If you are in the product development or the UX space, you know that usability testing is one of the most critical stages of the product design process. Whether it’s a website or a mobile application, usability testing is non-negotiable, and here’s why.
Around 75% of users gauge a website or a mobile application’s credibility through its design and user experience. Further, 5 users can spot around 85% of usability problems during the testing phase.
While it is clear that usability testing is important, time and budget constraints can deter businesses, especially small businesses, from pursuing it, resulting in poor market acceptance and a subpar product. The good news is that usability testing does not have to be very lengthy and expensive, thanks to guerrilla usability testing.
But what is guerrilla testing or guerrilla usability testing?
This article answers this question and examines the guerrilla testing cycle and the pros and cons of relying on this cost-efficient and quick technique to collect accurate and relevant user feedback.
What is guerrilla testing?
Guerrilla testing, also referred to as intercept testing or quick testing by some product teams, is a fast, spontaneous, and informal way to gather user feedback, typically away from formal testing environments.
It is carried out by approaching random individuals at public places, including restaurants, shopping malls, college or university campuses, and parks.
The objective is to gain valuable and authentic usability-related feedback from a diverse and unbiased pool of people and leverage their feedback to improve the product across different stages of the development cycle.
Who requires guerrilla testing?
So, the billion-dollar question is, who requires guerrilla testing? Here are the key stakeholders within a company that typically require guerrilla testing.
Small businesses or early-stage startups
Guerilla usability testing is a great fit for companies working on small projects and on a tight budget. Additionally, it is also suitable for product development teams that require immediate feedback and swift turnaround.
UX designers
UX designers who are seeking product and user experience validation in the early stages of the product development cycle.
Product managers
Guerilla testing is great for product managers who wish to validate the key concepts of the product and evaluate whether it resonates with the target users before launching the product.
Marketing teams
While guerrilla testing is extensively used by product teams, it also aids marketing teams in validating the first impressions of the website or application’s interface. Marketing teams also provide detailed insights into how various marketing elements are used and provide solutions to minimize friction points.
Understanding the guerrilla testing cycle
It is now time to get familiar with the different steps involved in the Guerrilla testing cycle.
1. Goal setting
Since the time frame is relatively shorter compared to other usability or user testing methods, it is a good idea to focus on a single goal. This allows the relevant team to collect feedback for a specific aspect or feature.
For instance, you can create two iterations of a product page with different call-to-action (CTA) buttons and check which one gets more clicks. In this case, the button text for Button 1 can be “Buy Now”, and the button text for Button 2 can be “Get 5% Discount”.
2. Keep it simple for participants
Unlike other types of testing, such as remote moderated testing or lab-based utility testing, your team and the test participants have a very small window during guerrilla testing. Therefore, it is crucial to keep things simple and ensure you do not overwhelm the participants with a lot of questions or tasks.
One way to do this is to limit the scope of the test and make participants perform a single action instead of touching multiple workflows.
For example, rather than asking them to navigate and explore the entire food delivery app, you can ask them to use the “search” option to find a top-rated restaurant.
3. Find suitable testing locations
Can you play ice hockey on grass? Or, find the Burj Khalifa in Doha? No, right? Simply put, the location is important, and this holds true for guerrilla usability testing, too. You need to find a suitable location where your potential target users visit frequently and also ensure that the testing environment isn’t noisy and free from major distractions.
For example, if you are developing a fitness app, you can pick a gym or a multi-sport playing arena to attract the right audience. Similarly, train stations, airports, and travel lounges are ideal if you are building a travel booking platform. However, it is crucial to seek the required permissions (if applicable) before you proceed.
4. Communicate with participants
Always remember that communication is very important before and during the testing activity. So, it is a good practice to ask people whether they would like to spare a few minutes and participate in your guerrilla test.
Introduce your product, let them know what they should expect during the test, including the total estimated time, nature of tasks, etc.
5. Test, test, test
T-0. It is testing time. This is when all participants will complete tasks and follow the instructions given to them. Remind them that the objective of this particular exercise is to get honest and valuable feedback from them, so their inputs and feedback, regardless of whether positive or negative, are important.
You can also converse with them during guerrilla testing and ask a few questions, such as “What was the easiest part?’’, “Was the ‘Sign In’ button easy to find?” to gain precious qualitative insights.
6. Analyze and chalk out a plan
Once the testing is complete, it is time to analyze responses, comments, and all the feedback. It is now time to determine the key challenges and areas of improvement and create a clear roadmap to address them.
For example, if many people had trouble finding the ‘Apply promo code’ section, you may need to improve its visibility. Further, you should consider choosing a different type of carousel if the test participants were not able to navigate the different tabs seamlessly.
Pros and cons of guerrilla testing
While there is no doubt that guerrilla testing offers multiple advantages, unfortunately, it has a few limitations.
Let’s start with the benefits.
Pros
Cost effective
Guerrilla testing is arguably one of the most cost-efficient usability techniques, offering great value for money compared to other intensive testing methods, including A/B testing, lab-based usability testing.
Better understanding of users
Guerrilla testing allows stakeholders to interact and gain valuable feedback from real users. This allows them to build a better product, accounting for the nuanced feedback received from users.
Can be used at any stage of product development
One of the reasons why guerrilla testing is extensively used by product teams is the ability to use it as and when required during the project. This is primarily due to the low cost, effort, and time required to execute it.
Cons
Shallow and unreliable feedback
Guerrilla usability testing is typically performed in a casual or informal testing environment, which means that the received feedback can be half-hearted and fail to touch on deeper usability challenges.
User personas may not match
Since you are likely to approach test participants in public areas, including restaurants, shopping malls, cafes, and co-working spaces, you may receive feedback from people who do not match your ideal user persona. This can be detrimental or counterproductive for products that cater to a niche audience.
Limited scope
Given the time and budget constraints with this approach, it is safe to say that you cannot dive deep to understand how complex and multi-step processes work. Additionally, this alternative isn’t suitable for getting a clear picture of end-to-end user journeys.
Wrap up
So, is guerrilla testing good? Yes, absolutely, especially for smaller projects and teams with budget and time constraints. Besides, it creates a level playing field in the UI/UX space, allowing smaller agencies to compete with the big market players.
Of course, there are a few limitations associated with this approach, and it is imperative to weigh the pros and cons and determine whether this approach fits your project’s requirements.
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