1 min read Usability testing

Populate prototype with realistic content - part 4, inconsistent data

Populate prototype with realistic content - part 4, inconsistent data

On usability tests users will try to make sense of every little bit of the prototype. They will spot irregularities and attribute meaning to it.

Inconsistent data

Inconsistent data is the little brother of unrealistic data. Examples:

  • There is a table showing sold items: price is $500 each, quantity is 3, total is $200.
  • There are two charts on a dashboard, one is showing Total Revenue, and the other is showing Profits. Profits are higher than Total Revenue.

Such inconsistencies would make participants "Wait, what?!" And then they try to come up with explanations for the inconsistencies. Maybe they had a correct mental model at the beginning, but now they fabricate a wrong one just to accommodate the inconsistencies.

Published by:

Zsombor Varnagy-Toth

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