In this article, we are going to show you how! This piece will cover everything you need to know about Figma prototype testing. Usability testing with prototypes may sound complicated, but when done right allows you to prevent some serious website issues from happening. After all, it’s better to fail at the prototyping stage than having to fix some post-development mistakes later on, right?
Why is testing Figma prototypes so important?
What if we told you that you could avoid half of your future UX mistakes and start building a user-friendly product even before the beginning of the development process. Well, that’s exactly what prototype testing allows you to do. Instead of fixing flaws in an existing product, you can just prevent them from happening.
Testing your Figma prototypes allows you to collect both qualitative and quantitative feedback from your users early on, see what works and what doesn’t, and prevent yourself from making poor design choices.
What are the benefits of testing your prototypes?
Saves you tons of money
Solving usability problems on an already running website generally will cost you a couple of times more than doing the same but with the Figma prototype. Not to mention all the time and clients you are going to lose as a result of your bad UX choices.
Gives you all types of feedback
You test user flows, discover drawbacks, and evaluate your designs in a way that allows you to gather both qualitative and quantitative feedback. And the best thing is, when recruiting the right participants you can be sure that your studies are unbiased and objective.
Proves or breaks your doubts
Testing Figma prototypes will answer all the confusing questions beforehand, assuring you have a confident launch of your new website or app.
Discovers new ideas
This amount of user feedback will not only help you improve your current design, but also uncover countless opportunities for future development. Getting in close contact with users can sometimes bring insights we didn’t know we needed and even inspire your future upgrades.
When and with whom should you test your Figma prototypes?
The best way to do it is to undertake several rounds of testing during the whole process. The final round of usability testing, of course, should be conducted with a finished interactive prototype so that you can easily follow the user flow and see how they perform certain tasks. We also recommend you conduct some preference tests as you move through the design process. Allow users to reduce your doubts by simply telling you which design variant they like most.
As for the participants, you normally don’t need more than 5 testers for gathering real insights. This number, however, may significantly vary depending on the goals of your study and the methods you choose. Quantitative studies usually require a bigger number of testers as it’s necessary for accurate statistics.
Keep in mind that those people should represent your target audience so take your time and define that user profile.
How to test your Figma prototypes with UXtweak?
Even if it sounds scary, testing your Figma prototypes is a piece of cake when done with the right tool. With UXtweak you can set up a prototype testing study in a couple of clicks and here’s how:
- Register or log in to your UXtweak account
- Name your study, set up a language and ending conditions for the study
- Import your Figma prototype:
- sign into Figma and open the file you want to test
- click the Present button in the header
- click Share prototype in the upper right corner
- copy the link
- Once you have the link, you only need to insert it into the Prototype link field and click Import. UXtweak will do the rest of the work and you should see your designs, including the hotspots appear in the prototype editor. Check out this Figma Prototype testing guide for more details!
- Create tasks for testers to fulfill (as well as the starting points and correct solutions)
- Write instructions, welcome and thank you messages
- Set-up a screening question for your respondents, add some pre- and post-study questions
- Brand your study with the company’s logo and colors
- Recruit respondents. You can share a link to your study via email or social media or set-up a Recruiting Widget on your website and get your real users to participate!
And that’s it, you’re good to go! Now just perform your study, analyze the results and move on to the next stage of creating your user-friendly digital product.
How to get the most of your Figma prototypes: testing tips and tricks
Use real content
The truth is, content directly influences the user’s decision-making process. That’s why using realistic labels and photos is so important. Try to stay away from the “lorem ipsum” labels and texts as well as some unrelated pictures.
Define what you are testing
Setting a clear goal will help you later with analyzing insights. Be specific.
Instead of: “I want to test my Figma prototype” try “I want to know if people are able to log in to the app through my prototype”
Write good questions
Writing good questions is a key to getting high-quality feedback in the usability testing of prototypes. Your questions should be unbiased and not pressure the tester to answer a certain way. Here is a great article from NN Group covering some common biases. It will help you learn how to choose your words wisely.
Test your prototype in different environments
Your product is probably intended to use on multiple devices. Test your responsive layouts as well and make sure everything works perfectly whether it is a desktop, mobile, or tablet.
Don’t change the tasks
If a user finds themselves lost or stuck on the wrong page, instead of changing the task just prepare some follow-up questions. Find out what was the confusion point, why they decided to click there, and what they were expecting to find.
The faster you fail, the sooner you succeed
Testing Figma prototypes is an ultimate way to take a quick glance at the future and be able to prevent the usability issues that may occur on a real website. It assures you launch an already user-friendly product that meets your customer’s needs and expectations. Start running usability tests with your Figma prototypes as a part of the design and development process and improve the performance of your digital products!
