Tips for Writing Effective Tasks for a Prototype Test
Creating effective tasks for a prototype test is crucial for gathering valuable user insights. Participants will take whatever language clues they can get from your task to make it easier. So we recommend avoiding ‘giving away’ the answer so participants are not just matching phrases rather than actually deciding if the information is correct. If tasks include the same language as your prototype test score highly, you can’t infer a lot from the data.
Here are some tips to help you write effective tasks:
Define Your Objectives
Identify Goals: Start by identifying what you want to learn from the prototype test. Objectives might include validating design choices, identifying usability issues, or understanding user behaviors and impressions.
Focus on real-life scenarios
Mimic real-world use: Write tasks that mimic real-world scenarios your users might encounter. This helps you gather more relevant and actionable feedback.
Be clear and specific
Avoid ambiguity: Ensure your tasks are clear and specific. Users should easily understand what they need to do without any ambiguity.
Use simple language
Avoid jargon: Avoid jargon and complex terminology. Use simple, everyday language to ensure all users understand the tasks.
Avoid existing labels: Use different language in your tasks than the labels on your prototype test.
Provide Context
Explain the situation: Provide users with enough context to understand the task. Briefly explain the situation and what they need to accomplish.
Keep tasks actionable
Achievable tasks: Make tasks actionable and achievable. Users should be able to complete them within the prototype's scope.
Avoid leading questions
Neutral wording: Ensure your tasks are neutral and don't lead users toward a particular outcome. This helps gather unbiased feedback.
Prioritize your tasks
Order of importance: List tasks in order of importance. Start with critical tasks that align with your primary objectives.
By following these tips, you can create effective tasks that provide valuable insights into your prototype's usability and user experience.
Examples of effective prototype tasks
Creating tasks that are clear, actionable, and aligned with your objectives is key to effective prototype testing. Here are some examples of well-crafted tasks for different types of prototypes:
E-commerce Website
Product search task
Task: "Find a pair of running shoes under $100 and add them to your cart."
Objective: Test the search and filtering functionality, and evaluate the ease of adding items to the cart.
Checkout process task
Task: "Proceed to checkout and fill in your shipping information."
Objective: Assess the usability of the checkout process and form fields.
Return policy task
Task: "Locate the return policy for the running shoes."
Objective: Evaluate the ease of finding important policy information.
Mobile app
Account creation task
Task: "Create a new user account using your email address."
Objective: Test the account creation process and identify any potential barriers.
Feature exploration task
Task: "Use the app to find the nearest coffee shop and view its opening hours."
Objective: Assess the usability of the location and information retrieval features.
Notification settings task
Task: "Change your notification settings to receive alerts only for new messages."
Objective: Evaluate the ease of navigating and adjusting app settings.
SaaS product
Dashboard customization task
Task: "Customize your dashboard to include the sales performance chart and hide the user activity log."
Objective: Test the customization features and user control over the dashboard.
Report generation task
Task: "Generate a monthly sales report for June 2024 and download it as a PDF."
Objective: Assess the ease of generating and exporting reports.
Support request task
Task: "Submit a support request for an issue with your billing."
Objective: Evaluate the usability of the support request process and user interface.
Banking Application
Balance check task
Task: "Check your current account balance and view recent transactions."
Objective: Assess the usability of the account overview and transaction history features.
Money transfer task
Task: "Transfer $50 to a friend using their email address."
Objective: Test the money transfer functionality and user flow.
Bill payment task
Task: "Set up and schedule a payment for your utility bill due next week."
Objective: Evaluate the ease of bill payment setup and scheduling features.
By crafting specific, clear, and realistic tasks like these, you can effectively test various aspects of your prototype and gather meaningful insights into user behavior and usability issues.