The ultimate Notion template to run efficient usability tests

In a personal attempt to create a go-to spreadsheet to organize our team’s user research, I’ve created this Notion template that I’m sharing here today. It is an easy in-depth template that includes all steps of testing in one place— from recruiting users to reporting results. The best thing about Notion is that you can duplicate this template and completely adapt it to your needs and style preferences :)

Disclaimer: I’m not associated in any way with Notion. I just love the product and want to share an awesome way of using it.

General view page

On this page there are two main tables that quickly give an overview of everything happening:

1. The first table shows the overview of all tests at all stages. It highlights its progress, the person responsible and the main theme of the test.
   The title can be whatever you wish to name it. I find it easier to name them by month and if there are more than 1 in that month, I just number them. I don’t use exact dates since they could happen in multiple days when testing more than 2 users.
2. Below is the main users' database where you can find those who made a test already or users to be contacted in the future.
   This helps to manage the recruitment of users giving you a quick profile of the users. It can also reveal some insightful patterns such as contacting too many times the same person or if you are testing too many users of the same category which can lead to biased outcomes.

Test page

Each test page contains all you need to do, step-by-step, so you don’t have to think it through every time you’re running a test. It should save you some precious time to focus on the test itself ;)

The main tags at the top of the page give an overview of the test. They define who are the users, the moderators, the priority of the test and other details of this specific test.

Now let’s discuss in more depth each section of the page:

1. Plan your test

The ultimate checklist

It does what it says on the tin. It’s all you need to get ready for the test so you don’t forget any detail. You can easily adapt it to your requirements.

Create a user’s profile

Here you should be able to see a filtered view of the main user’s table with only the users who will perform this test. To filter these users it’s as simple as filtering the column ‘usability test done’ = name of the test.

You should complete the profile with links and tags that are relevant in your context.

Define a test plan

This is probably the most overlooked step of all. I can’t stress enough how important it is. Please don’t just enter the room and ask the user to look at a page and ‘tell me your opinion, how you would like this to work’ and hope to find your answers.

Henry Ford has put it in the best way: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

Instead, use the opportunity to see how the users behave and think while performing different tasks, just like they would on their own. Understand their problems first. And to do so, be prepared with thought through tasks they can take action on — use this precious time wisely.

• Write the objectives of the test and how they relate to your main OKRs/goals. Include any assumptions you want to test out.
• The ‘test task’ is the question or statement you’ll tell the user. You can print it so they can have it on hand. How you write the question is extremely important, as you can easily influence the user by mentioning the intended button name in the question, which will lead them to the solution straight away. You should be fine if you use simple vocabulary.
• Comments column is the space to leave notes for yourself. For example “Fix button before the test” or “Provide credit card number to test payment page”.
• Finally, include a link to the prototype or printable pdf.

2. Take notes during the test

Even if you are recording the session, it’s always a good idea to take some quick notes along the way. This will help you when reviewing the recording so you don’t skip anything important.

It’s also helpful to be able to share thoughts with your team right after even when you don’t have the report summary yet. It creates transparency and makes the whole team excited to read your report when it’s ready.

3. Create an easy summary report

Last but not least, create a quick summary of your findings so you can find possible action points. Here the template is divided into two steps:

Metrics

If you are testing with more than one user (I try to do at least 3 and ideally 5. Here’s why), then a metrics summary can be useful. This is not crucial for a qualitative test, but it can still provide valuable insights into the user’s behavior. For example, which user struggled with each task the most. You’ll be able to cross-reference this with the recording later on.

The metrics you choose to use should be specific to the test. Delete and add them to the table easily. In this example I’ve used:

• Success rate: did the user complete the task or not?
• Time spent on task: track their time to finish the task
• Number of confusion: how many times the user seems to be struggling with something (facial expressions can help understand this).

Write your key observations

A freestyle space to write some bullet points on what you observed and found relevant. Try to stick with problems observed and if you have any assumptions or possible solutions tag them clearly as your opinion so there is no confusion :)

You can find my template here for free, just signup to Notion and duplicate the template. Enjoy, and happy testing everyone!