How to do Usability Testing for Your AI Assistant?
AI-enabled devices can perceive their circumstances and learn to make decisions and act upon them in a way which meets its functional goals.
According to a report by Gartner, “By 2025, customer service organizations that embed AI in their multichannel customer engagement platform will elevate operational efficiency by 25%.”
Data and algorithms power the decision-making ability of AI. The unprecedented capability of AI to process data makes it a valuable asset for any usability testing.
What is usability testing?
The term “usability testing” refers to a technical process through which you test a product that incorporates user-focused interactions with potential users. This is a technique through which one can get direct input on how real-life users interact with the program.
Usability testing is an integral part of creating a successful product. It makes sure that the system, once in users’ hands, does not develop confusion and is functioning at expected levels in practical usage situations.
Simply put, usability testing assesses the degree of usability or the ease of using a product. The general process consists of asking users to perform tasks using the product while the research team observes potential problem areas closely.
AI Assistant and User-centric design:
You cannot build a good AI assistant without bringing end-users into the process of design. Since AI assistants communicate with human users using human modes of communication (speaking and writing), the user-product dynamic is different from the standard interfaces based on buttons and menus. Therefore, the AI assistant must be congruent with the end-user needs and not some arbitrary specifications.
How to design usability tests?
- The first step is to envision the learning objectives at each phase of the assistant’s development. In the initial stages of planning, conducting user interviews will give you more clarity on the end goals you need to meet and the issues that need fixing. From this information, sift out the problems that the AI assistant can handle efficiently and plan the features that require implementation.
- When you have developed the assistant and it is ready to be put to the test by real users, it is time to closely scrutinize the degree of compatibility between the user’s needs and the assistant’s solutions. This type of testing can be conducted in any environment- a lab, in an office, or remotely. But the best results are obtained when the test is performed with users and domains that reflect the real-life users and environments the product will have to function in. In the case of employing user personas, it is essential to ensure that the testers can embody similar target audience base profiles.
- When the initial testing session is over, summarize the results and give your organization access to this data. Even though you are done incorporating new elements in the design upon analyzing the user feedback, you should not entirely discard the process of feedback gathering. When the assistant is finally out in the market, reviewing user conversations is the next important step to staying updated on how the assistant performs in a real-life environment.
Eight tips for successful usability testing of your AI assistant:
1. Involving testers early into the process is crucial since otherwise, you run the risk of missing out on a lot of essential data through the development phase of the program.
2. The better the user research, the more your chances of stumbling upon unexpected insights that can elevate the quality of your assistant.
3. The first user test needs to be tackled with the mental preparation that the design will most probably need significant changes. Picking the correct sample size is an uncompromisable requirement.
4. During the test, you need to be careful that any personal bias does not influence the user.
5. The users should be made to feel at ease and comfortable during the process.
6. It is essential to choose skilled quality assurance experts who can conduct the testing process flawlessly.
7. Even if the product is not the finished version, it is important to make it look like it is.
8. The features of the assistant should be replicated in a way that it simulates a real-life user experience.
From navigation to home assistants to home appliances to mobile devices, AI assistants have become an integral part of our daily lives. The need for conducting proper usability tests for AI assistants is not a mere theoretical requirement anymore but a base necessity. Proper usability testing of your AI assistant will ensure the flawless performance of your assistance while enhancing the decision-making power and other essential features of the AI assistant.
