• CreatiFI rewards creative ideas like UXprobe’s project: ‘UXvue’, an innovative usability testing system.
• UXvue was selected out of 126 projects from 15 European countries

End of November 2015, UXprobe has been granted €100,000 by CreatiFI – European accelerator for the creative industry. Out of 126 submissions from 15 European countries, CreatiFI selected the 9 best proposals. ‘UXvue’ was among them!

We developed an innovative usability testing system, insightful and easy to use: ‘UXvue’. We are going to use the grant to push ‘UXvue’ to the market.

Watch users’ behavior in real time in the ‘real world’

‘UXvue’ allows companies to test the usability –Is it easy to use? Are the users happy with it?– of their website or application by watching users’ behavior in real time in the ‘real world’.

Usability lab: a limited view

Usually to see how easy software or devices are to use, we do a series of tests in a usability lab.

Test users are invited for a test session in a fake environment that is supposed to reproduce the place where people usually would use a device or software: a living room, an office, etc. The observer behind the glass, usually a UX expert, can analyse the behavior, record how people are interacting with the device or software. He/she can analyse and interpret the users’ behaviors and feelings.

But a laboratory is very limited: both geographically and in time!

You can only invite users who are located nearby. Such a laboratory costs a lot of money to manage: the equipment, the location, the skilled professionals. Typically you would do it for a short period of time and with a limited number of test users. You will get results on how easy your software is to use, and how happy are the users testing it –but the scale shall remain very small. And your results might suffer from lack of real accuracy.

What is ‘UXvue’

‘UXvue’ is very quick and simple; with a click on a link, test participants can do the test right where they are: in the street, at home or at work.

There are 2 different tests possible:

  • Unmoderated Test: the participant receives a link and follows the instructions.
  • Moderated Test: if the website or web application is particularly complicated, or if there are copyright issues. It is possible to have a one-on-one moderated session. The participant will then receive an invitation; a time is scheduled. The session will be like a video call or a Skype.
Unmoderated test

The whole test is very simple. Usually only one short task is asked to be performed, for example “Order the toy ‘Make your own robot’”.

The test user can see clearly the instructions they have to follow:
– Go where you normally would use your computer
– Speak out loud whatever is in your mind
– Try to complete every task like you normally would

No need to login in any account, remember a password, or download and install any software. The only installation required is to add an extension to the browser by clicking on one button.

Moderated test

In the example in the picture, a family is choosing a birthday present on the tested website “Bart Smit”. The UX expert can guide them through the test, make sure they understand the steps they have to follow. He/She can write down on site the final question to better understand their satisfaction: “How difficult or easy was it to buy some presents for your child?”. Then it’s easy to gather a feedback on why the task seemed difficult for the user.

The sessions can be re-watched and analyzed afterwards

In both cases (unmoderated & moderated tests), the UX expert can look at the sessions afterwards and analyze the results, both from the recorded session and the dashboard where all the data were collected. In the dashboard, on the left side, the UX researcher can see the summary of the session. The family started the task “Birthday present” and abandoned it. The question he/she asked “How difficult or easy was it to buy some presents for your child?” is there and the answer: difficult.

Moreover, just as in a lab, the UX researcher can also watch again what the person did in the website, where she hoovered over, where she actually clicked, etc. The UX researcher can also analyze the behavior and feelings from the video that was recorded during the test session.

But the differences with the lab are multiple and of importance:
– the person is at home, not in a fake environment
– the person does the test on her own device
– the person could be located miles away from the tester

Analyse and display data to understand a group of test users

Then, of course, it is possible to look at the bigger picture: the group of test users.
“How many could/could not complete the task?” “How satisfied were they in average?”

‘UXvue’ dashboard provides all the relevant information regarding User Experience.

Why we were chosen by CreatiFI and why this is much more than money

CreatiFI, one of the 16 FIWARE Accelerators, will support UXprobe in bringing their new product to the market, providing intensive mentoring on go-to-market strategy and investor readiness. The accelerator provides access to a European network of creative professionals, investors and corporates who are interested to buy from, or work with startups.

“In the first phase of CreatiFI, we supported 59 companies across Europe to translate their business idea into a working prototype, powered by FIWARE enablers. During the second call, we looked for more mature innovative services and applications which could generate substantial impact in the creative industries. UXvue was selected as it clearly provides a more efficient workflow and thus a clear efficiency gain for creative professionals when testing their UX. We’re very pleased to have them on board”, explains Ingrid Willems, FIWARE Program Manager at iMinds – the Flemish digital research and incubation center.

With the support of the CreatiFI ecosystem, Jan Moons –UXprobe’s co-founder and UX expert– could develop his first idea into a working prototype. Now, with this additional €100K, we will be able to integrate that service within UXprobe and to offer it to our customers.

If you want to know more about ‘UXvue’ or CreatiFI program, do not hesitate to contact us!

ADDITIONAL INFO

We got some nice articles in the online Press
In Dutch: Bloovi, De Tijd, Smart Business Strategie, Digimedia NL
In English: Startups.be
In French: Digimedia FR

and in the paper Press:
DE TIJD – 12/10/2015
Article in “Technologie”: “100.000 euros voor Antwerpse start-up UXprobe” by Ben Serrure


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Isabelle Dro Digital MarketerIsabelle Dro
Director of Communications