User Experience Night

DISCOVER| EXPERIENCE

The User Experience Night was established by Fluidtime in order to test the usability and experience of IT projects in a friendly atmosphere. Contrary to normal usability tests, which are often carried out in laboratory like settings, the User Experience Night is conceptualised as a social event.

For one evening, guests from designated target groups are invited to carry out tasks and to discuss the results in a relaxed environment. Everything can be discussed and tried during the User Experience Night – from the concept and the prototypes to the finished products.

Procedure
The lounge represents the social element of the User Experience Night in which no tests are carried out but were the testers should relax and feel comfortable. This is further ensured by friendly service. As so often, the kitchen turns into the social centre where people meet to discuss their experiences and do networking.

The interactive demonstrations take place in stages during the User Experience Night with several stations where interaction processes can be tried. The guests, who are in groups of 2-3, are always guided through the test by two leaders. The building of groups helps follow the testers’ thoughts, as most steps are being agreed and explained among the group members leading to a discussion that hardly has to be managed by the guides. Besides, the shared experience of the demonstrations creates discussions for the reflection phase.

During the reflection phase the testers usually come up with further points they find important and thus give impulses for further development and adjustments in an informal atmosphere. The visitors are involved and show interest in the different projects and demonstrations. As such, the evening is being remembered by the guests as an exciting and interactive experience.

Gathered information and next steps
The information that was gathered during the User Experience Night is analysed in order to find weak points in the use of a service or product so that concrete steps for the further development of a project can be taken. In order to document the progress in user friendliness it is necessary to carry out further tests and to compare them with the first test results.

Conclusion
The User Experience Night is a special usability and user experience event, during which visitors can discover and experience new developments in a social environment.