Moderated user testing: see where your audience gets stuck and hear why

Lab45 Usability is the moderated user test by research agency WUA. A researcher guides people from your target audience one on one while they use your website, app or prototype and think aloud.

Book an introduction
Illustration of a man at a computer with three speech bubbles above him, while a researcher with a tablet stands next to him and watches

How a user test works

  1. Intake

    You provide the site, app or prototype. Together we choose the tasks.

  2. Finding participants

    We recruit people from your target audience through a fixed panel.

  3. Sessions in one day

    One participant at a time, thinking aloud. Your team can watch.

  4. Findings

    You hear them the same day. A report and a debrief follow.

People use your site and think aloud

  1. A participant does a few tasks and says out loud what they think.
  2. Does someone hesitate? Then the researcher asks: why?
  3. Eight participants do the same tasks. The same spots keep coming back.
  4. What keeps coming back are your sticking points.
Example of a user test on a checkout screenEight participants check out on a phone. One participant wonders out loud whether a code is needed and the researcher asks why. The doubts of all participants come together at the discount code field, the shipping costs and the checkout button.Example: checkout123Do I need to enter a code here?Why do you hesitate here?
  1. The discount code field distracts
  2. The shipping costs come as a surprise
  3. The checkout button does not stand out

What a user test gives you

  1. Recordings of every session

    You can watch every session back.

  2. Findings on the day itself

    After the last session you hear what stood out.

  3. A report

    With screenshots and recommendations, in order of importance.

  4. Illustration of a team looking together at a large screen showing a phone with three orange dots

    A debrief

    With your team we decide what to tackle first.

Where do your customers get stuck?

Book an introduction

How clients use the user test

Kred'it

You're a spectator of your own software. The interview is conducted by a neutral person who has nothing to do with our organization.

Sietske Roozing, product owner at Kred'it
Read the case studyKred'it logo
Couple on a sofa laughing while taking a selfie with an orange phone

Lebara

Lebara has WUA measure its website against the market. Where the figures show a problem, a user test follows.

When we identify friction but aren't sure how to solve it, we conduct additional UX research with Lab45, part of WUA.

Olivier White, E-commerce Project Manager at Lebara
Read the case studyLebara logo

What a user test costs

Investment
from €6,500
Research
one day with a report
Book an introduction

And then?

  • Improve

    We build a prototype of your improvement and test it again.

  • Test with more people

    Want to know how often a problem occurs? The Targeted Flow Analysis tests the same process with more people.

  • Compare with competitors

    In the Website Experience Deep Dive, 200 customers rate your site next to those of three competitors.

Is a user test right for you?

  • You can see where customers drop off, but not why.
  • You want to test a prototype or new design before you build it.
  • You are working on a complicated process, such as checkout or a customer portal.

Lab45 Usability or Targeted Flow Analysis?

See why people get stuck

Lab45 Usability

One on one, with a researcher who asks why. A small group is enough to find the problems.

See how often it happens

Targeted Flow Analysis

Online tasks with more people and no researcher. You see how big a problem is.

The Lab45 Usability next to other research methods
StudyMethodNumber of peopleCompetitorsOutcome
Website Experience Deep DiveReal customers rate the sites2003Scores, advisory report and workshop
Digital Service ScanCustomers do service tasks in their own accountAbout 2003Scores per task, advisory report and workshop
Website AuditExpert review with AI analysisNo customers2Report with priorities
Website Experience SnapshotDeep Dive on 3 partsAbout 150Up to 2Scores, advice and presentation
Digital Market TrackerConsumers search the whole marketAbout 400 per quarterWhole marketDashboard, every quarter
Lab45 UsabilityOne to one, thinking aloud8 to 12No benchmarkRecordings and findings
Mystery shoppingTest customer checks criteria--Findings per criterion
Compare the studies

Frequently asked questions about user testing

How many people do you test with to find the main problems?

Lab45 Usability tests with 8 to 12 participants from your target audience as standard. After a few sessions the same sticking points keep coming back. The aim is to find out where and why people get stuck, not to measure how often it happens.

Who are the participants and how do you find them?

WUA recruits participants who match your target audience through a fixed panel. In the intake we agree on the criteria they must meet, such as age or experience with your product.

What does a user test cost?

Lab45 Usability costs from €6,500. A standard set-up is one research day with a report. More participants or more research days cost more.

What do you get after a user test?

Recordings of every session and the main findings on the day itself. A report with screenshots and recommendations follows, and a debrief with your team.

Do you test remotely or on location?

Both are possible. The sessions can run online or in the Lab45 research lab in Amsterdam.

Can you test a prototype before anything is built?

Yes. You can test a clickable prototype or a design, but also your live website or app. On mobile and on desktop.

What is the difference with a test without a researcher?

In Lab45 Usability a researcher joins every session and asks follow-up questions as soon as someone hesitates. In a test without a researcher, such as WUA's Targeted Flow Analysis, more people take part and you hear them think aloud. Nobody asks why, though.

We already have web analytics and heatmaps. What does a user test add?

Web analytics and heatmaps show where visitors drop off. A user test shows why: you hear what someone thinks at the moment they hesitate. So you know what to change.

Is a small group representative?

No, and it does not need to be: a user test finds problems and their cause. If you want to know how often a problem occurs, the Targeted Flow Analysis with more people is a better fit. To compare yourself with competitors there is the Website Experience Deep Dive.

How long does a user test take?

The sessions take place on one research day as standard. We agree the planning of intake, recruitment and report in the introductory call.

Can we watch live?

Yes. Your team can follow the sessions live, online or in the Lab45 research lab in Amsterdam. Afterwards everyone can watch the recordings back.

What is Lab45?

Lab45 is the name under which research agency WUA runs user tests: one on one, with a researcher present. So Lab45 Usability is a WUA product, just like the Website Experience Deep Dive.

Other studies by WUA

Hear why customers get stuck and know what to tackle first

In an introductory call we discuss your question and what the test could look like.

Book an introduction