[Myth] Usability testing is expensive

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Myth #22: Usability testing is expensive

Many organizations still believe usability testing is a luxury that requires an expensively equipped lab and takes weeks to conduct.

In fact, usability tests can be both fast and relatively cheap. You don’t need expensive prototypes; low-tech paper prototype tests can also bring valuable results. You don’t need a lot of participants either, even 5 users can be enough to test for specific tasks, and the recruiting can also be done guerilla-style. For many projects, you can even use remote and unmoderated tests.

How can you fit usability testing into a low budget?

How to get stakeholder buy-in for testing?

  • Proven techniques from Christine Perfetti to convince clients: Five Techniques for Getting Buy-In for Usability Testing
  • In an interview, Dana Chisnell advises to pitch usability testing in a company by examining what the company bases its design decisions on: “Look hard at how you’re making design decisions. Without doing some kind of user research or usability testing, how do you know you’re basing your design decisions on good information?”
  • Arguments to combat usability testing avoidance like “Our product is already perfect” or “It’ll slow us down.” – 4 ways to combat usability testing avoidance

Source: uxmyths