2–4 days
Test planning
We agree the tasks, user groups, success criteria and the prototype or live build to test.
Usability testing services
Usability testing services that catch problems before production
Real users, real tasks, real feedback. We test concepts, prototypes, and live products before development and before launch.
Trusted by teams at
- Senior designers only
- NDA before the first call
- Reply within 1 business day
Get a free consultation
Free consultation · reply within one business day
In shortUsability testing services measure how real users complete tasks on a prototype or live product through moderated sessions, unmoderated studies and System Usability Scale (SUS) scoring, before a user experience (UX) team ships the design. Our usability testing engagement takes 4–8 weeks, costs $25,000–$60,000, and runs 2–3 test rounds with design fixes between rounds.
Definition
What is usability testing?
Usability testing is a research method in which representative users attempt realistic tasks on a product while a researcher observes where the users succeed, hesitate and fail. Each usability test measures task success rate, time on task and errors, the effectiveness and efficiency measures of ISO 9241-11.
Usability testing differs from UX audit services in one way: recruited users evaluate the product, not designers. Nielsen Norman Group guidance sets 5 users per round for a qualitative usability test, so a UX team runs several small rounds instead of 1 large round.
- Timeline
- 4–8 weeks
- Investment
- $25,000–$60,000
- Deliverables
- 6 included
What's included
What do usability testing services include?
Our usability testing services include 6 deliverables: a test plan, participant recruitment, moderated usability sessions, unmoderated usability studies, SUS and Single Ease Question scoring, and a usability test report.
Test plan
Tasks, success criteria and participant profiles are written for each round, for example "find and book a 30-minute appointment".
Participant recruitment
5–8 participants per round are screened to match real user groups, for example first-time buyers and repeat buyers.
Moderated usability sessions
A researcher runs 45–60-minute think-aloud sessions over Lookback or Zoom, for example on a clickable Figma prototype.
Unmoderated usability studies
Maze or UserTesting runs task-based studies with 20–50 participants, for example a first-click test on a new navigation.
SUS and Single Ease Question scoring
Every participant answers the 10-item System Usability Scale and the 7-point Single Ease Question (SEQ), for example a SUS score out of 100 per round.
Usability test report
Every finding gets a video clip, a severity rating from 1 to 4 and a recommended design fix.
Process
How does the usability testing process work?
The usability testing process takes 4–8 weeks (20–40 working days) and runs in 6 steps, from the test plan to the final report.
5–8 days
Participant recruitment
We screen and schedule 5–8 participants per user group for the first round.
3–5 days
Round 1 sessions
Moderated and unmoderated sessions run on the prototype, and every session is recorded.
5–12 days
Analysis and design fixes
Findings are rated by severity, and designers fix the highest-severity issues in Figma.
3–6 days
Round 2 sessions
A second round with new participants tests the fixed design against the round 1 task success rate.
2–5 days
Report and handover
We present the usability test report and video highlights in a 60-minute session.
Benefits
What are the benefits of usability testing?
Usability testing has 4 benefits: usability testing increases task success rate, improves design quality before launch, reduces post-launch rework and develops a usability benchmark.
Increases task success rate
Fixing observed failures between rounds increases the share of participants who complete each task without help.
Improves design quality before launch
Testing prototypes improves interaction patterns, labels and error messages before any code ships.
Reduces post-launch rework
Catching usability issues in a Figma prototype reduces the development days spent fixing live code.
Develops a usability benchmark
SUS scores from each round develop a benchmark that shows usability change release after release.
Comparison
Usability testing vs A/B testing
Usability testing explains why users fail a task through observed sessions; A/B testing measures which of 2 live versions converts better through a traffic split. Teams run usability testing first to find the fix, then A/B testing to measure the fix at scale.
| Criterion | Usability testing | A/B testing |
|---|---|---|
| Question answered | Why users fail a task | Which version converts better |
| Participants | 5–8 recruited users per round | Live visitors split between 2 versions |
| Main output | Task success rate, SUS score and observed failures | Conversion rate difference and statistical significance |
| Timeline | 4–8 weeks for 2–3 rounds | 2–6 weeks of live traffic |
| Price on this site | $25,000–$60,000 | Part of the same $25,000–$60,000 sprint |
Pricing
How much does usability testing cost?
Usability testing costs $25,000–$60,000 and takes 4–8 weeks. The price depends on 4 factors: the number of test rounds, the number of participants per round, the number of platforms and the recruitment difficulty.
An engagement of 2 moderated rounds with 5 participants each on 1 web prototype sits near $25,000. An engagement of 3 rounds on web and mobile, with 8 participants per round, unmoderated Maze studies and hard-to-recruit participants, for example physicians, sits near $60,000. Teams that need broader discovery before testing start with UX research services.
Typical investment$25,000–$60,0004–8 weeks
- Test plan
- Participant recruitment
- Moderated usability sessions
- Unmoderated usability studies
When to hire
When should a product team run usability testing?
A product team should run usability testing in 5 situations:
- A redesign is ready for development, if no real user has tried the new flows.
- Conversion rate drops after a release, if analytics cannot show why users stop.
- A new product enters beta, if the team needs evidence before launch.
- 2 design concepts compete, if stakeholders cannot agree on 1 direction.
- A healthcare or finance product launches, if regulators or buyers expect documented usability evidence.
Not sure where your design problems actually start?
Book a 45-minute UX audit session. We review your product and identify the top three friction points.
Book a UX auditUsability testing services by industry
We design UI and UX for Healthcare, E-commerce, Gaming and EdTech products.
Ready to launch faster and convert more users?
Send us your project. A design lead reviews it and schedules a call within one business day. We sign an NDA before the first technical discussion if you prefer.
FAQ
Usability testing FAQs
These answers cover the 5 questions buyers ask most about usability testing services.
Still have a question?
A design lead answers every message within one business day.
Talk to a design leadHow many users are needed for usability testing?
Usability testing needs 5 users per round for a qualitative test and 40 users for a quantitative test, per Nielsen Norman Group guidance.
What is the difference between moderated and unmoderated usability testing?
Moderated usability testing has a researcher present to ask follow-up questions, while unmoderated usability testing runs on tools such as Maze without a researcher and reaches more participants in less time.
Can usability testing be done on a prototype?
Yes. Usability testing on a clickable Figma prototype finds usability issues before development starts.
Does usability testing include A/B testing?
Yes. Our usability testing services include A/B testing plans and analysis for live products with enough traffic to reach statistical significance.
How long does usability testing take?
Usability testing takes 4–8 weeks, which equals 20–40 working days, for 2–3 test rounds; a single usability testing round takes 1–3 weeks.
