Test it like you mean it

Why Usability Testing is Your Best Design Friend

Estimated read: 4 minutes

🎵 "What’s obvious to you
Could be a riddle to them too." 🎵

We’ve all been there.
You’ve crafted a beautiful design. The layout is clean, the flow is logical (in your head, at least), and you’ve mentally high-fived yourself for nailing the UX.

Then… you put it in front of a user.
They freeze.
They scroll aimlessly.
They tap the wrong button — twice.
And suddenly, your “perfect” design looks more like a puzzle no one asked for.

Welcome to usability testing — the reality check every designer needs, but not every designer does soon enough.

Why usability testing matters (and why you shouldn’t wait)

It’s tempting to wait until your design is pixel-perfect before showing it to anyone. After all, who wants their beautiful creation poked, prodded, and misunderstood?

But here’s the truth: early testing saves you from expensive mistakes.
A half-baked sketch or clickable wireframe can reveal more than weeks of polishing. It’s not about showing off a masterpiece — it’s about finding out what’s broken before it’s live.

As the song says:

🎵 "Better ugly tests today,
Than pretty fails launched anyway." 🎵

The “Five Users” rule

Jakob Nielsen famously found that testing with just five users can uncover 85% of usability problems. That’s not a made-up internet stat — decades of research back it up.

Five.
Not fifty. Not a statistically significant sample. Just five humans who represent your audience.

Why so few? Because the first few users will uncover the biggest blockers. After that, you’ll start seeing diminishing returns. Your job is to fix those issues, then test again.

How to “test it like you mean it”

Here’s a lightweight, no-excuses approach to get you started:

1. Pick your scenario, not just your screens

Instead of saying “look at my design,” give the user a goal.

“Find and book a yoga class for next Tuesday at 6pm.”

The way they attempt that goal is where the gold lies.

2. Watch, don’t rescue

It’s hard. So hard. But resist the urge to jump in with hints. Your job isn’t to guide them — it’s to watch them struggle. That struggle shows you where your design is failing.

🎵 "Watch what they do, not what they say, oh lord!" 🎵

3. Record everything

Video and screen recording tools (even Zoom) make it easy to capture sessions. Watching them back later will help you spot patterns you might miss live.

4. Ask the right questions (at the right time)

Before they start: Ask about their expectations.
During: Stay silent unless they’re completely stuck.
After: Ask about their experience and what they found confusing.

5. Prioritise and fix

Not every bit of feedback is equally important. Focus on the blockers that stop the user from completing their goal.

Usability testing is empathy in action

At its heart, testing is about humility. It’s about saying:

“I might not have gotten this right — and I want to make it better for you.”

🎵 "It’s a message you send:
‘I care enough to see
What it feels like to be… you.’" 🎵

When you test early and often, you’re not just fixing UI problems — you’re building trust. Users can feel when something has been crafted with them in mind.