First-Click Testing

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What is First-Click Testing?

First-click testing determines where users start specific tasks on a webpage. Participants click where they think they should go first to complete a given task.

This test is an excellent user research method for evaluating a page's visual design and layout.

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First-click testing should come after finalizing the navigational structure of your website. It can also work with low-fidelity prototypes, making it an invaluable tool in early UX research.

Here are some tips for conducting first-click testing:

Provide less than 10 tasks.
Write tasks that test the specific part of your website that you want to improve.
Write tasks as realistic scenarios that make sense for typical users.
Provide an “I don’t know where to click” button to avoid random guesses.

Having “I don’t know where to click” as an option is a good practice for increasing the reliability of results.

First-click tests might also include a question asking why the participant clicked somewhere. When analyzing these responses, remember people are usually bad at explaining decisions afterward. Therefore, these answers shouldn't be the basis of big decisions.

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Literature on First-Click Testing

Here's the entire UX literature on First-Click Testing by the Interaction Design Foundation, collated in one place:

First-Click Testing

First-Click Testing shows you where users start their journey.

First-click testing is very simple in concept and is pretty well described by its name; users are given a task and are asked to click on a design representation to indicate where they’d start. The design representation could be nothing more than a pencil sketch through to wireframes or nearly-finished screenshots. Bear in mind that the earlier we begin testing, the better!

The video provides practical advice on getting started:

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References & Where to Learn More

Optimal Workshop’s Chalkmark (first-click testing tool)

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All open-source articles on First-Click Testing

Early-Design Testing

Early-Design Testing is a great way to minimize extra work later in the process.Let’s get started on this exciting topic

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9 mths ago

Getting Started with Early-Design Tests

Example of a tree-testing “pietree” from Optimal WorkshopAs with most research tools, you need to decide what you’re try

405 shares
9 mths ago