Usability Testing
Watch real users use your product. The truth is in their behavior.
What is it?
Usability testing observes real users attempting realistic tasks with your product. It identifies friction, confusion, and delight by watching behavior rather than relying on opinions, making it the most reliable way to evaluate a design.
When to use it
Test at every stage: paper prototypes, wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, and live products. Five users uncover 85% of usability issues.
How to do it
Define 5-7 realistic task scenarios tied to key user goals.
Recruit 5-8 participants matching your target persona.
Set up the test environment: screen recording, think-aloud protocol.
Observe without guiding. Let users struggle, that's the data.
Debrief, score task success, and prioritize findings by severity.
Pro tips
5 users, tested frequently, beat 50 users tested once. Iterate in small cycles.
Record sessions. Showing stakeholders real user struggles is worth a thousand slides.