Why is user testing important?

Great question! I think the main reason is that most of us as marketers, designers, and product managers are too close to our products. After spending months building and refining your site or app, you know it like the back of your hand. No matter how hard you try, you can’t unknow it.

Beyond this, you and everyone you know is biased. No matter how helpful your coworkers, family members, or friends want to be, it’s very hard to call your baby ugly. You need fresh, unbiased eyes to give you the feedback you need.

If you do usability testing right, you can really understand the mindset of the user. It’s one thing to make sure there are no errors being logged, or that people are getting through your funnel. It’s another thing to fully understand how people use and perceive your product. With usability testing, and specifically our solution at UserTesting.com, you can see and hear feedback from real people in your target market as they use your site or app. This is a powerful weapon that every developer, designer, and product owner should have access to and use frequently.