Name: Usabilla
Genius Idea: Whether you're looking to test out an experimental layout, a full-fledged mock-up or a working website, Usabilla's usability testing platform combines power with simplicity, offering insight minus manual labor.
Usabilla, which launched to the public earlier this month, is designed to help you quickly create usability tests, collect feedback and analyze the results. You create the test via Usabilla's website in a guided process that begins with you entering basic test information and creating pages (with specific tasks for users to complete), and finishes by enabling you to share your test via e-mail, Twitter or Facebook.
One very cool bonus: Usabilla lets you test a webpage or a screenshot, which means that you can collect feedback on your website's wireframes before you push it into development. Both elements are treated like pages, which means you can select from pre-populated user tasks or create your own tasks per page for testing.
Most tasks will require users to drop colored pins on pages to indicate the elements they find appealing or unappealing, as well as where they would click next. In addition, you can control this experience a bit and optionally tick the "one-click task" box to limit users' responses to a single page pinpoint.
Completed tests can be analyzed and dissected using a few different options. You can look at individual or multiple tasks and use the selection tool to highlight a particular page section, which will then show accompanying results. Because participants are able to add notes to pinpoint tasks, you can also get a pageview of all the points and notes, which makes it easy to visually analyze feedback associated with page content. You can even view page data in a heatmap.
Usabilla is also extremely affordable. Designers and developers on shoestring budgets can be scrappy and use the service for free to test five pages with up to 25 participants. Those with a little more money in the bank can upgrade to test 10 pages with 250 participants for $49/yr, 50 pages with 250 participants for $199/yr or 250 pages with 500 participants for $950/yr.
The video below gives a pretty descriptive overview for creating your test. Watch it to see Usabilla in action:
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