User testing is a technique in design that is used to find usability problems on a website, which can be done by having different users on different devices interact with your website.
Benefits of User Testing
Through multiple testing scenarios, companies can learn many things:
The opinions of many different types of users
Get feedback on a product, and make it more user-driven.
Understanding trends, and adjusting as such.
Overall improving the quality of products and other miscellaneous things.
Types of User Testing
There are two main types of user testing, Moderated and Unmoderated.
Moderated testing is a type of testing which is done through having a facilitator navigate along a website with a user. There are both pros and cons to this type of user testing.
Pros:
Interaction between the moderator and the user is much clearer.
The gaining of trust as the session goes along.
Cons:
Costly.
The process takes longer, as a moderator is needed.
Scheduling is required.
Unmoderated testing is a more remote based testing, where the presence of a moderator is gone, and instead prompting feedback from participants, which gets recorded. Much like moderated testing, there are many pros and cons to this form of testing.
Pros:
Testing does not require any scheduling, and can be performed at any time.
Not nearly as costly as moderated tests.
Cons:
Users are left unguided, so the quality of the test will depend on how far each one decides to go.