Usability testing

Usability testing identifies problems. Researchers and designers use this type of testing in many fields, including software, web and document design. We are designers not just testers.

Testing of medicines leaflets has been recommended in the EU since 1998. We’ve been doing it for longer – since 1997 in fact – taking instruction from the Australians, whose programme began in the early 1990s. User tested patient information has been legally required for medicines leaflets in the EU since the European Directive 2004/27 took effect.

We follow the guidance

The European Commission and some regulatory authorities have published guidance on possible methods for consultation. The user testing method most commonly used is similar to the Australian method – the same method we’ve been using for over a decade.

This work is sometimes called user testing or readability testing. But we prefer not to use these terms, for two reasons:

• first, because we test leaflets, not users
• second, because we test a lot more than readability.

But usability testing by itself doesn’t change bad documents. At best, it will pinpoint the problems that potential users have with documents. Only expert document designers can tell you why a document is not working and how to fix it.