Test Types

Overview

Test Types explains the kinds of UX work UXit is built to support.

The live workflow today is the guideline-based heuristic evaluation: define what good looks like with a Guideline Set, run an Evaluation, review results in Analytics, and export the finished report through Handoff.

Heuristic Evaluations

A heuristic evaluation is an expert review of a design against clear standards. Instead of saying a flow "feels confusing," you answer specific conditions, attach evidence, and produce a score the team can understand.

Use heuristic evaluations for work like:

Heuristic evaluation
├── Review a checkout flow against usability guidelines.
├── Audit a dashboard for accessibility and clarity issues.
├── Compare a redesign against an earlier baseline.
├── Capture notes and images as review evidence.
└── Export a branded PDF for stakeholders or clients.

In UXit, a heuristic evaluation connects the main product surfaces:

Guideline Set
└── Evaluation
    ├── Pass / Fail / N/A answers
    ├── Notes and image evidence
    ├── Benchmark history
    ├── Analytics breakdowns
    └── Handoff PDF export

For the full workflow, see Evaluations and Evaluation Process.

Planned Test Catalog

These planned test types expand UXit beyond expert review into broader research and validation workflows.

A/B Testing

Compare two or more design variants against the same goal so teams can see which version performs better.

Card Sorting

Ask people to organize labels into groups so you can understand how they expect information to be structured.

Heatmaps

See where participants click, pause, or focus attention on a screen to identify what draws attention and what gets missed.

Isolate Inconsistencies

Find places where users take different routes or reach different outcomes in what should be the same experience.

Surveys

Capture ratings and written feedback when behavior alone does not explain preference, satisfaction, or confidence.

Task-Based Testing

Give users a concrete goal and review whether they can complete it, where they slow down, and where they get stuck.

Timed Mission Tests

Measure how quickly users complete a goal when speed, efficiency, or confidence under time pressure matters.

Tree Testing

Test whether people can find the right place in a navigation structure using labels alone, before visual design influences the result.

How To Choose

Start with the test type that matches the question you need answered.

Need a scored expert UX review?
└── Use a heuristic evaluation.

Need to compare versions?
└── A/B testing is planned.

Need to validate navigation labels?
└── Tree testing or card sorting is planned.

Need direct participant feedback?
└── Surveys and task-based testing are planned.

Best Practices

• Use heuristic evaluations when you need a structured UX review now.
• Use Guideline Sets to define the standard before scoring anything.
• Use Benchmarks when you need to compare changes over time.
• Use Analytics to find patterns in scores, categories, and conditions.
• Use Handoff when results are ready to become a client or stakeholder deliverable.
• Treat planned test types as the expanding catalog, not a replacement for the live evaluation workflow.