Preference Feedback v. Performance Feedback: Prioritizing After User Tests
You just finished a round of user testing for your app! Good for you. Lessons were learned, errors were spotted, and now you know exactly how to proceed…right?
If you’re anything like my students, the answer is probably not so clear. Luckily, there’s a simple way to prioritize feedback that will give you a great foundation for future testing and that’s Preference v. Performance.
Feedback broadly falls into these two camps. Balancing the two and learning which to focus on will improve the more you practice, but here’s the basic idea: Performance feedback is related to usability and should be considered first. Preference feedback is related to user opinion and may or may not suit your final design. The concept is simple enough, but it can be difficult to adhere to in practice. Here’s what to do.
Preference Feedback
For every phrase that a participant says, pay attention to their opening qualifier. Phrases like “I wish that…” “I don’t like how…” or my favorite, “If it were me…” are prime indicators that you’re about to receive preference feedback. There’s nothing wrong with this, but it’s based on an opinion that’s not as fully formed as yours, the designer. You can listen and take note, but depending on what you’ve already gleaned…
