User Testing (UX Testing) — what it is and what you get
User testing is a structured way to verify how people really use your website, app, or prototype: where they get lost, what they don’t understand, and what prevents them from completing tasks. At NMS, we test online and in person and can recruit even more demanding target groups. The output isn’t just “insights”—it’s a concrete list of issues and clear recommendations on what to change to improve usability and product performance.
Quick summary:
- we test prototypes as well as live websites/apps
- we uncover barriers in navigation, clarity, and task completion
- you get a prioritised list of issues + recommended fixes
- we deliver outputs your product/UX/dev team can act on immediately
- we can run sessions online or in person
- we can recruit even hard-to-reach target groups
- we build on NMS standards and long-term know-how
What user testing helps you improve
- Higher completion rates for key tasks—people find what they need faster (purchase, sign-up, quote request, account actions).
- Fewer “silent” failures—you identify moments where users lose confidence even if they never complain.
- Clear fix prioritisation—what to tackle now, what can wait, and why (impact × frequency).
- Clearer structure and navigation—less wandering, more “oh, it’s right here.”
- Better team decisions—a shared language for product, UX, and development instead of opinions.
When it makes sense
User testing pays off whenever it matters that people can complete a key task without explanation and without friction—whether you’re pre-launch or dealing with a performance drop.
Typically, it helps when:
- you’re preparing a redesign or changing information architecture,
- you’re releasing a new feature / a new app version,
- conversions are dropping (lead form, purchase, registration),
- support questions are increasing (“where do I find this?”),
- you have multiple internal hypotheses and need a fast, factual check.
If you need to go deeper (motivations, users’ language, usage context), it often pairs well with qualitative research or longer-term insight collection in an online community.
Who benefits most from user testing
Most often, it’s valuable for teams that need to manage experience quality across channels and operations:
- Customer Experience / Customer Care / Contact Center
- Retail / branch network / franchise management
- Marketing & Insights
- HR / People (for EX measurement)
If you also need to monitor “uninvited” feedback from public sources, this pairs well with online review monitoring.
What we most often validate in a test
We use user testing to verify whether people can complete key tasks on your website, app, or prototype without unnecessary struggle. Most commonly we assess orientation in structure and navigation, clarity of copy and labels, friction points in flows (forms, checkout, onboarding), and how users understand the offer and make decisions.
This service makes sense for product roles (PM/PO) and UX teams that want to validate designs on real behaviour, as well as for e-commerce/marketing (conversion performance) and development teams that need clearly described issues and recommendations—without guesswork. If you’re looking at the broader product context, it naturally connects to product development research.
What outputs you can expect
To make results easy to implement, we deliver outputs that product, UX, and development teams can use right away:
- Executive summary report—what slows users down, where errors happen, and why.
- Findings + recommendations (specific changes, not generic advice).
- Prioritisation (user impact × frequency × effort).
- Anchoring in goals—mapped to your key tasks (e.g., purchase, quote request, self-service).
If you want results to be available “live” to a wider team, it can make sense to build on our research platforms (e.g., for reporting and sharing outputs).
Why user testing with NMS
We combine methods with the ability to reach relevant respondents—online and in person, including recruitment for more demanding target groups.
Behind NMS is the long-term backbone of a research agency (more than 20 years on the market) and professional standards—we’re members of organisations such as ESOMAR and SIMAR (and others).
Some of our satisfied clients
Questions & answers
What is user testing (UX testing)?
It’s a structured check of how people complete real tasks on a website, in an app, or on a prototype—what works, where they fail, and why.
When does UX testing pay off the most?
Before a redesign, before launching a new version, when conversion drops, or when support questions increase.
Do you test prototypes or only live products?
Both. It makes sense in different phases—from early design through mature products.
Do you run sessions online and in person?
Yes—we have experience with both online and in-person moderated testing.
Can you also recruit participants?
Yes—this can include recruiting hard-to-reach target groups.
What exactly will I receive as an output?
Concrete findings, recommendations, and prioritisation—so fixes can be planned and implemented immediately (product/UX/dev).
How does UX testing relate to other research?
It’s often complemented by qualitative research (motivations, language, context) or longer-term insight collection in an online community.
