First-click testing determines where users start specific tasks on a webpage. Participants click where they think they should go first to complete a given task.
This test is an excellent user research method for evaluating a page's visual design and layout.
First-click testing should come after finalizing the navigational structure of your website. It can also work with low-fidelity prototypes, making it an invaluable tool in early UX research.
Here are some tips for conducting first-click testing:
Provide less than 10 tasks.
Write tasks that test the specific part of your website that you want to improve.
Write tasks as realistic scenarios that make sense for typical users.
Provide an “I don’t know where to click” button to avoid random guesses.
Having “I don’t know where to click” as an option is a good practice for increasing the reliability of results.
First-click tests might also include a question asking why the participant clicked somewhere. When analyzing these responses, remember people are usually bad at explaining decisions afterward. Therefore, these answers shouldn't be the basis of big decisions.