Why You Should Prioritize Usability Testing Before Launching Your App
Imagine this: You’ve spent months (maybe even years) building what you believe is an amazing app The visuals look stunning, the animations are smooth, the team is proud and then you launch. Within days, the reviews start coming in:
“Where is the confirm button?”
“Why is this step so confusing?”
“I just gave up trying to complete my order.”
Most of the time, the problem isn’t bad code or slow servers. The real issue is usually much simpler: real users were never properly asked for feedback before the final version went live.
That’s exactly where usability testing comes in and it’s one of the highest-leverage activities you can do before launch or during a redesign.
What Actually Makes a Great Hire UI UX Designer
When most people look to hire a UI UX designer, they focus on the visible things: beautiful colors, elegant icons, trendy micro-interactions. While those matter, the truly valuable designer cares far more about something else:
Can a complete stranger open the app for the first time and understand what to do without frustration, without confusion, without needing to think too hard?
So when someone says “hire a designer to build my app” or “design my app UI UX”, the most important follow-up question should be:
“Do you plan to run structured usability testing with real target users, or will you just deliver the screens and call it done?”
Beautiful Design vs. Actually Usable Design
A friend once built a food delivery app for a specific city He invested heavily in mobile app design services the interface looked gorgeous. But when we ran a quick usability test with just 7 regular people from the target audience, we discovered:
- The “Confirm Order” button was visually buried
- Adding a delivery address took 4 screens instead of 1–2 clear steps
After making the changes suggested by those few testers, order completion rate jumped from 41% to 89% within the first week post-update.
Small fixes. Huge business impact.
How to Choose the Right UI UX Designer.. Especially in the Middle East
The market in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE and the wider region now has many talented freelance UI UX designers and agencies But not all of them treat usability testing as a serious, non-negotiable part of their process.
Signs You’ve Found a Professional Product Designer for Apps
- They ask detailed questions about your target users before they start designing
- They create realistic personas based on research (not just pretty fictional characters)
- They plan usability testing from the beginning not as an afterthought
- They use tools like Maze, Lookback, UserTesting, or even well-structured Zoom sessions
- They iterate multiple times based on real user feedback (not just stakeholder opinions)
If you find a Figma UI UX designer, Figma designer for mobile apps, or freelance web designer who works this way hold on to them.
When & How to Do an App UI UX Redesign the Right Way
Many founders reach out saying:
“Our app has been live for two years, but conversion has stalled and users keep dropping off at checkout.”
That’s usually the moment to seriously consider an app redesign service but not one based on guesses or internal opinions One based on real user behavior and testing.
Practical Steps for a Smart Redesign
1. Collect existing data first
Heatmaps, session recordings (Hotjar, FullStory), app store reviews, support tickets.
2. Run quick usability tests & interviews
Even 5–8 participants usually reveal 75–85% of the most serious issues.
3. Prioritize ruthlessly
Not every problem gets fixed in version 1 Focus first on issues that directly affect conversion or retention.
4. Design → Test again → Compare
If possible, run A/B tests between old and new flows.
Real example: We helped a Saudi e-commerce app with app UI UX redesign. Their checkout abandonment rate was 68%. After simplifying checkout from 5 steps to 2 (based on user test insights), abandonment dropped to 29% within one month.
How Proper Usability Testing Is Actually Planned & Run
Planning Phase
- Clearly define what you want to learn
Example: “Can users add a product to cart in under 25 seconds?”
- Recruit the right people (5–12 participants from your real target audience not colleagues)
- Create realistic tasks: “Buy something under $30”, “Change delivery address”, “Find a specific product”
- Prepare recording setup (screen + voice) and instruct the moderator to stay neutral
During the Session
Ask users to think out loud. After each task, ask open questions:
“What felt difficult?”
“If you could change one thing, what would it be?”
After Testing
- Organize findings in a simple table: Issue – Severity – How many people had it
- Turn observations into actionable design changes
- Present results clearly to the team short clips of real users explaining their struggles are extremely powerful
If you’re about to launch a new app, or you’re frustrated with the performance of your current one, don’t wait for bad reviews to pile up.
Start working with someone who understands that the best UI UX designer for mobile apps isn’t the one with the prettiest portfolio it’s the one who consistently validates their work with real people.
Whether you're looking for a UI UX designer for startups, mobile app prototype design, professional website design for businesses, or a complete app redesign service, make sure usability testing is part of the conversation from day one.
If you’d like to discuss your project or need help finding the right designer who works this way, feel free to reach out.
