Comprehension testing

This article applies to: UserTesting 

On this page:

• Build a test plan
• Templates
• Use cases
• Sample test plan

Build a test plan

• Remember that your goal is to observe how a potential customer interacts with your content and whether or not they fully understand the message you are trying to convey.
• First, present your content, and second, find out what they understood about this content and if they grasped your intended meaning without your help.
• Here are some suggested ways to achieve this:
  • Task: Ask your participant to view a piece of content. Ask them to think aloud as they view this content, describing their process and opinions.
  • Verbal response: Ask participants to describe what they just saw or read. Do they grasp the intended meaning? When analyzing the results, watch the video of their responses and look for trends in their answers.
  • Written response: Ask participants to write a 1-2 sentence description of what they just viewed. When reviewing results, look for common topics, words, and phrases.
  • Multiple choice: Ask participants to choose an answer that aligns with their understanding of the concept you are testing. When viewing results, determine how many participants selected the answer you hoped they would. Watch the videos for those who didn’t select the “right” answer to find out why they chose another meaning.
  • Rating scale: Ask participants about their perceptions of how understandable the content was. When looking at results, review the average rating and see if it aligns with your goal. If not, it is a good idea to check the verbal responses to the first task and question.

Templates

We have many templates related to messaging for comprehension, including:

• Messaging comprehension
• Healthcare messaging comprehension
• Data privacy: policy comprehension
• Racial equality: response to messaging

Use cases

• A company that is branching out into a new geographical region, state, or country:
  • Let’s say a European company that decides to enter the US market.
  • They will want to test their messaging comprehension to ensure that potential US customers understand their branding and products and to account for any cultural differences.
  • Please see this resource to read about this real-life use case of a company that worked with UserTesting for comprehension testing.
• Organizational scaling and expansion:
  • If a company experiences a period of growth and will be potentially rolling out new paperwork, either internally or customer-facing, comprehension testing is crucial to ensure policies and legalities are followed.
• New product releases:
  • If an organization is anticipating the release of a new product, or a new version of a product, etc., customers must understand what they are purchasing.
• Gaming/entertainment:
  • A gaming company, for example, might introduce new characters, new landscapes, etc.
  • It is important for the game's players that characters, plots, and entire worlds are clear. This is true for any artistic practice or business, such as film studios, fashion houses, etc.

Sample test plan

The following test plan, "Data privacy: policy comprehension," can be found within our collection of templates. It concerns the kind of comprehension testing you might wish to do with a written policy for customers.

• Task: Please start by finding the privacy policy. Speak aloud as you do so. Once you find it or once 5 minutes have passed, move on to the next task.
• Task: Take as much time to review the privacy policy as you usually would. Please speak aloud about what stands out to you as you do so. Once you have reviewed the policy, move on to the next task.
• Rating scale [Strongly disagree - Strongly agree]: Please rate your level of agreement with the following statement: “It is clear what data is being collected and how the company will use it.” Please explain your rating.
• Rating scale [Strongly disagree - Strongly agree]: Please rate your level of agreement with the following statement: “The language used in the privacy policy is easy to understand.” Please explain your rating.
• Verbal response: What, if anything, makes it **easy** to understand the privacy policy?
• Verbal response: What, if anything, makes it **difficult** to understand the privacy policy?
• Rating scale [Strongly disagree - Strongly agree]: Please rate your level of agreement with the following statement: “I trust this company to handle my data responsibly.” Please explain your rating.
• Written response: What, if any, concerns do you have about how this company handles your data? Summarize your answer in the textbook then explain in detail aloud.

Related content