UMUX-LITE: The Go-To Tool for Quick Usability Insights

If you are on the lookout for a reliable tool for quick usability insights then keep reading to learn more about UMUX-LITE. In this article, we will explore UXUM-LITE, how your business can benefit from it as well as real-life examples to better understand its main applications.

Today’s fast-paced market demands equally fast-paced UX research. Agile product development environments mean that sometimes traditional UX research and metrics, although valuable, can be time-consuming and unable to keep up with the continuous improvement manner of building products.

This is exactly where UMUX-LITE comes into play. This practical usability tool is made for speedy yet reliable usability assessments that can provide quick insights without the need for lengthy user surveys.

What is UMUX-LITE?

UMUX-Lite is a cut-down version of the popular usability tool UMUX, which stands for Usability Metric for User Experience Survey.

UMUX-LITE was created as a response to the need for an even quicker alternative to UMUX, which would have the ability to collect reliable user insights in less time, ensuring adoption even by the leanest of businesses.

UMUX-LITE consists of only 2 questions permitting product teams to gauge the usability of a system quickly and efficiently. The concept of this lean usability metric came from James R. Lewis in 2013. Lewis proposed this cut-down version of the original UMUX metric in an effort to significantly reduce the time that users spent completing the survey while retaining the effectiveness of the tool.

This shortened version quickly gained popularity amongst the leanest organizations due to its brevity and reduced survey fatigue.

UMUX-LITE vs. UMUX

To get a full understanding of the value that a usability tool the likes of UMUX-LITE has to offer, a comparison with its predecessor, the original UMUX tool is inevitable.

Here is a quick comparison to help you understand the trade-offs for each tool:

Advantages of UMUX-LITE

If you are not convinced yet about the beneficial properties of the UMUX-LITE tool, here are some of its key advantages to have in mind:

1. Fast data collection & analysis

First things first, one of the most critical advantages of UMUX-lite is that it allows for fast data collection and analysis.

Contrary to traditional usability surveys, which although thorough can take up a lot of time to be completed, UMUX-LITE reduces massively the time required for data collection and analysis.

This can be proved to be particularly beneficial to businesses with agile product development environments that are on the look out for quick usability insights.

2. High correlation with SUS

UMUX-LITE has been found to have a strong correlation when it comes to results with another well-known usability metric the SUS, which stands for System Usability Scale.

The System Usability Scale is a 10-item questionnaire that is highly regarded for its reliability. So why not opt for a shorter survey and reduce survey fatigue if you can get nearly equivalent UMUX-LITE and SUS scores?

Figure 3 shows the UMUX-LITE and SUS scores.

Source: uxpajournal.org

3. Ease of implementation

Another advantage of this handy usability tool is the ease of implementation. Unlike other longer surveys that require a considerable amount of time to plan and integrate, UMUX-LITE due to its straightforward nature can be quickly set up and run in the interface of any digital product!

4. Reduced survey fatigue

Survey fatigue is real and it is a major concern for every type of usability testing. High dropout rates, lower completion rates, and skewed data can be some of the major consequences of survey fatigue, which can hinder the effectiveness of your UX study.

Due to its brevity, UMUX-LITE can significantly reduce survey fatigue and enhance participation rates!

5. Quick iterations

Lastly, another critical advantage of this usability tool is that it allows for quick iterations which are crucial more than ever in today’s fast-paced product development environment.

The straightforward setup as well as the quick data collection and analysis that UMUX-LITE offers, make it an ideal usability tool for fast-paced environments that want to capture the ever-evolving user needs and expectations.

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What are the components of the UMUX-LITE survey?

As discussed, contrary to its predecessor,  the four-item questionnaire, the UMUX-LITE questionnaire consists of only two items.

The users are asked to respond to the survey by rating those two items on a 7-point Likert scale. These questions are designed to capture a general understanding of the usability of the system in question making it perfect for quick usability assessments. Here is what a typical UMUX-LITE survey looks like:

Question 1: ‘This system’s capabilities meet my requirements’: This question is designed to assess whether the system or the feature in question aligns with the user’s needs and expectations.

Question 2: ‘This system is easy to use’: This question is all about evaluating the ease of use and the perceived usability of the system and addressing the user’s interactions with the system.

When to use UMUX-LITE?

UMUX-LITE can be the perfect usability tool for every use case where there is a need for quick insights. On top of that, UMUX-LITE is a highly versatile tool so it can be used in any digital interface whether that might be a website, a platform, or an app.

Here are some key use cases that this metric for User Experience can be handy: 

• Benchmarking: UMUX-LITE is a great way to quickly assess the usability of your product and establish a benchmark that you can then compare with other competitors in your space. Establishing a usability benchmark is also particularly useful in use cases where there are constant design changes, as it helps to keep track of the impact those changes had on the usability of the system.
• Agile Product Development: UMUX-LITE can be a great usability tool in businesses that operate in an agile product development environment. UMUX-LITE allows for quick feedback that can be collected without disrupting the development process. In this way, responses can be collected and analyzed making it easy for changes to be incorporated in each sprint, ensuring that issues are dealt with in a timely matter.
• Feedback Loops: UMUX-LITE can be a practical tool for collecting continuous feedback particularly when your business works with continuous feedback loops that require constant feedback. By implementing this tool you can ensure that your product remains user-centered and that it always meets the ever-changing user needs and expectations.

UMUX-LITE vs. SUS

As briefly discussed one of the key advantages of UMUX-LITE is that UMUX-LITE and SUS scores strongly collerate.

Here is a handy comparison to know the trade-offs for using UMUX-LITE vs. SUS:

How to calculate the UMUX-LITE score?

If you find summing up the score daunting, you can simply follow the below steps. We can assure you that calculating this score is a straightforward process as there are no negative items.

Start by adding the scores of the two questions provided by the user. Subtract 2 from the total number obtained. Than multiply the result by 100/12 or 8.33 to normalise the score (bring it on a scale from 0 to 100).

The higher the score you get the better the usability of your system. A UMUX-LITE score of above 68 is generally considered good.

Real-world applications of UMUX-LITE

UMUX-LITE is a powerful usability tool for every usability study. Here are some real-world applications of this tool to get a better understanding of how you can harness its power:

Reinforcing feedback loops in an early ed-tech startup

An early educational start-up was looking to operate in a continuous improvement manner to hack its way into growing. For this reason, they decided to implement the UMUX-LITE tool to get continuous feedback from their users and ‘feed’ their feedback loops.

Using the UMUX-LITE survey, they managed to implement changes based on feedback without disrupting the overall product development. This massively helped them to stay on track with their product roadmap while maintaining a user-centered approach.

Enhancing the user experience for a Saas mobile app

The product team of a mobile app was working on the overall enhancement of the user experience of their mobile app. To track usability and better understand on a high level how the app performed in terms of its general user experience, the UX research team decided to deploy the UMUX-LITE survey.

After a month of tracking, they found that indeed the UMUX-LITE score was positive and that no action was needed at that point. On top of that, they decided to keep this metric for User Experience as a benchmark for future performance.

Gather UMUX-LITE responses with UXtweak

UMUX-LITE is an invaluable tool that every product team should have in their arsenal. Its straightforward nature allows not only for quick feedback collection but also for quick analysis. Whether you are working with a more rigid product development process or in a highly lean environment that requires constant usability assessment, UMUX-lite is your go-to tool for quick usability insights.

With UXtweak you can easily set up, conduct and analyze UMUX-LITE surveys! Use our survey tool to get started ⬇️

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