97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know

Chapter 77. Know When and How to Build a Usability Lab

Rich Buttiglieri

There are several research methods that can make use of a usability lab, such as design walk-throughs, focus groups, and usability studies. A formal usability lab is a useful tool in conducting these studies, though it is not at all mandatory. You can easily run a usability study with just yourself facilitating each participant, either remotely with a screen sharing application or in person.

When Would I Need a Lab?

There are two main functions of a lab:

• Allows observers to watch a session live without risk of interference

• Records the session from different camera angles for later analysis

Watching in person from an observation room encourages team building and collaboration. This is especially important for in-the-moment analysis. You can record most digital interfaces via screen sharing applications such as Zoom, but a lab allows you the ability to record interactions with physical devices. A lab also helps to support the importance of usability research in your organization and promotes customer loyalty by showing them you value their feedback.

How Expensive Is It to Build?

Lab equipment and room modification costs can vary wildly from a few hundred dollars to tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Usability labs come in all shapes and sizes, from remote testing with a screen sharing application ...