Ecommerce Site Usability Testing

The key to effective usability testing? Approaching it with a Human-Obsessed mindset. This is crucial. It determines whether your improvements are based on assumptions or real user insights. It guides how you engage with: → User needs → Common tasks → Pain points → and Preferences throughout their journey on your site. Usability testing isn’t straightforward. It requires a deep understanding of user behavior and continuous refinement. How do you start a Human-Obsessed usability testing approach? Follow these steps: 1. Set Specific Goals — Focus on areas like navigation and checkout.  — Know what you aim to improve. 2. Match Test Participants to Users — Ensure your participants reflect your actual user base.  — Diverse feedback is key. 3. Design Realistic Tasks — Reflect common user goals like finding a product or making a purchase.  — Keep it real. 4. Choose the Right Method — Decide between moderated (in-depth) and unmoderated (scalable) tests.  — Pick what suits your needs. 5. Use Effective Tools — Leverage tools like UserTesting or Lookback.  — Integrate analytics for comprehensive insights. 6. Create a True Test Environment — Mirror your live site.  — Ensure participants are focused and undistracted. 7. Pilot Testing — Run a pilot test to refine your setup and tasks.  — Adjust before full deployment. 8. Collect Qualitative and Quantitative Data — Gather user comments and behaviors.  — Measure task completion and errors. 9. Report Clearly and Take Action — Use visuals like heatmaps to present findings.  — Prioritize issues and recommend improvements. 10. Keep Testing Iteratively — Usability testing should be ongoing.  — Regularly test changes to continuously improve. Human-Obsessed usability testing is powerful. It’s how Enavi ensures exceptional user experiences. Always. Use it well. Thank us later.

Huel are currently AB testing a full site redesign. Some visitors see the old version, while others are redirected to the new version. I've worked on multiple full-site AB tests and found them to be immensely valuable: • New site designs often underperform initially as they're designed to delight the ecommerce team "we're so proud if it" rather than potential customers • There are usually rough edges that only become apparent when real users interact with the site at scale. To make the most of a full-site AB test: • Prepare like-for-like tracking so you can compare progression and interaction across user journeys • When you identify potential weaknesses, run targeted user research on those areas with real customers to rapidly address issues. Ensure tools for surveys, user testing invitations, session recordings, heatmaps etc are ready in the new site version so you can dig in and learn without delays Round of applause to Huel for using experimentation as a core part of their strategy, not just to "add polish".

A few years back, I was working with an e-commerce client who was struggling with low conversion rates. We decided to take a deep dive into user behavior to identify pain points. Using Hotjar, we were able to see exactly how users were interacting with their website. We noticed that many users were dropping off during the checkout process. By analyzing heatmaps and user recordings, we identified areas where the checkout flow could be simplified. We used Google Optimize to test different checkout variations, such as reducing form fields and streamlining the payment process. These small UX improvements led to an 17% increase in conversions. Have you ever used user testing tools to identify and fix conversion bottlenecks on your website?

Do you even resonate? A show where I do actual message testing on real websites. This episode: Zoovu (volunteered by Marc Cousineau). We tested their home page with the Head of Ecommerce audience. What did we learn? Clarity and interest to learn more are both 3.7/5. Solid! People mostly get what they do. What can they do better? As one ecommerce leader said: "My first reaction is 'Sure, okay.' I've read/heard this line many times before." • They are describing themselves as if they're the only ones doing what they're doing, but their ICPs feel otherwise and wonder how they're different • Relevance: folks immediately wonder if it integrates with their platform (Demandware, SAP, Shopify etc), but it's not discussed • What's the implementation time? White glove offered? Don't know. • It's AI heavy, so folks wonder about AI training time and accuracy. They'd like to see a self-serve demo. • The home page is way too long, and it turns people off. Research on this is also clear: the more ideas you want to communicate, the fewer people remember any of them. • Key product images would be better as gifs as currently, they fail to communicate the product in a clear and compelling way Want to be featured in a future episode? Comment with your URL and ICP. Thank you! #doyouevenresonate

Sometimes QA teams skip this test type. Yet it’s the one that impacts users the most. Here’s your quick Usability Testing Mini Guide: ✅ 1. Define clear usability goals Decide what “good” looks like. Measure task success rate, completion time, and satisfaction. ✅ 2. Pick the right method Moderated, unmoderated, or remote. Match the test to your goals and resources. ✅ 3. Use realistic user scenarios Focus on actual workflows like “checkout,” “apply filter,” or “create account.” ✅ 4. Recruit real users Get both new and experienced users to uncover different challenges. ✅ 5. Let them think aloud Silence speaks volumes. Watch where users hesitate or get stuck. ✅ 6. Track key metrics Completion time, number of retries, and error rates show real patterns. ✅ 7. Capture quotes and emotions A comment like “I can’t find the button” is pure gold for UX improvement. ✅ 8. Watch sessions back Tools like Hotjar or Lookback help you see recurring pain points. ✅ 9. Prioritize issues by impact Fix blockers in navigation, content, or layout first. ✅ 10. Retest fixes Validate that your changes actually solved the problem before closing it. A technically perfect product can still fail if users find it confusing. Usability testing ensures your product feels as good as it functions.

