Why User Testing Is One of the Smartest Investments You Can Make in Your Website
Your website is one of your most important tools no matter your industry. Whether your org is building its own website or contracting a small business website design agency, it's tempting to focus on visuals and launch quickly. But skipping user testing to save time or money can backfire, leading to confusion, missed opportunities, and costly revisions down the line.
User Testing = Return on Clarity
Good design doesn’t just look good—it works. And the only way to truly know if it’s working is to test it with the people you’re designing it for.
User testing provides real, measurable return on investment (ROI) by:
Increasing conversions and engagement
Reducing bounce rates
Saving time on endless design revisions later
Helping teams align on decisions backed by actual data—not assumptions
According to a study by Forrester, every dollar invested in user experience brings up to $100 in return. That’s a number worth paying attention to.
Photo by UX Indonesia
A Real Example: Designing for Donations
A little while back, I worked on a large website redesign for a major nonprofit. They wanted the new site to better reflect their mission and ultimately increase donations.
We kicked off the process with early user testing. We interviewed real users who fit the nonprofit’s target donor profile. These sessions uncovered something big: most users weren’t connecting the dots between the nonprofit’s mission and who they actually supported. They were inspired by the work but confused by the messaging—and unsure how their donation would make a difference.
Because we had this insight early, we were able to make major changes to the homepage layout and content strategy. Instead of burying the impact in paragraphs of text, we pulled it front and center. We clarified what the organization does, who it helps, and how donations fuel that work.
Throughout the 3-month project, we followed a cycle of design, feedback, and iteration. After refining wireframes and designs with the nonprofit’s leadership team, we were nearly ready to launch. But I suggested one final round of user testing.
This second round paid off. Users still weren’t fully understanding the nonprofit’s purpose and how it connected to the communities they were investing in. Plus, they wanted to see a more direct call to action: what would their donation actually do?
We refined the homepage messaging by simplifying the copy and adding visual cues to make the "who," "what," and "why" immediately clear. On the donation page, we introduced concise, relatable language that clearly conveyed the impact of each contribution. These changes led to a significant increase in users’ understanding of the nonprofit’s mission.
Imagine if we hadn’t done that final test. We would have launched a beautiful site that still didn’t resonate.
If you're not designing for your users... who are you designing for?
When you're deep in your organization's world, it's easy to forget that your website visitors aren't. They don't know your backstory. They might not understand your acronyms. They don’t know what you want them to do unless you make it obvious.
User testing gives you the chance to see your website through their eyes. It forces you to pause and ask: does this make sense to someone seeing it for the first time?
Whether you're investing in custom UX services or exploring the best way to create a website for a small business, testing early and often can make the difference between a website that works—and one that just looks nice. This is true whether you're looking for web interface design or are contracting a UX/UI design agency.
The ROI of user testing gives your team data, direction, and confidence. It helps you make smarter decisions, build something that truly resonates, and avoid costly missteps.
Do you need help building your perfect website?
At Boman Communications, we specialize in user experience design services and affordable web design for small businesses.
If you want a site that actually connects, converts, and communicates your purpose, let’s talk.