Conducting usability research when you’re low on money and time? Guerrilla testing might be the perfect option.

Over the past several months, I’ve accumulated some experience running guerrilla testing in our startup. As is typical for startups, we’re conservative with our spending and look for ways to save wherever we can. Guerrilla testing allowed us to gain valuable insights into our product and make informed decisions, rather than relying on intuition and guesswork – all with minimal investment.

In this article, I’ll share tips and insights into guerrilla testing: how to conduct it effectively, and how to avoid the common pitfalls that come with this method.

What is Guerrilla Testing?

Let’s start with the basics.

Guerrilla usability testing is a quick, low-cost method for getting real user feedback on your product. You approach people – usually in public places – and ask them to complete simple tasks while interacting with your product. This method is widely used by startups and smaller companies that want to gain insights into their product without investing in more formal, costly usability research.

The main advantage? You reach people who haven’t seen your product before and may not even know about your company, making it perfect for fresh perspectives.

But what exactly do you test? Typically, the goals of guerrilla testing are to assess how intuitive and user-friendly certain parts of your product are. You’re looking for friction points – places where new users struggle, get confused or fail to complete tasks. Whether it’s testing a specific flow, a new feature, or even just a landing page, the idea is to observe real user behaviour in an authentic setting. Sessions are usually short, lasting 5-10 minutes, and focus on one or two specific tasks.

It’s an easy way to validate design decisions or spot usability issues early on, before dedicating more time and resources to building out features that might need improvement.

Key Considerations for Successful Guerrilla Testing

Now that you’ve decided you want to conduct guerrilla testing, what do you do next? Well, the key to effective sessions is being thoroughly prepared.

Preparation is Key

Before you start, make sure you’re well-prepared for the session:

• Prepare a detailed script: Plan out exactly what you’ll say and do once you approach a respondent. What’s your testing goal? Which flows will you go through? Also, keep in mind that your script will inevitably evolve with each session as you learn what works and what doesn’t.
• Ensure your product is ready: The product flow must be smooth and functioning. It sounds obvious, but I’ll say it regardless: ensure your device is charged, your prototype or actual product is working as it should, and run through the flow a couple of times yourself. It’s a waste of time for both you and your participants if technical issues prevent them from completing tasks.
• Test your recording tools: Whether you’re using a camera or voice recorder, make sure it’s working. Always ask for permission to record at the start. From personal experience, I once missed out on valuable feedback because I thought the camera was recording – but it wasn’t. Always double-check and take backup notes just in case.
• Plan your respondent pool: Know where and when you’re going to find participants and be prepared to approach them. More on this below!

It Takes Courage

Approaching random strangers can feel scary, especially if you're worried about rejection. However, in my experience, rejection is rare. Out of dozens of attempts, only a couple of people declined to help.

Here are a few strategies to increase your chances of success:

• Read body language: If someone is deeply engaged in a conversation or visibly busy, they’re unlikely to participate. Instead, look for people who seem bored or idle – scrolling through their phones or people-watching.
• Start with a friendly approach: Smile, establish eye contact, and begin with something like, “Hey, do you have a few minutes?” or make small talk to ease into the conversation.
• Set expectations: Let people know upfront that the session will be quick – no more than 5-10 minutes. This reassures them that they won’t be held up for too long. And if they’re short on time, offer to run a shorter version of the test (better have a script prepared for this case, too). It’s better to gather partial feedback than none at all.

Timing is Everything

The timing of your guerrilla test is critical. You want to catch people when they have a few spare moments:

• Lunch breaks work well: In office environments, I’ve found that lunchtime – particularly when people are done eating and killing time – is ideal.
• Avoid the end of the day: Approaching people after work when they’re eager to get home is usually a recipe for rejection. They’re less likely to want to participate in anything that delays them further.

If you're scouting a location for your test, try to predict when people there are most likely to be free and approachable. Aim to avoid interrupting them during high-focus activities.

Beware of Biases

While guerrilla testing is cheap and quick, it comes with the potential for biases, particularly in the sample of people you test.

Testing in the same place at the same time can result in a uniform pool of respondents. For example, if you’re testing in an office, participants may share similar job roles, tech familiarity, and work experiences. While that might be ideal for certain types of corporate products, it’s not suitable if you’re building something for a broader audience.

To get more varied feedback, seek out people with different backgrounds. Gender, ethnicity, and age diversity can help provide a more balanced perspective. Don’t be afraid to approach people who might seem outside of your usual comfort zone. If you feel more comfortable approaching certain types of people (like I naturally do with younger women), make an effort to step outside your comfort zone for better test results.

Analysis and Next Steps

After conducting your guerrilla testing sessions, the real work begins – analyzing the feedback and turning insights into actionable improvements. Here’s how to approach the analysis phase:

1. Review Your Findings: Go through your recordings, notes, or observations, and categorize the feedback. Focus on recurring themes or issues that multiple users experienced. These patterns will help you identify the most critical usability concerns.
2. Prioritize Issues: Not all feedback will carry the same weight. Some issues might have a higher impact on user experience, while others are minor inconveniences. Prioritize fixes based on severity, frequency, and the resources needed to address them.
3. Collaborate with Your Team: Share your findings with your team and stakeholders. Discuss how to address the key pain points and evaluate whether any quick wins can be implemented immediately.
4. Iterate on Your Design: Once you’ve identified the key areas for improvement, refine your product and conduct follow-up testing to see if those changes have resolved the issues.
5. Plan Future Testing: Guerrilla testing is an iterative process. Consider scheduling more sessions after making changes to confirm that your adjustments have improved the user experience.

Conclusion

Guerrilla usability testing is a budget-friendly, practical way to test your product with fresh eyes. However, you need to stay mindful of the challenges: respect participants’ time with short, focused sessions, mitigate potential biases by varying your respondent pool and push past any fear of rejection. Make sure to prioritise your findings, too – not all feedback is created equal, and not all inputs from your respondents should lead to a change in your product.

Ultimately, the insights you’ll gather far outweigh the initial awkwardness or effort of approaching strangers. Over time, you’ll find your rhythm with this method and continuously improve your testing process. So don’t hesitate – get out there and start learning from real users. Good luck!

Hey, I’m Valeria! Thanks for reading my article; I'd love to hear your feedback in the comments. On HackerNoon, I am sharing insights on product management, product design, and sustainability, so stay tuned for more. See you in the next one! 👋