Section 1 · Design Thinking

Test

Definition

Putting the prototype in front of real users, observing how they actually use it, and gathering the feedback that drives the next iteration.

Why it matters

Testing reveals the gap between what you intended and what people experience — the only reliable source of that information. It also decides where the process loops back to next.

Example

Watching five students try to navigate using the paper prototype, noting every place they hesitate or take a wrong turn, then returning to Define or Ideate with what you saw.

Note

The instinct is to explain the prototype to the tester — “so what this does is…” — which contaminates the result. The rule: hand it over, say nothing, and watch. Where the user struggles is the finding; where you feel the urge to explain is exactly the design flaw.

See also

Documentation of Change and Receiving Feedback, which make the results of a test answerable rather than merely collected.