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Are you creating usability reports no one’s reading? Consider rainbow spreadsheets instead

How to visualize your observations during testing for easy summary, tracking, and prioritization

Kai Wong
UX Collective
A pair of hands holding a drone controller. The top screen shows a number of tracking details, wireless connectivity, and other metrics. The bottom shows a video feed of what’s happening in real-time with additional feedback and metrics.
Photo by KAL VISUALS on Unsplash

Few things are more depressing as a designer than creating something that people will not read or use. This is why, after a long day of user testing and debriefing, it can be a little disheartening to jump into compiling your usability findings.

Part of the reason for this is that you’re often asked to create a formal usability report. The formal report compiles all your usability findings in a document or presentation, and it often becomes a doorstop. Nobody wants to read it, but they want to have it evidence user testing with a project.

But what if I told you there was a better way to compile your user research findings to your stakeholders a high-level overview of your findings?

That’s where the rainbow spreadsheet, developed by Google UX Researcher Tomer Sharon, can come into play. This tool outputs your user findings in an easier to read format. Also, it can address many issues around notetaking and debriefing that might occur during user research. And it does this by standardizing responses with colors.

How the rainbow…

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