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March 3, 2022
There’s a long list of reasons that make site visitors leave a landing page before converting. One culprit could be your page’s usability.
But while a bad conversion rate or other metrics may be raising red flags…
…you’ll need a usability testing tool to evaluate your hypothesis.
In this article, we present a shortlist of web usability testing tools to help pinpoint your landing page usability issues. (+ some important bonus info to help you make a final decision):
Let’s dive in!
Usability testing tools are platforms researchers test and evaluate usability. Usability measures how easy a user interface is to use.
Usability tools provide a central place for researchers to manage each testing element.
Elements often include a facilitator, a participant, and a set of tasks to complete during the recorded session.
Source.
But regardless of the tool type, all usability tests help you uncover:
Why care? When things aren’t easy to use, people won’t use them. Users quickly leave low-usability pages, hurting page stats and conversion rates. By contrast, usability redesigns can improve KPIs by 83% .
One last thing before we move on…
Technically, there is a suite of tools dedicated to each step in the usability testing process.
To be clear, we’re only talking about tools you’d use to conduct a usability test for your website or landing page.
So, what are not usability testing tools?
It can get confusing once you realize:
Just look at all the intersections on this UX tools map:
UX Research Tools Map – Source.
For now, just know that usability testing tools do not help run:
Before you ask yourself, “what tool do I need?” you’ll have to answer, “what do I want to build?”
The tools you need depend on your project!
The usability testing platform you choose should depend on the test you design.
So before you choose a usability tool, do this first:
More detail ahead…
A research-backed hypothesis is an essential ingredient of all the tests we run at Linear .
The primary “goal” in usability testing is obviously to improve usability. But you can put together several hypotheses for things that may be getting in the way of that usability, for example:
“A specific hypothesis or research question should guide your test design. But it can also help the moderator understand what to watch for and challenge during the test.” – Nick Gibson, CRO Director at Linear
“A specific hypothesis or research question should guide your test design. But it can also help the moderator understand what to watch for and challenge during the test.”
– Nick Gibson, CRO Director at Linear
Formulating hypotheses will also make this next step easier.
There are a few kinds of data. Each type can answer a specific question.
For example: Imagine I run an A/B test on two landing page headline variants. I hypothesize that variant B will perform better with my audience. And I’m correct! Variant B had a statistically significant higher conversion rate. But to answer why the variant won, I need a qualitative test.
For example:
Imagine I run an A/B test on two landing page headline variants. I hypothesize that variant B will perform better with my audience.
And I’m correct! Variant B had a statistically significant higher conversion rate. But to answer why the variant won, I need a qualitative test.
Data will always fall into 2 dimensions: qualitative vs. quantitative data and behavioral vs. attitudinal data.
Qualitative data answers questions about why and how to fix.
For example, insights into how users engage with your design and why they react to it the way they do. Findings are fueled by behavior patterns observed during a testing session.
Qualitative testing tools are better for most landing page usability projects. They quickly produce insights on quick wins and potential improvements.
On the opposite end, quantitative data tells you how many and how much.
In other words, Quantitative usability studies serve up numerical metrics . These metrics represent your user group’s performance on specific tasks.
For example: a percentage of users who fail a task or error frequency.
Despite being a more ‘rigorous’ data type, quantitative studies are time-consuming and costly. Quantitative research usually won’t work for fast-moving teams with smaller budgets.
The second type of data is behavioral (what people do) and attitudinal (what people say).
This distinction in the data is useful because what people say and do is often vastly different.
For example, you send me a survey about sleep habits. I might say I sleep 7 hours every night. That’s attitudinal data.
What I do might be different. If you observed me for a week, this behavioral data would report a more accurate count.
Whether quantitative or qualitative, usability tools enable researchers to record behavioral data. They record observations of users interacting with a design.
However, attitudinal data (like from post-test surveys) can complement usability test results.
Sure, attitudinal data often lacks accuracy. But the combination of both types is magic. It can help researchers clarify contradictions in the data and inform solutions.
Look for a usability tool that offers both types of tests if what people say benefits your research.
The last thing to decide is the usability testing method you’ll use.
Features on UX platforms usually reflect distinct testing methods. The right usability research tool will bubble up naturally when you find the right method.
Usability testing methods include:
In a lab environment, a user completes a set of tasks on a computer or mobile device with a trained moderator. The moderator observes their behavior, asks questions, and notes user feedback in real-time.
Pros:
Cons:
A rigidly scripted usability study. Uses a large participant group. Measures users’ performance on a set of specific, quantifiable tasks.
Mimics in-person usability studies–but remotely. Tools with screen-sharing and recording features are used. Moderators guide users through a scripted set of tasks on a page or set of website pages.
Unmoderated remote usability tests collect quantitative and qualitative data on a usability platform.
This method requires users to access a testing tool on their own device. The tool records their behaviors and attitudes using recordings and embedded survey questions.
Users complete a scripted list of tasks on a website, page, or wireframe prototype. Researchers review recorded sessions and data after testing ends.
