How to Run a Usability Test on a Shoestring Budget

You don't need a lab, a recruiter, or a $400/month tool to learn whether your design works.

Find Your Participants

• Five users will surface the majority of usability problems — don't over-recruit.
• Slack communities, Reddit, and your own network are free recruiting channels.
• A $20 gift card is sufficient incentive for a 30-minute session.

Run the Session

• Use Loom or Google Meet to record — no specialist software needed.
• Give tasks, not instructions. "Find the cancellation option" not "click the settings menu".
• Stay quiet. Your job is to observe, not to guide.

The insights from five honest sessions will outperform a month of internal debate every time.