18. Stop Saying “User Test” and What To Say Instead

What makes you think users want to participate in a “User Test?”

 I bet they don’t.

Have you ever thought about what your users hear when they hear you say “test?”

I’ve facilitated, observed, and even participated in plenty of these types of sessions over the years. And in nearly all of them, the participants are somewhat nervous. And why wouldn’t they be? This is an uncomfortable situation. 

The chances are good this person has never done something like this before. We ask them to complete a random task inside of a tool they’ve likely never used. There is probably some time constraint. There are probably a few people in the room or on the call. Likely people, they’ve never met. It’s probably being recorded. All eyes are on them.

Wouldn’t you be nervous?!

And on top of all of that…

We forget all about that whole “empathy for users” thing and we call it a “User Test.”

User test! 

As UX Designers, I think we can all agree that these types of sessions are an important step in the product life cycle. But what about the term “User test?” 

Personally, I hate it, and I think you should stop using it.

So check out this week’s episode for some tips on what to use instead.

Topics:
• 04:38 – Who likes tests?
• 06:28 – Time for a grammar lesson
• 08:34 – We aren’t testing a user
• 10:08 – What do we say instead?
• 11:51 – We should take into account rigor while researching

Helpful Links:
• Lab Coat UX on LinkedIn
• Lab Coat UX on Discord

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