At a GlanceUse the Validate a prototype Quick Answer option to confirm that your prototype is structurally sound and addresses user needs. |
Quick Answer: Validate a Prototype is available on the following subscriptions:
| Flex plan | Seat-based plan |
| Essentials | Startup ✓ (product insight) |
| Advanced ✓ | Professional ✓ (product insight) |
| Ultimate ✓ | Premium ✓ (product insight) |
Click on the following header titles to skip to that section of the article:
- When to Use Validate a prototype
- How to Set Up Validate a prototype
- Launching a Test
- What We Ask Contributors
- Reviewing the Results
Quick Answers allow you to collect recorded video feedback of customers or prospects as they complete tasks and answer questions. The tasks and questions are written for you by UserTesting and designed to answer the most common marketing challenges. You can read more about Quick Answers in Quick Answers: Overview.
Compare two websites is one of the Quick Answers available on the platform. With it, you can understand how people react to a prototype or wireframe in order to make more informed decisions during the development process.
When to Use Validate a prototype
Use Validate a prototype in the Design phase of the development process to:
- Test a prototype or wireframe before building the product
- Understand if a prototype or wireframe solves people's problem
How to Set Up Validate a prototype
1. Quick Answers Input
Click the Create test dropdown menu and select Customize a template.
From the Template gallery, select the Quick Answers filter.
Then, find and click Validate a prototype.
2. Provide a link to the prototype you want contributors to interact with.
The prototype can be any file viewable in a browser, ranging from a static image to a fully interactive prototype.
Important: Make sure the link to the document is set to View, so contributors can't make any changes. For help with sharing your document, see Limit how a file is shared.
Next, describe the activity you want contributors to try. Start your description with a verb, but don't include exact steps, such as "Click on this button. Then this link. Then go…."
The description is added to a pre-written sentence, so it's a good practice to use a lowercase letter for the first word and not end with a period or other punctuation. Quick Answers converts your description into the test questions, so the wording you enter is what people will see.
Some examples include:
- sign up for the newsletter becomes
- Take as much time as you need to sign up for the newsletter
- find out when to report for jury duty becomes
- Take as much time as you need to find out when to report for jury duty
- change your profile picture becomes
- Take as much time as you need to change your profile picture.
Then name your test so that it's easy to recognize from other tests on the dashboard. At this point, you'll need to determine who should take your test.
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Contributors from the UserTesting Contributor Network
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Using Invite Network
Launching a Test
To see a list of all the questions the test asks contributors, click the link under Tasks and Questions. To see what your test looks like to contributors, click Preview Test to the right of the Test Plan Summary, then click Preview Test. When you finish the preview, click the Close button.
ⓘ Note If you realize you need to add or remove a contributor, or you find something you need to change in your test plan—for example, you used the wrong URL or you find a typo, do either of the following:
- Click Contributors to add or remove test contributors.
- Click Edit Details in the upper right. When you are done editing the test, click Save and Go to Order Page.
Click Launch Test to send the test to contributors.
What We Ask Contributors
After you click Launch Test, we send the test to contributors who match your chosen demographics. These contributors then answer any screener questions you added to qualify to take the test.
Here's what we ask contributors based on the questions you answered when you created the test:
For this test, don't pretend to be someone else; we care about your needs and thoughts.
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The design you're looking at is a prototype: a design that's not completely finished yet, so not everything will work like expected. If something does not work, explain what you would expect to happen and move on. Go to the next question to start.
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Take as much time as you need to [activity description].
Note: The answer to this question is where we get the highlights for the video on the Results tab.
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[Rating] Overall, this activity was …? Explain your answer. 1=Very difficult…5=Very easy
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[Verbal] What part of the prototype made it *easy* to accomplish that activity?
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[Written] Summarize your previous answer in a few words; what part of the prototype made it *easy*?
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[Verbal] What part of the prototype made it *frustrating or hard* to accomplish that activity?
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[Written] Summarize your previous answer in a few words; what part of the prototype made it *frustrating or hard*
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[Written] In one sentence describe the purpose of this solution. What problem does it solve or make easier? Describe it in your own words, not using language from the pages you saw.
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[Rating] How valuable is this solution to you? Explain your answer. 1=Not at all valuable…5 = Very valuable.
Note: The answer to this question is where we get the data for the graph on the Results tab.
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[Verbal] Describe how you might benefit from using this. What will it help you do?
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[Written] Write 1–3 words that summarize your previous answer in the box below. How might you benefit?
- [Multiple Choice] From this list select 1 word that describes the *biggest improvement* you would make to this prototype: Aesthetics, Navigation, Trustworthiness, Understandability, Usefulness, or none of the above.
As contributors finish, the software uploads the recorded video to our system. It notifies you by email that the videos are ready to watch (to configure notifications, see "Email notification preferences").
Reviewing the Results
For each test, the dashboard displays the test name, who created it, when it was last updated, and how many contributors have and have not taken the test.
After all the contributors finish, a Result summary appears below the test title.
From here, you can share the results, create a similar test, or move the test to a different location. From the Dashboard, click on a test title to be taken to the Results page.
Results Tab
After running this Quick Answer test, the Results tab shows contributors providing open-ended qualitative feedback describing their most recent experience on a particular task or activity you ask them to complete.
The Results tab is a great place to start for Quick Answers. It summarizes the findings from the test: Do more contributors find the activity likable? Did the contributors express any frustrations? Videos of your contributors' open-ended feedback will display as Key Takeaways under the Results tab.
To read more about the Results tab, check out our Results from Quick Answer Tests article.
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