Usability testing is a means of understanding the goodness of a design’s fit to the intended users’ problems

“Usability testing should not be a stage gate in your design and development process. It should be a tool with which to gather helpful, diagnostic information from your target users. It’s a means of understanding the goodness of a design’s fit to the intended users’ problems.” – Paul J. Sherman

Read more in Paul’s article “Testing Your Own Designs Redux.”

1. It’s not good enough to just be usable. Design has to fit into peoples’ lives.
2. Usability really just means making sure that something works well
3. Focus on understanding the behavior and performance of people using a design
4. Without sacrificing usability, let’s bring a little fun into our designs
5. Usability is a necessary condition for survival