Basics of Design Testing (Edition Q2/2018)

This free online course focuses on design testing, also known as user testing, usability testing, user acceptance testing, validation, among other terms. You’ll learn about the importance of testing your software designs with real users and implementing their feedback early in the design phase.

This course was retired in October 2023.

Self-paced since May 9, 2018
Language: English

Course information

Retired

This course was retired in October 2023.

Course Summary

Learn how to test your designs and design ideas with feedback from potential users. This course, taught by design research experts from SAP, introduces all the steps, from planning a test through moderating it, with a special focus on asking good questions and taking proper notes. You will also learn how to analyze the notes you collected to iterate your designs.

In This Course You Will:

  • Understand when to test your design to get the most impact
  • Discover more about the logistics of planning and running a test
  • Learn how to select the right people to give feedback
  • Learn how to design good questions and elicit useful feedback
  • Understand how to include team members as note-takers and observers
  • Learn how to analyze your notes and pick the top issues to fix in your designs

Course Structure:

Each class is designed to support your learning

  • Video Lectures – Design practitioners present topics with real-world examples
  • Check Points – Short quizzes help you assess your understanding of the lectures
  • Hands-On Exercises – Small, manageable exercises related to and extending the class topics, to be completed individually or in collaboration with your fellow participants.
  • Further Reading and Resources – Links to additional materials as well as domain experts.

Throughout the course, you’ll receive points for weekly challenges. When you’ve completed the course, you’ll receive a document confirming that you took part in it.

Course Characteristics

Course Content

Week 1 – Introduction to the Course
Meet the teaching team; get an overview of design testing, key terms, and roles.

Week 2 – Preparing a Test
Get ready for a test session; plan logistics, design good test tasks, recruit test participants.

Week 3 – Moderating a Test
Run a test session; learn how to put test participants at ease and elicit useful feedback from them.

Week 4 – Taking Notes
Prepare to take notes, take notes during a test session.

Week 5 – Analyzing Notes
Summarize your notes, find the top issues, learn how to iterate to fix the issues.

Target Audience

Anyone who wants to learn more about Design Testing.

Previous Version of This Course

Previous version of this course is available here:
Basics of Design Testing (Edition Q4/2017) (October 11 through November 16, 2017)

Course contents

  • Course content no longer available

  • Week 1:

    Introduction to the Course
  • Week 2:

    Preparing a Test
  • Design Testing Challenge

  • Week 3:

    Moderating a Test
  • Week 4:

    Taking Notes
  • Week 5:

    Analyzing Notes
  • I Like, I Wish:

    We Love Your Feedback … And Want More

Enroll me for this course

The course is free. Just register for an account on openSAP and take the course!
Enroll me now

Learners

Current
Today
7,865
Course End
May 09, 2018
5,766
Course Start
Apr 03, 2018
3,905

Rating

This course was rated with 4.35 stars in average from 479 votes.

Certificate Requirements

  • Gain a Record of Achievement by earning at least 50% of the maximum number of points from all graded assignments.
  • Gain a Confirmation of Participation by completing at least 50% of the course material.

Find out more in the certificate guidelines.

This course is offered by

Andrea Anderson

Former VP Design Thinking, SAP User Experience Strategy

Andrea is a veteran of Design Thinking in software. With more than 10 years of practicing and teaching design thinking, she has applied the approach to software solutions, product strategy and services.

Andrea has been instrumental in leading the organizational transformation of SAP into an organization that practices Design Thinking throughout the world.

Sam Yen

Former Chief Design Officer, SAP

Sam had multiple roles at SAP: Chief Design Officer, Global Head of Design and User Experience, and prior to that he led the SAP AppHaus, an innovation team tasked with building new solutions, establishing new markets, and reaching new users for SAP. Sam initially joined SAP as a senior member of the Design Services Team, a group in the Office of the CEO tasked with accelerating the adoption of Design Thinking as a process for innovation and development of internal and external SAP products.

Carolin Flesch

Senior Design Researcher, SAP

Carolin is a Design Researcher and Trainer at the SAP office in Walldorf, Germany. In the last seven years, she has worked closely with many product teams, choosing and running different design research methods, analyzing qualitative data, and generating user-based product requirements. She also regularly teaches classes about design research at SAP.

Cornelia Kinateder

Design Research Expert, SAP

Cornelia is a Design Researcher and Lead at the SAP office in Walldorf, Germany. With 10 years of experience, she is now a coach and expert in design research for SAP project teams and stakeholders worldwide. In addition to conducting, teaching, and adapting design research methods, she is considered a design research pioneer and veteran.

Ines Koepe

Ines has been a Design Researcher at the SAP office in Walldorf, Germany since August 2015. Before joining SAP, she studied Business Psychology. She now tests designs with end-users at customer sites, in research labs and at conferences. She also enjoys teaching many different design research methods within SAP.

Theo Held

Theo is a Design Researcher at the SAP office in Walldorf, Germany. Before joining the design research team, he spent ten years in application and concepts design. He now conducts and supports many different design testing activities, develops and enhances design research methods, and supports teams with their customer-facing design research. Theo also teaches design testing at SAP.

Austin Meyer

Austin Meyer is an innovation strategist and facilitator who aims to unlock the creative potential of teams. He has done this as a design thinking educator at SAP and as cofounder of Collective Capital, a company that utilizes applied improvisation to scale creative cultures within organizations. Austin is also a journalist who was awarded an IDEO storytelling fellowship, and whose work has been published by The New York Times, LA Times, and KQED, among others.

Meghan Ede

Meghan has been with SAP since 2013, where she is a Design Researcher and Mentor. She has 25 years’ experience conducting, innovating and teaching design research in Silicon Valley and Canada. Her published work covers topics from “how to” do design research to the impact of company culture on design. She once ran a study where the “prototype” was a stack of blank paper. She believes that design research should be fun and that anyone can learn to do it. Her passion is teaching / mentoring.

Janina Schuhmacher

Janina joined SAP in 2016 as a Design Research working student in Walldorf, Germany. In addition to completing her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Heidelberg, she supports the team with planning and conducting design testing, as well as in analyzing testing results. She further assists the team with creating and revising training programs related to design research.