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User Experience Testing — Find out if your site works before you commit to building it.
Internal consensus isn't the same as external usability. Test with real people.
The problem.
You've mapped the sitemap, designed the navigation, and your team feels good about the direction. But has anyone outside your organization tried to use it? Can a prospective student find the nursing program? Can a patient find the right specialist? Can a member locate the resource they renewed their membership for?
The only way to know is to test — and the right time to test is before development starts, when changes are cheap and fast.
The solution.
Most web projects rely on internal consensus to validate the user experience: the team reviews the site map, agrees on the navigation labels, and approves the wireframes. But internal consensus doesn't mean external usability. The people who built the site know where everything is — but your visitors don't.
Testing with real users — even a small number — catches problems that internal review never will: misunderstood navigation labels, backwards page structure, or sections that are buried where no one looks.
We'd love to talk.
Ready to talk through your project? We're ready to hear from you. Drop us a line.
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The user experience testing process.
We offer testing at multiple points in the project — not just at the end when it's too late to change anything meaningful. The most valuable testing happens at the sitemap and wireframe stage, when structural changes are fast and free. Post-launch testing validates that the design and content are working as intended and identifies areas for the next iteration.
The approach depends on what you need to learn. Card sorting tells you how your audience naturally groups content. Tree testing validates whether people can find things in your proposed structure. Prototype testing reveals where the layout and flow succeed or struggle.
What can UX testing include?
A testing plan matched to your project stage and your questions — with findings organized by severity and actionability.
Pre-design testing
- Card sorting
- Tree testing
- First-click testing
Design-phase testing
- Wireframe and prototype testing
- Navigation validation
- Content comprehension testing
- Task completion analysis
Post-launch testing
- Usability testing on the live site
- Heatmap and session recording analysis
- Task-based evaluation
- Findings report
What is a UX foundation workshop?
A UX Foundation Workshop is a structured process for organizations that know they need a new website — or a significant overhaul — but haven't yet aligned on who the site is really for, what it needs to accomplish, or what should happen first.
Learn more with our UX workshop explainer.
Discovery and Research
Before you design or build anything, understand what you're dealing with — your audiences, your content, and what your team can manage.
Web Strategy
Content strategy, information architecture, governance, and CMS planning — the strategic decisions that make complex web projects succeed.
Design
Design that works for your audience and your editors — from visual systems and prototyping to accessible, structured interfaces.
Case Studies
A few testing projects we're proud of.
Featured:
Testing Wireframes At the Source
Understanding user flows through user testing, we created interactive prototypes that allowed us to clearly see what each student was thinking.
Gaining alignment across multiple departments for a new direction, a new content team, and a brand new CMS.
Updating the design for Minnesota State University Mankato in a way that didn’t remake the entire website.
Our thoughts and guidance on user experience testing.
Before you dive into user experience testing, here's what's worth thinking through.
Frequently asked questions.
How many users do we need to test with?
For qualitative usability testing, five to eight participants per audience segment is usually enough to identify the most significant issues. We're looking for patterns, not statistical significance. If three out of five people can't find your admissions page, that's a pattern worth acting on.
Is testing worth it for a smaller site?
Yes — especially for smaller organizations where the site is a primary channel. A tree test or card sort for a 50-page site might take a week and cost a fraction of a full usability study, but it can prevent navigation mistakes that would take time to fix after launch.
When should we test?
As early as possible. The most valuable testing happens before visual design begins — at the sitemap and wireframe stage, when structural changes are cheap. Testing after launch is also valuable, but by then changes require design and development work. The earlier you test, the less rework you need later.
Can we test with our own customers or members?
Yes, and we often recommend it. Testing with people who represent your actual audience gives you the most relevant findings. We can help design the test scenarios, facilitate the sessions, and analyze the results — whether you're testing with customers, members, students, patients, or any other audience,
What do we get at the end of testing?
A findings report organized by severity and actionability — not a list of every minor issue, but a prioritized set of recommendations your team can act on immediately. We present findings directly to your team and discuss tradeoffs, so the decisions that follow are informed and practical.