When it comes to user research, big budgets and complex research methods aren’t always necessary to get valuable insights. In fact, according to Google, 85% of core usability problems can be uncovered by observing just 5 people interacting with your application. This highlights the power of focusing on simplicity and efficiency when testing usability.
One of the most straightforward and cost-effective methods is Guerrilla Usability Testing. Unlike traditional testing, this approach doesn’t require elaborate lab setups or extensive resources. Instead, it involves gathering feedback from users in informal, real-world settings like cafes or public spaces.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the essentials of guerrilla usability testing tips to help you get the most out of this innovative technique.
What is Guerrilla Usability Testing?
Guerrilla usability testing is a quick, affordable method to observe how real users interact with your product in everyday settings. In this approach, you bring your product to places like cafes, parks, or libraries, where you can ask random people to try it out, often offering a small gesture like buying them a coffee or saying thank you for their time.
The primary purpose of guerrilla usability testing is to quickly spot usability issues and understand how users naturally engage with your design. It helps enhance customer satisfaction and reduce the risks of launching with overlooked design problems, especially for teams with limited resources and tight deadlines.
Pros & Cons of Guerrilla Usability Testing
Guerrilla usability testing is a powerful tool for gathering quick user feedback, but like any method, it has its strengths and limitations. Let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons to help you decide if it’s the right approach for your project.
Pros
- Quick and Affordable: A guerrilla test is a budget-friendly and efficient method of usability testing. All you need is your product, a public space, and a willingness to approach people. There’s no need for expensive tools or long recruitment processes, making it an ideal option for teams with tight budgets and deadlines.
- Real User Feedback: The beauty of this usability test method is that you get raw, unfiltered feedback from everyday people. Since participants aren’t selected or prepared in advance, their reactions tend to be honest and reflect how real users might engage with your product.
- Immediate Results: Feedback is gathered on the spot, which means you can identify problems and implement fixes quickly. This rapid turnaround is especially useful during early development stages when frequent iterations are needed.
- Simple Setup: There’s no need for labs, fancy equipment, or extensive planning. Just head to a public place like a coffee shop or park, and you’re ready to go.
Cons
- Shallow Feedback: While guerrilla testing provides quick insights, the feedback is often surface-level. It’s great for spotting obvious usability issues but may not uncover deeper, more complex problems.
- Uncontrolled Environment: Public places come with distractions like noise, interruptions, and unpredictable conditions, which can affect the quality of the feedback.
- Lack of Target Audience Focus: When you ask individuals outside your target audience to test your product, their feedback may not align with the needs or preferences of your actual users. This limitation can lead to irrelevant user insights that don't accurately inform product improvements for your core audience.
When should you use Guerrilla Testing Methods?
Guerrilla usability testing is an excellent addition to your usability studies, especially when quick, affordable feedback is needed to move your project forward. Here are some ideal scenarios to consider:
- Early Stage Prototyping
When you’re still refining your concept or prototype, guerrilla testing can help you quickly identify usability flaws before investing too much time or resources. It’s ideal when you have a low-fidelity version or early mockups to test.
- Gathering Quick, Actionable Insights:
If you're looking for specific feedback on a particular design aspect—such as navigation, layout, or interaction flow—guerrilla testing is perfect for quickly pinpointing potential problem areas.
- Limited Budget and Time
If you have limited resources or need fast feedback without conducting formal usability studies, guerrilla testing offers an efficient, low-cost alternative. It allows you to gather valuable insights from real users without the need for a large-scale study.
- Iterative Design Process:
When your design is in constant development, guerrilla testing provides quick feedback loops that can be implemented into each iteration. It’s especially useful if you're making continuous improvements based on feedback.
- Testing Assumptions:
If you have a hypothesis about how users will interact with your design, guerrilla testing allows you to test those assumptions with minimal effort. This helps validate or challenge your design direction early on.
Guerrilla Usability Testing Methods
1. Preference test
The preference test is used to compare different design options and understand user preferences. This method is particularly useful in the early usability design process when you need to make decisions about layouts, colors, or visuals. It ensures that your design choices align with user expectations and resonate with your target audience.
2. 5-second test
The 5-second test is a simple way to understand how well your design communicates its message at first glance. In this method, you show users a design for just five seconds and then ask them what they remember or how they felt about it. It’s handy for testing web pages, landing pages, or important visuals to see if users quickly grasp the intended message.