The scripted opening of a remote unmoderated usability test (Maze).
Session replays are also known as ‘user recordings.’ They’re video reconstructions of unmoderated visitor sessions on your website. Replays capture unscripted mouse movements, clicks, hovers, and scrolls made by users visiting your website.
Now there are a LOT of tools that you can use for usability testing. We’re not here to drown you in them.
We’ve put together a list of 11 web usability platforms you can use, organized by testing method.
So let’s break them down…
If you’re running remote usability tests, you won’t often find a tool that supports moderated usability testing as a standalone service.
More often, full-service remote usability platforms help you run moderated and unmoderated usability tests.
If all you want is remote moderated usability testing, just get a video conferencing tool. Make sure it has screen sharing and recording capabilities.
Here are a couple of options to get you started:
Usability Testing Features: Screensharing + Recording for Remote Moderated Usability Sessions
Data Type: Qualitative
Pricing: Free for all one-on-one meetings under 30 hours. $199.90/year for 1GB cloud recording + recording transcripts.
Mobile Web Testing Option: Users can access service over mobile
Other Details:
Meeting chat allows moderators to send test instructions, links, and task items to testers in a text format. There’s a recording option to capture shared screens, audio, and meeting participants’ faces.
People like it best for its simplicity and user-friendliness.
Usability Testing Method: Screensharing + Recording for Remote Moderated Usability Test
Pricing: Free for 50-minute meetings. Most features require paid plan starting at $180/year, billed monthly.
Offers features like zoom, plus a smattering of “extras” like in-video polling, give researchers multiple options to receive in-session user feedback.
While the free version lets you use basic features like screen sharing and chat, you’ll have to pay for the next package tier to get advanced features like MP4 recordings, live polling and Q&A, file transfer, and recording transcriptions.
People like this option best when they run advanced web meetings.
Other tools for moderated remote usability testing:
Usability Testing Method: Remote Unmoderated Usability Tests
Data Type: Mix
Pricing: Their free model lets you run unlimited tests as long as they’re under 2 minutes long. If you want controls around test design, customized testing variables, or demographic data, you’re looking at $199/user/month on a Pro plan.
Mobile Web Testing Option: Yes
It’s not the most robust usability tool, but it’s cheap, and it’s fast.
The simple setup, at-a-glance reporting, and grab-bag of user research features create a no-fuss testing system for busy teams looking for rapid-fire insights.
But while their prototype navigation feature can sling back a quick performance overview, Usabilityhub lacks tester recording features. The inability to filter participants with screening questions may also deter serious usability researchers from purchasing.
Usability Testing Method: Remote Unmonitored Usability Tests
Pricing:
Mobile Web Testing Option: Yes, but templates are more intuitive for desktop tests
Integrations: Integrates with 7 design prototyping software so you can test usability at every point in the design process.
UserBrain is a user testing tool that primarily promises simplicity.
“A simple tool that lets you create a user test in minutes and get results in just a few hours.” – Userbrain home page
Beyond their marketing tagline, platform features prioritize features that make usability testing easier.
Transparent, flexible pricing, unlimited seats for team members, and multiple package options make Userbrain a great option for multiple budgets and testing programs.
Our ‘mini but mighty’ usability tool recommendations.
These usability testing tools don’t support scripted usability testing methods but are perfect for agile teams who want to see how real users naturally interact with their website.
These solutions are often more affordable and offer other user research tools like heatmaps and customer surveys to round out data from session replays.
Usability Testing Method: Session Replays
Other features: heatmaps, incoming feedback, surveys
Pricing: Free up to 1000 recorded sessions per month, $39/mo for 3000 recordings, $389/mo for a much larger recording volume.
Mobile Web Testing Option: Yes, but not on mobile apps
An industry favorite among marketers and CROs, Hotjar includes several web testing features besides usability testing tools. Still, you do a lot with just the user sessions.
One feature we appreciate is saving clips from session recordings as highlights . You can add labels and comments, save them to folders, and send them to team members via a shareable link. The ‘Collections’ menu also stores and organizes your highlights so you can stay organized while you code test data.
User recordings can’t replace actual interactions with a tester, but it’s a cheap, easy way to spot usability problems. A great go-to option when other robust methods are inaccessible to you.
Other features: Everything from customer journey analysis to AI insights
Pricing: Upon request
Contentsquare is an entire suite of UX and analytics tools, offering a wide range of testing methods like heatmaps, crash error reports, session recordings, interviews, and more.
Content Square Platform
Given the complexity and broad service offering, we’re not surprised the pricing is hidden behind a demo.
Look into this tool if their other features interest you. Pass up for something like Hotjar if you’re more interested in running session replays to improve web usability.
These tools are your one-stop UX shops that also carry the full spectrum of usability testing features. This section includes platforms that often also handle moderated testing logistics like recruiting and screening.
Heads up: comprehensive usability testing solutions don’t come cheap. You have to run a large volume of high-ROI UX projects to make these worth it.
