Overview

Fast Usability allows web designers and developers to receive feedback from users that meet a specific filter criteria (Visit the ORDER TEST page to see how you can choose your testers). A simple concept, but one that is often overlooked or too difficult for smaller websites to accomplish.

Testers will spend at least 15 minutes using your website guided by your test-specific instructions. If 15 minutes does not sound like a lot of time, we recommend visiting Compete and entering your favorite website into the comparison field then check the "average stay" metric. Blogs measure their average stay in seconds. Only the most media-rich websites have average stay times approaching 15 minutes or above.

While our testers will mention any typos or irregular/offensive text, their job is to test and review functionality. If you believe you will need more than 15 minutes of testing, please use the advanced order form, but we recommend running a normal 15 minute test before spending more to extend the test time. You can view tester feedback as it arrives in real-time and at any point you can generate an easy-to-read PDF report containing all the information the testers compiled while using your website.

How it Works

1. Visit the ORDER TEST page and enter as much information as you feel is necessary to receive valuable feedback. Also on this page you can specifiy filter criteria for your testers.
2. Testers sign-in to Fast Usability and are presented with a list of tests to join. They will only be shown tests for which they meet the filter criteria.
3. As testers use your website they answer a survey comprised of 4 standard questions and up to 3 questions defined by you when you place your order. When testers are done using your site they submit their survey and you can then instantly view their feedback. You will also be able to generate a print-friendly PDF file from the tester feedback at any time.

Types of Tests

Website Overview

Our testers will run through your website as a normal visitor would. Normally, they will do their best to perform a broad, rather than deep, exploration of your website. Testers are given a survey to follow and fill out as they experience your website. When you place your order you will be given the option to add your own instructions and questions to the survey to ensure your test yields valuable information.

Functionality Testing

If you have developed new functionality for your website, such as a new way to upload pictures or a way to send messages to other people, you can choose to run a functionality test. During this type of test our testers will target a specific feature and attempt to thoroughly evaluate it. When placing a functionality test order, please be clear as to the exact feature or features you would like tested in the instructions field.

Content Creation

Many websites depend on their community for their success, like YouTube, MySpace, or Flickr for example. When running a content creation test our testers will focus their time on using your website's features to create content. Not only is this a great way to evaluate the content creation process, but it's also useful for seeding your website with real user generated content.

Getting the most out of Fast Usability

Rather than just uploading your website and hoping our testers find everything that's wrong, we recommend the following steps:

• Eat your own dogfood.You'd be surprised at the amount of bugs you can catch by simply running through your website yourself while imagining you were visiting it for the first-time.
• Test the website in different browsers.Don't forget that not everyone uses the same browser you do, including our testers. Browsers render webpages in their own unique way (They shouldn't, but that's another story) and viewing your website in a different browser can turn up issues you may have missed. Yahoo! has a list of "graded" browsers you should review, but at the very least run it in some version of Firefox and Internet Explorer. If you don't have access to any of the popular browsers, you can at least see what your site looks like by visiting Browser Shots or GEOTEK IT NetRenderer.
• Check for broken links. The World Wide Web Consortium offers an easy to use link checker.
• Submit your site to Fast Usability. By completing the previous steps you'll find our results to be much more helpful as our testers won't have to deal with the bugs that just get in the way of finding usability issues.
• For high-demand or new service websites a open beta test may be useful. There's no shortage of beta sites around the web and for good reason. If you are releasing a website to provide a new service to thousand, we'll admit that a number of users that large will find issues with your site that our testers didn't. Even if you plan on running your own open beta, Fast Usability is valuable for two main reasons. First, our testers invest more time and focus than the average open beta tester. Second, any issue resolved prior to your open beta can result in hundreds of fewer bug reports about the same issue allowing you to devote your attention to more elusive issues.

Additional Options

Proofreading

You can elect to have a proofreader go over your website copy and generate a full report of any areas that can use improvement or correcting.