Try to buy something on your own site using only your keyboard. No mouse. Just tab, enter, and arrow keys. Most ecommerce operators have never done this. Which is probably why 88% of accessibility lawsuits last year cited keyboard navigation failures, and why the brands getting sued keep acting surprised. Here is the part that should bother you more than the lawsuits though. The five barriers showing up most in litigation are the same five things ending purchase attempts every single day. 1. Keyboard navigation.  2. Site landmarks that help shoppers find their cart.  3. Screen reader compatibility for customers who are blind.  4. Clear button and link descriptions.  5. Alt text on product images. Each one is a legal liability and a silent conversion killer at the same time, and most brands are aware of neither. People with disabilities control $13 trillion in global spending power. They are not a niche. And when they hit a barrier on your site, 43% abandon the purchase and most never come back. One more thing. If you installed an accessibility toolbar and considered it handled, AudioEye's 2026 report has news for you. 38% of businesses sued last year had one. The widget does not fix the underlying barriers. It just makes you feel like you did something. Full report linked in comments. There is also a free scanner that shows you exactly where your site stands right now. #AudioEyePartner

⏱️ How To Measure UX (https://lnkd.in/e5ueDtZY), a practical guide on how to use UX benchmarking, SUS, SUPR-Q, UMUX-LITE, CES, UEQ to eliminate bias and gather statistically reliable results — with useful templates and resources. By Roman Videnov. Measuring UX is mostly about showing cause and effect. Of course, management wants to do more of what has already worked — and it typically wants to see ROI > 5%. But the return is more than just increased revenue. It’s also reduced costs, expenses and mitigated risk. And UX is an incredibly affordable yet impactful way to achieve it. Good design decisions are intentional. They aren’t guesses or personal preferences. They are deliberate and measurable. Over the last years, I’ve been setting ups design KPIs in teams to inform and guide design decisions. Here are some examples: 1. Top tasks success > 80% (for critical tasks) 2. Time to complete top tasks < 60s (for critical tasks) 3. Time to first success < 90s (for onboarding) 4. Time to candidates < 120s (nav + filtering in eCommerce) 5. Time to top candidate < 120s (for feature comparison) 6. Time to hit the limit of free tier < 7d (for upgrades) 7. Presets/templates usage > 80% per user (to boost efficiency) 8. Filters used per session > 5 per user (quality of filtering) 9. Feature adoption rate > 80% (usage of a new feature per user) 10. Time to pricing quote < 2 weeks (for B2B systems) 11. Application processing time < 2 weeks (online banking) 12. Default settings correction < 10% (quality of defaults) 13. Search results quality > 80% (for top 100 most popular queries) 14. Service desk inquiries < 35/week (poor design → more inquiries) 15. Form input accuracy ≈ 100% (user input in forms) 16. Time to final price < 45s (for eCommerce) 17. Password recovery frequency < 5% per user (for auth) 18. Fake email frequency < 2% (for email newsletters) 19. First contact resolution < 85% (quality of service desk replies) 20. “Turn-around” score < 1 week (frustrated users → happy users) 21. Environmental impact < 0.3g/page request (sustainability) 22. Frustration score < 5% (AUS + SUS/SUPR-Q + Lighthouse) 23. System Usability Scale > 75 (overall usability) 24. Accessible Usability Scale (AUS) > 75 (accessibility) 25. Core Web Vitals ≈ 100% (performance) Each team works with 3–4 local design KPIs that reflects the impact of their work, and 3–4 global design KPIs mapped against touchpoints in a customer journey. Search team works with search quality score, onboarding team works with time to success, authentication team works with password recovery rate. What gets measured, gets better. And it gives you the data you need to monitor and visualize the impact of your design work. Once it becomes a second nature of your process, not only will you have an easier time for getting buy-in, but also build enough trust to boost UX in a company with low UX maturity. [more in the comments ↓] #ux #metrics

Test your top product pages on mobile incognito to spot hidden UX blockers Most eCommerce customers will never see your site on desktop. They browse, compare and buy on mobile. Yet too many brands still optimise their sites with a desktop-first mindset. A simple 5-minute check can reveal costly UX issues: Open an incognito window on your phone. Search for your top product or category. Click through to your own site. Try to add the product to cart and move toward checkout. Note every point of friction, pop-ups, slow load times, buttons that don’t fit the screen, confusing navigation. Why this matters: Incognito removes cookies and saved logins, so you experience your site as a new customer would. Even small blockers, a broken filter, an oversized modal, a payment step that doesn’t load, can kill conversions. Google’s algorithms increasingly reward mobile UX, meaning these fixes help both SEO and revenue. You cannot optimise what you have not experienced yourself. Question: When was the last time you tested your own checkout on mobile, start to finish? #ecommerce #UX #SEO

Here's a 5-minute test every operator should run today: I see way too many ecommerce sites where I feel like I’m being pulled in a hundred directions at once: a 10% off popup, a $15 banner, a quiz offering its own discount, and another form asking for my email...all within the first 30 seconds of showing up on the site. Sigh. If you haven’t done this already here's the test: Open your site in an incognito window and shop like a new visitor. What shows up first? Is it clear where to go or what to do next? Or do you feel overwhelmed? Start by writing down every message you see: pop-ups, banners, offers, quizzes. How many of them overlap? How many conflict with one another? Then follow a typical shopping path. Opt in to email for a discount. Click a product. Add to cart. Try to check out. Take your quiz if you have one. If you have an extra couple of minutes, do it all again in private mode on your phone. Actually maybe do phone first since that's where most shopping happens. Now, start fixing it. Pick ONE clear offer and let it shine. If someone already gave you their email, no need to ask again 5 seconds later. And that quiz? It should do more than play 20 questions. Make sure it’s actually helping shoppers feel good about buying. Same goes for your forms. Think about it: would you enjoy shopping on your website? If not, you have work to do. Do you want more conversions? (the answer is yes) Let's get it done.