A well-designed website or app isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about creating an experience where users feel confident, satisfied, and in control. By understanding how users interact with your platform, you can identify areas of improvement, from simplifying navigation to refining calls-to-action.
That’s why, ever since my studies in Product Design, I’ve been a strong advocate for universal design. This design approach focuses on creating products, environments, and services that are accessible and usable for as many people as possible, regardless of their age, abilities, or background. With this principle in mind, testing applications becomes a vital step in the development of a new website—not just with individual users, but also with groups to gather diverse perspectives.
You need to sit down with individual users and guide them through specific tasks. By observing their actions, you can better understand how they navigate through the application. This method allows you to ask targeted questions in real-time, uncovering pain points, preferences, and moments of confusion.
For a broader perspective, you can gather groups of users to interact with websites or apps. Focus groups encourage dynamic discussions, sparking insights that might not arise in 1-to-1 sessions. This collaborative setting provides a well-rounded view of how different users with varying perspectives engage with different platform.
Beyond just tracking clicks or time spent on a page, you need to pay close attention to user behavior. Are users frustrated, confused, or pleasantly surprised? Their expressions reveal emotional responses that data alone cannot capture. How do users move their cursor? Do they scroll endlessly, hover over certain areas, or repeatedly click back and forth? These actions give you clues about potential usability roadblocks.
From our perspective, user tests are an essential step in the web design process, ensuring that the final product is not only functional but also intuitive and user-friendly. Skipping this step risks overlooking critical insights that could make or break the user experience. By prioritizing user testing, you can create a website that truly meets the needs of its audience—building trust, engagement, and long-term success.
Simply put, user testing isn’t just a helpful step—it’s a fundamental part of designing for real people.