Usability Testing Metrics and How to Use Them

"Usability testing should always be part of product development. Ideally, it is conducted before release, but in practice it can be useful at different stages. It's worth pointing out that, "testing" isn't a goal in itself. Without knowing exactly what you want to measure, you risk ending up with feedback you can't interpret or act on. Every usability study can focus on a different aspect of the experience, and the right metrics depend on your research goals."

"Task success rate is the most widely used and arguably the most important usability testing metric. It's a simple yes-or-no measure: were participants able to complete the task or not? Most product teams often set a benchmark for this metric, such as requiring at least 80% of participants to succeed before a feature is considered ready for launch. The exact threshold depends on the product, its complexity, and how critical the task is."

Usability testing should always be part of product development and is ideally conducted before release, though it can be useful at different stages. Testing is not a goal in itself; clear measurement objectives are necessary to avoid uninterpretable feedback. Each usability study can focus on different aspects of the experience, and appropriate metrics depend on research goals. In the example scenario, a new "Add to Wishlist" feature is tested with five participants given realistic tasks like "Find a product you like and add it to your wishlist." Task Success Rate measures whether participants complete the task, often with benchmarks such as 80% success before launch.

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