What Is Concept Testing?

What Is Concept Testing?

When Should I Run Concept Tests? 

How Can I Do Concept Testing With UserTesting?

What Is Concept Testing?

A concept test is when you gauge user feedback of an idea in the early stages of the idea’s development. The concept can be anything that communicates the idea you want to test, from a static image to a low-fidelity prototype—even only a description of the idea (supplemented by no visuals) is sufficient to do a concept test. 

Also, a concept test can be conducted as a moderated or unmoderated test. Typically, such a test lends itself better to a moderated study because you’ll then have the opportunity to ask contributors in real-time follow-up questions as to what about the concept they like or find confusing.

When Should I Run Concept Tests? 

A concept test generates insights as to whether customers understand and would want to use the product or feature. The resulting customer feedback can guide you when it comes to developing the idea being tested.

How Can I Do Concept Testing With UserTesting?

Testing concepts can be as straightforward as providing contributors a link to an image, a doc, or a mock-up/prototype (as a starting URL), and then asking questions to capture user impressions of the concept.

When devising your test plan, set the expectations of contributors by including a note in the Scenario and/or Other requirements fields to make clear that you’re testing a concept or an idea—not a fully developed, interactive website or app. This way contributors don’t focus on the functionality of the website or app but rather its concept.

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