3. First Click Testing
First Click Testing helps evaluate whether your design’s navigation is intuitive by observing where users click first to complete a task. You show them a page or app and give them a task like "Find the pricing page." Then, you watch if their first click is correct and note any confusion. This helps you see if buttons, menus, or links are clear and easy to use. By using this feedback, you can fix any issues and make your design simpler and more user-friendly.
Read more: Measuring Product Success with Usability Testing Metrics
How to conduct Guerrilla Usability Testing?
1. Set Clear Objectives
The first step in any usability test or guerrilla research is knowing exactly what you’re trying to achieve. Are you looking to explore if users can understand your design? Or do you want to check if they can complete specific tasks easily? A clear goal will guide every decision you make during the testing process and help you focus on gathering the insights that matter most.
2. Prepare Your Prototype
Now that you’ve defined your goal, it’s time to ensure your prototype is ready for testing. Your design should be interactive and include all the essential elements of the user interface. While paper prototypes can work for very basic tests, a digital, clickable version will give users a more realistic experience. You can try some tools like Figma or Adobe XD that allow you to create interactive prototypes for free.
For even better results, consider using an online usability testing tool. These platforms help you track user actions, record feedback, and organize data for usability testing analysis, making the entire process smoother and more efficient.
3. Plan Test Scenarios
Once your prototype is ready, the next step is crafting clear tasks and follow-up usability testing questions. Think about the actions you want users to take, such as “Find a feature”, “Sign up for an account”, or “Complete the checkout process”. You should remember to keep the tasks simple and realistic so users can focus on interacting with the design rather than struggling to understand what to do.
After users finish the tasks, try to ask follow-up questions like:
- What was your first impression of the design?
- Which task felt the most difficult or frustrating to you? Why?
- Were there any moments where you weren’t sure what to do next?
- If you could change or improve one thing about the design, what would it be?
These questions will help you dive deeper into their experience and uncover areas for improvement.
4. Pick a Location and Engage Participants
There are plenty of great spots to run your guerrilla usability test—you just need to pick one that’s lively and welcoming. Think of places where people are relaxed and might have a few spare minutes, like a cozy cafe, a park in a city center, or even a bustling street corner. The goal is to find a location with enough foot traffic so you don’t have to search too hard for willing participants.
Of course, not everyone you meet will be the perfect fit for your test. It’s a good idea to have a couple of quick questions ready to make sure they match your target audience. For example, if your app is for students, you could ask, “Are you currently in school or college?” Don’t worry, you don’t need a huge crowd—testing with 6 to 12 people is usually enough to spot the major usability issues.
When it’s time to approach someone, keep it friendly and casual. A simple line like this works wonders: “Hi there! I’m working on a product design project and really need your feedback. It’ll only take about 15 minutes—would you mind helping out?”
Most people are happy to help if you’re polite and respectful. A warm smile and a little patience can go a long way in making the process smooth and enjoyable for both you and your participants!
5. Gather Feedback, improve and Iterate
Now comes the exciting part—watching people use your product. Before starting, you should take a moment to clearly explain the tasks that participants need to complete, using simple language to ensure they fully understand what to do.
As participants interact with your prototype, you should observe their actions carefully. Your responsibility is to take note of moments where they pause, struggle, or seem confused, as these are often indicators of usability issues. During the session, use the follow-up questions you’ve prepared to explore their thoughts and emotions, helping you uncover deeper insights about their experience.
When the session ends, express your gratitude for their time and effort. Then, go through your notes thoroughly to identify any patterns or recurring problems that multiple users faced. These insights will help you prioritize changes and refine your design.
Once you’ve made improvements, consider running another round of testing to ensure the changes addressed the issues effectively. Guerrilla testing works best when it’s an iterative process, constantly driving your design closer to perfection.
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Conclusion
If you’re short on time or working with a limited budget, guerrilla usability testing is a suitable way to quickly observe real user behavior and identify key usability issues. This informal approach allows you to step into the real world, connect with everyday users, and gather actionable feedback that helps you improve your product—whether it’s a prototype or an existing design.
If you're looking for a UX Audit service provider or exploring reliable usability testing companies to evaluate and enhance your digital product, our team of usability experts is ready to conduct thorough website/app usability tests, providing a detailed evaluation report tailored to your unique needs.
As a leading UI/UX design studio, Lollypop specializes in delivering comprehensive product development from UX Research, Product Design, and Development across various digital platforms.
Contact us today to schedule a FREE consultation and explore how we can implement usability testing standards to enhance your product’s user experience!
