Usability testing = focus groups

Usability testing = focus groups

When it comes to collecting feedback from users, usability tests and focus groups are often confused although their goals are completely different. Focus groups assess what users say: a number of people gather in order to discuss their feelings, attitudes and thoughts on a given topic to reveal their motivations and preferences.
Usability testing, on the other hand, is about observing how people actually use a product, by assigning key tasks to users and analyzing their performance and experience. Focus groups may tell you what people want; user studies tell you whether something works. And an important aspect: what people say is not what they do.