Our Wednesday Wisdom panel explored why testing beats guessing – and how it saves you time and money.
Communications about pensions, investment and insurance are often steered by educated guesses, outdated studies and the whims of whoever is holding the pen. In the hands of an expert, they make perfect sense. In the hands of a busy person outside the bubble, they can be utterly mystifying.
Rather than leave people to make sense of our communications, we should be making sense of their lives, needs and experience. So that what they receive makes sense to them. User testing, the process of road-testing communications, journeys and experiences with real people, is the best way to do this.
At Quietroom, we’re increasingly being led by user testing. I recently hosted an online panel discussion about why it matters, and how to do it. Our consultant Cath Collins, lead consultant Julia Fox, and senior writer and content designer Maddie York shared practical tips, insights and inspiration from their experience.
Moments that changed everything
Our panellists shared the lightbulb moments that turned them into user-testing evangelists:
Julia’s silent-majority revelation: While testing pension buyout communications, Julia discovered that people who did not understand something often felt “unqualified to ask” for help. “It hit me that we could have communications failing silently,” she explained. “People wouldn’t even tell us they were confused.”
Maddie’s accessibility wake-up call: Helping her 88-year-old grandmother navigate websites revealed countless barriers we take for granted. “Basic things like scrolling down or finding navigation menus become massive obstacles. So many sites are never tested with older users.”
Cath’s empathy shock: Watching people conclude they’re “not clever enough” to understand financial communications was a turning point. “Nobody should feel alienated by information that’s meant to help them. That’s not a user problem – that’s a communication problem.”
Why assumptions are dangerous
The panel emphasised how most communications are built on assumptions that crumble under real-world testing. We assume people will read linearly, understand jargon, and have time to digest complex information.
But reality is messier. Picture someone trying to understand their pension options while managing children, a barking dog, and constant interruptions. Or factory workers on 12-hour shifts with just three 20-minute breaks – where they need to eat and use the toilet too. Real people juggle chaos, not compliance.
As I noted in the discussion: “We build these things in default settings, but user testing shows you how they unfold in the real world.”
Small budgets, big insights
One of the most practical discussions centred on getting started without massive resources. You only need 5 participants to uncover most usability problems, based on Nielsen Norman research.
Julia shared examples of quick online testing that runs overnight, delivering insights by the next working day. But your method needs to be matched with your audience – office workers might be fine with online testing, but reaching retired people requires more creative approaches.
Recent testing at factory sites provided a perfect example. Some workers could not navigate websites because they did not understand basic functionality like scrolling down. Crucial information ‘below the fold’ was completely missed, transforming the entire communication strategy.
Testing with just 5 people reveals what thousands of assumptions miss.
When testing changes everything
User testing can feel like a mixed blessing. Sometimes it reveals a foundational flaw that will upend a project, requiring it to be started from scratch.
“Feedback’s always a bit of a gift,” Cath explained. “You might blow up an entire communications plan, but that feedback focuses your efforts so well that you have to greet it as an opportunity.”
The panel explained that it’s better to discover these problems before launch than after spending a fortune and confusing thousands of people with communications that do not work.
Making the business case
Several attendees asked about convincing stakeholders to invest in testing. The panel’s advice was clear: focus on commercial benefits alongside doing the right thing.
Easier communications mean fewer helpdesk calls, more people taking action, and better outcomes. In competitive markets, the provider that makes things easiest wins. As one participant noted, they would consolidate pensions with “the one that humbly listens to me”.
Our panel’s top tips
- Start with 5 users who represent your real audience.
- Give realistic scenarios and watch people struggle (without helping).
- Record everything – quotes from real users powerfully convince stakeholders.
- Prepare for difficult feedback – fundamental problems are not failures, they’re discoveries.
- Act on findings – there’s no point testing if you’re not going to change anything.
