Why you should add a Usability Evaluation to your Design Process

In product design, it’s common for teams to brainstorm, critique, and iterate on prototypes and then jump straight into usability testing with users. But what if there were a step you could add that improves your design outcomes before you ever run a test?

A usability evaluation is just that step and it can save you time, money, and headaches down the line.

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What Is a Usability Evaluation?

A usability evaluation is a structured review of a design prototype or working product. It focuses on 5 key aspects of usability:

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• Task Success - Can a user complete the task successfully?

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• Architecture - How easy or difficult is it to discover?

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• Language - How easy or difficult is it to understand?

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• Feedback - How easy or difficult is it for a user to understand what they’re doing?

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• Interaction - How easy or difficult is it to use?

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By systematically reviewing these areas, you can identify key usability issues before they reach your users, making your subsequent testing sessions more focused and effective.

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Why It’s Worth It

Adding a usability evaluation to your process brings multiple benefits:

• ✅ Improves your product design
  You’ll catch issues early and design more user-friendly experiences.
  
  
• 🤝 Encourages collaboration across disciplines
  Involving UX designers, content designers, researchers, and service designers leads to more holistic insights.
  
  
• ⏱ Saves time and money on testing
  By uncovering obvious usability issues earlier, your usability testing with users can be more efficient and conclusive.
  
  

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A Team Effort   

When done collaboratively, a usability evaluation is a great opportunity to share knowledge and learn from each other’s perspectives, especially when multiple design disciplines are involved.

And when it comes time for usability testing with users, you’ll go in more aligned and with more clarity, stronger prototypes, and confidence that your team is on the right track.

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Need Help?

If you’re new to usability evaluations or want expert input, we’d love to support you. Whether you're looking for advice or a full independent review, get in touch - we’re here to help make your product better.

If you want to learn more about how to conduct a usability evaluation, check out this article: From Noise to Insight: A Framework for Usability Metrics with Impact

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