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Learn how to collect information about where people live, work, and shop, and the context in which they make decisions within those environments. |
This article applies to: UserTesting
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Use cases
Seeing a person interact with or use a product in their environment allows you to be virtually in their shoes. The UserTesting platform allows you to…
- See, hear, and talk to people remotely as they engage with your products, apps, and messaging in their environment.
- Quickly gather perspectives from customers interacting with your product or service in their environment so you can adapt to better meet their needs.
- Ask participants to show you their surroundings, such as a living room, kitchen, or the inside of their vehicle.
- Ask participants to show how they interact with a product in their home, such as a thermostat or a toaster, including the unboxing of new products.
- Collect feedback on destinations participants can visit, like a grocery store or a clothing boutique.
In-home testing
Use cases
In-home testing is versatile and provides invaluable insights into how users interact with products, services, or experiences in their natural environment. Here are some common use cases for in-home testing:
- Unboxing experience
- Setup and installation
- Daily use
- Smart home devices
- Mobile or tablet app usability
- Food and meal kits
- E-commerce delivery
- Home entertainment
- Cleaning or household products
- Children's toys or educational products
- Health and wellness
- Cooking or food prep tools
- Consumer electronics
- Work-from-home products
- Home improvements or DIY products
- Beauty and personal care
- Accessibility needs
- Internet-of-things (IoT) ecosystems
Best practices
- Pinpoint key moments of the customer journey you'd like to observe, such as unboxing, initial setup, or routine use.
- Design the tasks and questions to guide participants through the experience. Focus on open-ended tasks to get authentic, unscripted feedback, e.g.: "Use this app to complete [specific task] in your living room or kitchen."
- For physical products, arrange for them to be shipped to participants in advance, ensuring they arrive before the test. We recommend working with our Professional Services team for this.
- For digital experiences, participants can use UserTesting’s mobile or desktop recorder to capture their screen and voice while performing tasks at home.
- For physical or contextual testing (like using a product in their kitchen), participants can use their smartphone cameras to record themselves.
- Ask participants to narrate their experience while showing the environment they’re in ("What challenges, if any, do you encounter using it here?"). This helps you understand factors like lighting, distractions, or how the product fits into their lifestyle.
- Inform participants of what you’re recording, and avoid requesting footage of sensitive spaces.
- Avoid scripting the experience too tightly to get more authentic feedback.
Unboxing
Observing unboxing experiences, where users open packaging, read instructions, and interact with the product for the first time, can be greatly informative. Keep these tips and steps in mind:
- Screen for individuals willing to participate in one test where they buy a product using a gift code and a follow-up test where they unbox that product when it arrives.
- In the first test, provide participants with a gift code, coupon code, or another method of obtaining the product without paying for it themselves.
- Blur the steps where they conduct the purchase to avoid collecting their physical address or other personally identifiable information (PII).
- Specify those participants who completed the first test to complete the second test. They will take the second test while unboxing the product when it arrives.
- Note that you cannot ask UserTesting Network contributors for their addresses to send products directly to them. Doing so violates the Terms and Conditions for both you and the contributor. Request assistance from the UserTesting’s Professional Services team to assist you in shipping products.
In-store testing
Use cases
In-store testing is crucial for understanding how customers interact with products, displays, and the retail environment in real-world shopping scenarios. Here are some common use cases for in-store testing:
- Retail product placement
- Packaging evaluation
- Endcap or promotional displays
- Signage and wayfinding
- In-store technology and kiosks
- Shelf navigation
- Checkout experience
- Competitive analysis
- Customer journey insights
- New product launches
- Loyalty programs or membership features
- Store layout optimization
- Sampling and demonstrations
- Seasonal displays and promotions
- Employee interaction and training
- Sustainability and eco-friendly options
- Accessibility needs
- Omnichannel experience
Best practices
- Determine what you want to learn or improve. Ask yourself questions like, "Are shoppers noticing a new product or display? Is the store layout intuitive? How does the in-store experience impact purchasing decisions?"
- Set up your study as two tests to help recruit people willing to go to a destination outside the home.
- In the first "recruitment" test, collect background information about the participant, including needs and expectations, to better understand them.
- In the second test, specify those participants who completed the first step and leverage the camera task to have the participant share their mobile camera view and provide feedback on that destination.
- Include both observational tasks (e.g., “Record yourself walking through the store to find a product”) and reflective questions (e.g., “What did you think about the layout or signage?”).
- Mobile self-guided tests: Have shoppers use their smartphones to record themselves via camera tasks as they perform tasks in the store, providing a first-person perspective.
- Live Conversations: Schedule one-on-one interviews where participants walk through the store with a moderator to capture real-time reactions and feedback.
- Shop-alongs: Ask participants to simulate a typical shopping trip while providing feedback on what stands out, feels confusing, or motivates purchases.
- Ensure participants know what they need to do before entering the store. Be clear about:
- Which store to visit (provide location or chain name).
- Tasks to complete and products to find.
- Specific areas or displays to interact with.
- Permissions: Check with the store to ensure permission for participants to record their experiences (if necessary).
- Timing: To avoid unnecessary crowd-related stress, ensure the test takes place during normal shopping hours and not during peak times.
- Ask participants to show their surroundings in the video (e.g., shelves, signage, aisles) to understand the store’s layout and context.
- After the in-store experience, ask participants follow-up questions to understand their overall impressions, such as, "What stood out to you about the store or product? Were there any challenges or frustrations during the process? Would you return to this store, and why?"
Templates
UserTesting has several templates to help you set up your in-home or in-store test.
- Black Friday: recent in-store experience
- Connected device in-the-wild
- Customer environment and context
- In-store experiences
- Mobile camera: digital to in-person experience
- Mobile camera: in-person experience recruitment
- Mobile camera: in-person product
- Mobile camera: in-person retail experience
- Sustainable products in-the-wild
- Voice interaction evaluation
- VR app live experience test
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