Guerilla testing is a quick and inexpensive way to gain insights into an idea. Instead of formally recruiting people for user research or usability testing sessions, you take something you’re working on into a public space and ask for feedback.

Benefits of guerilla testing

It can be a good way to:

  • check your thinking
  • help choose between two ways of doing something
  • identify something you had not thought of
  • prioritise your users
  • test your assumptions

It helps to support continuous research with your users, and usability testing when you have a working prototype.

How to do guerilla testing

This activity works well with lower fidelity prototypes due to their low cost and ease to make amendments.

For example, you can use:

  • paper prototypes or sketches
  • low fidelity wireframes
  • a digital tool, like the GOV.UK prototype kit or Figma

A prototype can be for anything you want to create or improve, such as a:

  • digital product
  • service
  • policy

You might do this in a similar way to observing people using your services, but with this activity you focus on testing an assumption about an idea.

You should allow around 10 minutes for each activity and aim to speak with 5 or more people to quickly get a new perspective. Lunchtime can be ideal as more people may be free to talk.

You might want to do some structured research or usability testing alongside this activity if you have a more defined prototype.

Tips for this activity

When doing guerilla testing, you should:

  • not worry about looking like a live service
  • explain to people that you’re testing ideas and they can help decide what to do next
  • make it clear that you’re open to all feedback, as you’re not yet invested in any one approach
  • consider offering refreshments as a small incentive, make sure any food is individually wrapped
  • make anonymous notes, you’ll need to use a consent form if you want to record people
  • try and focus on what people would do, rather than what they say