes.

Select Your Prototype

Before you can begin testing, you will need to build the prototype, which is a part of the product development research phase. that you’d like to test. For this step, you can either use rough draft sketches that you’ve come up with or present users with an interactive prototype.

Testing Factors

Before you can actually begin the act of testing your prototypes, you’ll need to select the factors that you want to test. One thing you might test is the ease of navigation. When customers are using your product, you don’t want it to be challenging for them to find what they’re looking for.

Another factor that you may consider testing is the flow of your design. When customers are using your product, how efficiently does the product work for them? Are there any issues that will keep the product from running the way you designed it too.

Also, consider using a microcopy, which will determine if customers understand what the prototype is meant to be used for and if they know how to use it. All of these factors will help you to enhance the user experience.

Develop Scenarios

During the prototype testing phase, you’ll want to develop some scenarios that testers must follow. These scenarios will determine all of the factors that you’ve listed above.

This will also give you a measurement of how well the prototype works when it’s being used to complete specific tasks and scenarios.

Create Test Questions

The next thing to do is create a list of questions that you’re going to ask product testers for testing the product. You’ll want to ask what their initial thoughts are when it comes to the product and what they think they’ll use it for.

You’ll then want to ask them if parts of the prototype make it confusing for them to use.

Online Market Research Guide

When it comes to conducting online market research for prototype testing, it helps to follow the guide we’ve provided above. For an even deeper dive into prototype testing, here’s even more information to help get you started. This will help you determine what changes you need to make to your prototype before you release it.

If you’re looking for a company that will help you improve the way you conduct online marketing research, request a demo from us here at Fuel Cycle, we want to help you achieve the goals that you’ve set for your company with our knowledge and experience.