Rapid Iterative Testing & Evaluation (RITE) .

For when you don’t have much time but still want to test with real users to find issues with your product and are willing to put in some sweat-equity to move things along quickly.

How it works

RITE testing is a discount usability method that combines Formative testing and elements of an expert review to make quick judgements about what changes need to be made to a product to make it more usable. A small number of participants are recruited for each day of testing – often two or three 1:1 sessions. Key decision makers e.g., Designers and Product Managers attend and observe each session which is run like a highly compressed Formative Usability test. Observers debrief and make design decisions together following each session. The product is then iterated based on the observers’ decisions and is retested.

Pros:

  • RITE is a quick way to identify key user issues in products. Because actual users participate in the sessions, there is opportunity to to capture rich satisfaction data and qualitative responses like verbatim comments on their experiences with the product. Since key decision-makers are present for each session, there is a high degree of buy-in for results.

Cons:

  • This is probably the most resource-intensive method for the client. Key decision-makers must commit to attending each session and participate in debriefs. RITE takes longer than other discount methods; participants have to be located, screened, and recruited. A location for the sessions must also be secured. Since RITE uses very small numbers of participants, some important user issues might be overlooked.