CUT is a framework for doing Remote User Tests on a regular monthly basis with low effort and budget.
Remote user tests are one of the most efficient ways of doing qualitative research. If we make course directions earlier and more often, we‘ll waste less effort and we‘ll create a bigger impact. To achieve this we set up a straightforward framework – the Continuous User Testing framework.
With the CUT framework you follow these principles:
If you have everything mentioned here, you can directly start with your first Testing Sprint!
3 – 5 people per month
2 weeks prep time (at least for the first Testing Sprint)
1 full-day free time slot for the Testing Day per month
500 – 900 € for user recruitment budget per month
1 paid Zoom account (or any other conference software of your choice)
1 paid Miro or FigJam account (or any other white board software of your choice)
Timebox: 1h
Participants: Insights Owner (owner), Prototyping Team, Interviewer (optional), Testing Master (optional)
Questions to be answered:
Insights Owner:
Recruits users via TestingTime agency (at least 1 week before Testing Day)
Prepares Notes Board
Invites Stakeholders to interviews of Testing Day and Testing Review
Prototyping team:
Creates prototype if needed (close collaboration with the Interviewer): How to create a prototype
Interviewer:
Creates and optimizes the Interview Guide based on the Insights Owner hypothesis (also close collaboration with the Prototyping Team):
Interviewer:
Sets up / updates appointments for all events
Sets up / updates Slack group if needed
Timebox: 0,5h
Participants: Insights Owner (owner), Prototyping Team,
Interviewer, Testing Master (optional)
Things to be checked:
Insights Owner:
Are all users set (did we get all signed Legal Documents back)?
Is the Notes Board prepared and working?
Do important Stakeholders know about the interviews and Testing Review and will a few of them join the interviews?
Prototyping team:
Is the Prototype prepared and working?
Interviewer:
Is the Interview Guide finished?
Is the paid Zoom account setup and working?
Do we have plan bs for eventually occurring problems (e.g what if sharing the screen of users doesn't work?)
Timebox: 1d
Participants: Interviewer (owner), Insights Owner as Observer, Prototyping Team as Observers, Stakeholders as Observers (optional), Users, Testing Master (optional)
Timing:
3 - 8 users, 30 - 60 min interviews, 30 min breaks in between, and 30 min debriefing at the end of the day
Set-Up
Insights Owner:
Zoom (records conversation)
Interview Guide
Slack group (everything else muted)
Observers:
Zoom (with the camera turned off and muted )
Interview Guide
Miro Notes board
Slack group
Interviewer
Uploads recordings to a central storage location at SharePoint
Insights Owner:
Prepares insights for Testing Review meeting
Set himself a reminder to delete recordings after max. 3 months
Timebox: 2h
Participants: Insights Owner (owner), Stakeholders, Prototyping Team (optional), Testing Master (optional), Interviewer (optional)
Outcome
A clear understanding/list of action items / what have we learned and what can we do with it.
Presentation and discussion
Insights Owner:
Shares top insights with the whole team via Slack or other meetings (e.g. Demo, UX Chapter Meeting)
Schedule a free and non-binding analysis call on how to start creating truly user-centred products by doing Continuous User Testing.
Oliver Heigl
Freelance UX Designer
Hannes Kallina
UX Researcher
