Usability Testing: Watch Real Users, Not Just Experts

Usability testing evaluates a product by observing real, first-time users interact with it, revealing critical flaws that designers and experts, with their ingrained knowledge, often miss. It's a core practice in user-centered design to get direct input on a system's intuitiveness before a costly launch. The common footgun is confusing this with usability inspection, where experts evaluate a UI; its unique value comes from the direct, unfiltered feedback of actual, non-expert users.