Desirability Testing

Desirability testing allows designers to understand what users think about the aesthetics and visual appeal of a product. Just like usability testing, it has a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods that allow us to assess the aesthetics and visual appeal.

Why is this necessary? You want to understand how users feel about the design. What do they think of the aesthetics and is it visually appealing?

Some methods of desirability testing include:

1. Microsoft Reaction Card Method — The participant chooses a number of words (from a list of 118 words) that they feel best describes the product. This allows the design team to know what designs cause certain reactions.
2. Questionnaires or Surveys — You can ask them questions relating to visual appeal and aesthetics but try not to ask leading questions.
3. A and B testing — This method allows you to gauge which version of a design they like better and you can always ask them why did they prefer a certain version over another.
4. Physiological Indicators — Similar to eyetracking, these studies track physiological measurements to show how participants react to the designs. These indicators and sensors can identify pupil dilation, respiration, electromyography (EMG — which measures muscle activity).

The most commonly used desirability testing method is the Microsoft Reaction Card Method. Usually there is a mix of positive or negative adjectives and nouns. By having the users choose what words they feel like apply the best to the project, they have more freedom to tell how you they feel about the product.