Visual Testing

Visual (GUI) Testing

Such visual details as fonts, colors, alignment and images are necessary not just for the convenience of using the site, but also for expressing the characteristic features of the brand, for example, friendliness, reliability or innovation.

Many teams first define characteristic features, then designers and shareholders choose appropriate visual details. This approach assumes that the opinion of designers and shareholders will accurately predict the response of users. This is a good move, but there is no guarantee that what seems "friendly" to the designer will be the same for the user.

A company can gain a lot from effective branding, so visual aesthetics and its impact on users should be carefully evaluated based on research.

How to test perception of visual design

As in any other UX research, recruit participants from your target audience. It is not necessary for them to have special knowledge in the field of design — people do not need professional training to understand that they like something.

According to a study by Gitte Lindegaard and her colleagues, users need ten seconds to evaluate a design. But if someone likes the design, it doesn't mean that it correctly conveys the characteristics of the brand. Neither you, nor team members, nor management are users of the product.

It is not enough to simply ask users whether they like the design or not. A more structured approach is needed, which can be divided into two main parts.

1. Familiarity with a visual stimulus. show participants the research design. This can be a picture, a prototype, a live interactive site or an application.
   Rating of the user's reaction to this stimulus. Measure reactions to the design using open-ended or strictly controlled questions.
   

Useful Links:
GUI testing article/eng
Visual testing article/eng
Visual testing video tutorial/rus