Usability Testing Method: Remote Usability Testing (Moderated and Unmoderated)
Other Features: Live interviews
Pricing: 14-day free trial; solo plans start at $17/mo for 10 yearly sessions ($67/mo for 40)
Lookback is one of the best tools for usability testing because it’s singularly focused on helping you run great remote usability tests.
It’s a well-designed suite of features that let you run live interviews, moderate sessions, create test scripts for unmoderated studies, or invite team members to observe any session in the background. Lookback even tracks screen touches for mobile tests!
Lookback also offers features that make it easy for researchers to process and analyze tests, like,
Teams who prioritize usability testing and don’t care much for other UX capabilities should seriously consider Lookback.
Usability Testing Method: Moderated and Unmoderated Remote Usability Testing
Other Features: Records a mix of qualitative and quantitative data (e.g., tracks time on task and Net Promoter Score)
Pricing: Requires phone call + demo with the sales team
UserTesting is a “video first” platform used to observe users engaging with your designs.
It offers a lot of what the other usability platforms do. You can
What stands out to some researchers is UserTesting’s huge participant panel. You can select specific selection criteria and still get enough participants within a short time frame.
The downside is that UserTesting is very, very expensive. But who knows? If your testing volume is high enough, it may end up being less expensive than recruiting your own participants.
If you’re a smaller company, use the platform but try sourcing testers yourself to reduce costs.
Usability Testing Method: Moderated and unmoderated testing
Other Features: Unlimited testing with your own users; create highlight clips and add labels, tags, and timestamped notes to session recordings.
Pricing: Starts at $500/mo for 40 studies/year.
As you can see, Uzerzoom’s price point is far higher than most of the options so far. But that’s because UserZoom GO does more than record moderated and unmoderated usability sessions. It’s also a recruiting and screening service ( video transcriptions, participant scheduling, and confirmations for moderated testing available in the 1,000/mo plan).
UzerZoom GO is a better fit for teams focusing on usability tests. Check out their classic UserZoom package if you want a full range of UX features like card sorting, surveys, live chats, click testing, and more.
Sometimes mobile experiences hit different…
Usability tools with mobile-style interfaces can help you spot aspects of your landing page design that aren’t easy to use when switching devices.
Here are a few quick mentions for mobile-focused usability testing tools:
Watch a short clip of remote moderated usability testing session using UzerZoom at 6:37
We cover more detail about UzerZoom in the previous section, but we think their mobile testing features are worth a closer look.
Usability Testing Method: Moderated & unmoderated mobile web usability testing
Pricing: Starts at $500/mo (mobile usability testing not available in separate plan)
UserZoom Mobile supports moderated and unmoderated native app testing. Automated recruiting, screening and scheduling services are available with premium plans.
“I think that mobile research, particularly qualitative research, allows you to not just look at the screen but also [the user’s] surroundings…it gives you even more flexibility than the testing of pure web applications in a screen.” – Alfonso de la Nuez, Co-CEO and Co-founder of UserZoom
“I think that mobile research, particularly qualitative research, allows you to not just look at the screen but also [the user’s] surroundings…it gives you even more flexibility than the testing of pure web applications in a screen.”
– Alfonso de la Nuez, Co-CEO and Co-founder of UserZoom
Usability Testing Method: Session replays, chronological session replays
Pricing: Free with 1 user license and 5,000 monthly sessions
Other Details: No dev support or tags needed to use; user frustration signals and notes-taking features speed up session analysis; auto-covers sensitive user info (security compliant)
If you’re currently promoting app downloads for your product or service, UX Cam is an affordable complement to your usual web-based usability testing efforts.
While it’s exciting to go ‘sky’s the limit’ with testing possibilities, you’ll see more improvements by tailoring software solutions to your specific situation.
Trying to improve usability for a landing page or website? Your compatibility with a usability platform will always be defined by a similar set of limitations, like:
When we design landing pages , we test them early and often using hypothesis-centered testing methods.
This also means that logistically difficult, expensive, and time-consuming tests just don’t meet most of our testing goals (i.e., in-person usability studies and usability benchmarking).
So what usability testing tools usually work best?
For usability testing on landing pages, tools that offer unmoderated remote usability testing features meet the bulk of our testing needs.
Consider these descriptions to identify the right usability platform features for you:
Site visitors leave when your landing page is confusing or hard to use.
So when you’re paying for marketing traffic to visit these pages, revealing and fixing usability issues is a no-brainer.
If you’re trying to save your conversion rates ASAP, usability testing tools with session recording or remote unmoderated usability capabilities are our go-to’s.
Just remember: when you get a tool, have an expert ready to use it. (Plus design, research, hypothesize, prioritize, implement, and analyze tests too).
And if that process feels overwhelming? Easy. You can talk to our experts about ways to help make your landing page the best it can be.
Using data collected from our in-depth audit, we’ll deliver a detailed plan to grow your business month after month. Your proposal includes:
WRITTEN BY
Ariana Killpack
Like what you read?
Your free proposal is overflowing with improvements.
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