Remote usability testing is a way used to understand how people across geographies interact and behave with the interface you have made, remotely. This testing is moderated by a person who is interacting with the participant using internet sharing tools and a telephone connection. The participant is provided with a set of tasks to complete on screen before the actual start of the session.
During this process, it is advisable to involve one or more silent moderators as the moderator may not be able to record all participant actions and expressions happening during the session. The following are the cons of remote usability testing:
· Security – Security is a big concern for financial based websites as they deal with sensitive information. Remote testing of these websites may lead to several security issues such as sharing secret information, saving of credentials in unauthorized systems, etc. So, it’s better to perform usability testing in a lab and get non-disclosure form signed by participants.
· Need for special equipment – Remote testing needs some special equipment such as VoIP phones, System with configuration that is compatible with WebEx recorder, web conferencing, etc.
· Lack of participant feeling/expression tracking – Moderators can’t see the participant’s expressions or body language during remote usability testing, which refrain them from extracting useful insights from participant facial behavior.
· Need for usability lab – A lab is a must for any type of testing. Remote usability testing definitely needs a lab, as the lab provides an environment such as hardware, software, equipment required for the testing. The lab is useful to monitor the participants clearly and document your observations.
· Lack of informal conversations with participants – Remote usability testing helps you to track participant’s behavior only through formal conversations. Ideally participant’s behavior can be tracked more clearly through informal conversations, as these informal conversations break the barrier between the moderator and the participants, and make participants feel more comfortable with the testing process.
· Need for strong internet connection – Remote usability testing actually requires a strong internet connection from participant end, as this type of testing depends on functioning of WebEx recorder. If there is internet failure, then scheduled testing will be elapsed, which involved rescheduling all usability testing processes
