Creating effective tasks for a prototype test is crucial for gathering valuable user insights. Participants will take whatever language clues they can get from your task to make it easier. So we recommend avoiding ‘giving away’ the answer so participants are not just matching phrases rather than actually deciding if the information is correct. If tasks include the same language as your prototype test score highly, you can’t infer a lot from the data.
Mimic real-world use: Write tasks that mimic real-world scenarios your users might encounter. This helps you gather more relevant and actionable feedback.
Avoid ambiguity: Ensure your tasks are clear and specific. Users should easily understand what they need to do without any ambiguity.
Avoid jargon and complex terminology. Use simple, everyday language to ensure all users understand the tasks.
Avoid existing labels. Use different language in your tasks than the labels on your prototype test.
Provide users with enough context to understand the task. Briefly explain the situation and what they need to accomplish.
Make tasks actionable and achievable. Users should be able to complete them within the prototype's scope.
Ensure your tasks are neutral and don't lead users toward a particular outcome. This helps gather unbiased feedback.
List tasks in order of importance. Start with critical tasks that align with your primary objectives.
By following these tips, you can create effective tasks that provide valuable insights into your prototype's usability and user experience.
Creating tasks that are clear, actionable, and aligned with your objectives is key to effective prototype testing. Here are some examples of well-crafted tasks for different types of prototypes:
There are three different ways to build tasks in your prototype tests. You can set a correct destination, where the task will be deemed a success if the participant ends the task once they reach that page of your prototype.
You can set a correct pathway, where the task will be deemed a ‘direct success’ if the participant follows that pathway to the intended destination page. In this circumstance, if a participant does not follow the exact path, but does make it to the destination, the task will be labeled an ‘indirect’ success. You can add as many correct pathways or destinations as you like. The third option is to create a task without a correct answer. We’ll walk you through each option.
2. Now it’s time to select a starting screen, this is where your participants will begin their task. Click on the starting screen, then click 'Select'.
3. Next, you need to add a correct answer to your task. Click ‘+ Add a correct answer’.
4. From here, you can decide to set either a correct destination, or a correct pathway.
Navigate your prototype on the right to create the ‘pathway’. The 'correct pathway' you create will become visible on the left of this modal. To delete a step on the pathway, hover over the page and hit the delete icon.
When you have completed your pathway, click on ‘Save pathway'. You can add as many correct pathways as you would like to test.
This is the same process as selecting a starting screen, simply select the screen that you want your participants to reach and hit, “set as correct destination”. If your participants reach this screen and then end their task, the task will be considered ‘successful’.
If you want to create a task without a specific correct answer, you can! For instance, you might ask participants to explore your prototype and share their thoughts. After adding your task description and the starting screen for the task, simply leave the correct answers section blank. We recommend including a post-task question to gather feedback on your design or any other information you need.
When you create a task without a correct answer, participants will be marked as 'complete' instead of 'successful' or 'failed.' Those who finish the task are recorded as complete, those who skip the task immediately are marked as direct skips, and those who click around before skipping are marked as indirect skips.
If you decide to add a correct answer after launching your study, you can do so, and all existing results will be re-categorized as successes or failures accordingly. Any edits you make to the task copy or correct answers will be retroactively applied in analysis.
If you forget to add a correct pathway or select the wrong option for your task, you can go back at any time and fix it, even after the study is live. This new correct pathway will be retrospectively applied to your results, so you don’t lose any participant insights.