Usability Test: “How to Make Your Manicure Last” 

Welcome and thank you for participating in the usability test. Today, you will be testing 
the efficacy of the instructions in front of you on how to make a manicure last. The 
objectives of this test are as follows: 

Test Objectives 
1. Identify any steps that may be too difficult to understand for those that are 
unfamiliar with nail polish. 
2. Determine if visual aids are necessary to improve the clarity. 
3. Assess whether the instructions are successful in maintaining a manicure for at 
least a week.  

To collect data on each of these, you will be asked a questionnaire at the end of the test to 
gather your thoughts on the instructions themselves. After that, you will be asked to 
report back in a week to assess the condition of your manicure. 

Testing 
We will begin testing shortly. Please feel free to ask questions at any time if you are 
uncomfortable or confused, we will do our best to assist you should this situation arise. 
You are under no obligation to complete testing, and should you want to stop at any time, 
please let us know and we will stop testing immediately.  

Imagine you are painting your nails for the first time. Follow the set of instructions in front 
of you to complete a manicure. These instructions will guide you through how and why to: 

1. Prepare the nail for polish. 

2. Layer and paint your manicure. 
3. Maintain the quality of your manicure. 

Please remember that this is meant to be a test of usability and not a test of your ability to 
paint nails or follow directions. As such, please feel free to say your thoughts aloud as you 
work through the instructions, and I will take notes on how everything goes. If there are 
no questions at this time, we will begin testing now. 

*PAUSE UNTIL THE PARTICIPANT HAS FINISHED THE INSTRUCTIONS* 

 
Questionnaire 
Thank you for completing the usability test for this set of instructions. We will now begin 
the questionnaire to assess your thoughts on the instructions. If there is any question that 
you do not wish to answer, please say "skip" and we will move on. I will begin with the 
questionnaire now: 

1. Were there any steps that were difficult to understand or follow? If so, why? 
2. Were the visual aids helpful in describing the steps? If not, which visual aids 
were not helpful or confusing? Were there any steps that did not have a visual 
aid that could benefit from one? 
3. Do you understand why you performed each step the way you did? If not, which 
steps could be explained more clearly? 
4. On a scale of 1-10, please rate how easy it was to follow these instructions, with 
1 being hardest and 10 being easiest. 
5. On a scale of 1-10, rate your satisfaction with the quality of your final manicure, 
with 1 being totally unsatisfied and 10 being completely satisfied. Note that this 
is meant to be an assessment of the conditions of your nail and not of the design 
or color. 
6. On a scale of 1-10, rate the visual aids that were included in the instructions, 
with 1 being completely unhelpful and 10 being completely illuminative.