We’ve all been there—caught up in a whirlwind of trends and ideas, chasing after the latest sparkly feature that a competitor just rolled out. Sounds familiar, right? As both an employee and a freelancer, I’ve witnessed brands succumb to what some call “shiny object syndrome.” In the rush to innovate, they jump straight into development without ever pausing to ask the all-important question: “Does our audience actually want this?” It’s a classic misstep, often exacerbated by the notion that if a competitor does it, it must be right. But as product leader Itamar Gilad wisely points out, that assumption can lead to a costly road of trial and error. Instead of shooting in the dark, companies should lean into usability testing—a powerful way to ground ideas in real user evidence. In this article, I’ll dig deep into what usability testing is, unveil various methods to conduct it, and guide you on how to implement it effectively—even on a tight budget. So buckle up, and let’s turn those assumptions into insights! LEARN MORE.As an employee and a freelancer, I’ve seen plenty of brands fall prey to a shiny object syndrome where they want to build a feature they saw a competitor launch or simply thought was a good idea. Then, they build that idea without knowing if their audience needs or wants it — they skip usability testing.
“In many companies, if the leading competitor has this feature and we think it’s a good idea, validation is done. It never works,” shares author and product leader Itamar Gilad. “You should not assume that your competitor actually knows what they are doing any more than you do. I always ask, ‘Where is your evidence?’”
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