Looking for user feedback to fix copy fast without breaking the budget? Here are five alternatives to A/B testing.
In nearly every interview I’ve had for a UX writing gig, one question always stumped me: “Have you tried A/B testing?”
I’ll usually weasel my way out of the question. Of course, I’ve run A/B tests for UX copy, but most failed to produce meaningful insights.
UX writers love A/B testing, also known as split testing. The method is simple: show two different sets of copywriting to users and see which one performs better (e.g. “Learn more” vs “Try a free demo” for a CTA). The idea is that you can make data-driven decisions in your UX writing that improve the user experience.
Why UX writers need better alternatives to A/B testing
A/B testing for UX writing, however, isn’t always practical or effective. It only evaluates small, isolated changes in the wording and won’t be of much use for your content strategy.
Test “Learn more” against “Try a free demo” and you’ll likely see that the latter gets more clicks. But you won’t find out why. And if you don’t know why content works, you can’t shape a consistent strategy or uncover best practices.
Focusing solely on quantitative insights also leads to UX content based on short-term gains at the expense of user trust. Let’s say an A/B test shows that using FOMO-driven language like “Only a few left!” boosts conversions. It might win the test, but overusing this tactic can feel manipulative and erode users’ trust over time.
Of course, some situations call for straightforward quantitative data. But A/B testing isn’t as straightforward as it sounds: It requires development resources, which are often better spent testing full UI designs, not isolated bits of UX copy. And unless you have a large user base, your results won’t be statistically reliable.
So, how can you test UX writing without A/B testing? For better insights without higher costs, try these five quicker and more cost-efficient UX research methods.
In-depth UX research methods for UX writing
These three alternatives to A/B testing go beyond surface-level metrics to reveal how your content supports the user experience.
Method 1: Moderated Interviews – deep dive into why your copy works
Usability testing is watching how users interact with your product. These sessions can work as user interviews with a researcher or go ahead unmoderated (see next section).
In the realm of UX writing, user interviews can help answer questions like:
- Do users understand your content?
- Does your content match user expectations?
- Is your content helping or hindering the user journey?
Watching and talking to users as they complete tasks gives you a clearer picture of how your content performs. More importantly, it’s a chance to probe deeper and uncover the why behind user actions.
I ran moderated interviews as a UX writer at Klook, an online travel agency, to evaluate a new product called Stay+, which bundled hotel packages with transport, SIM cards, and other travel essentials.
I started with clear research goals: How did users understand my UX writing? Did it effectively guide them through the booking flow? Was my content clearly communicating the benefits of choosing a Stay+ package?
Based on these goals, I created tasks for users that allowed me to observe where confusion and hesitation occurred. More specifically, I could pinpoint where the copy wasn’t working as intended
I asked participants to find hotel bundles through the Klook app. No surprise that they all found the hotel product page. But none clicked on the Stay+ entrance banner, which mentioned “hotel bundles”. After probing, half the users said they noticed the banner but didn’t understand what was on offer, so they ignored it.
An A/B test might have revealed low clickthrough rates, but it wouldn’t have explained why users weren’t engaging. Thanks to the interviews, I learned that the messaging wasn’t clear or compelling enough—users needed the value proposition upfront.
I recommended revising the banner copy to highlight the specific benefits and savings based on that insight. This small tweak, grounded in real user feedback rather than metrics, could help bridge the gap between the content and user expectations.
Method 2: Unmoderated usability testing – watch users interact with your copy
Unmoderated usability testing lets users interact with your product independently while their screen is recorded.
Without a moderator, users navigate your product as they would in real life.
The beauty of unmoderated testing is that you’ll determine whether users can complete tasks using only the available text. You’ll see precisely where they pause, hesitate or get stuck.
These insights reveal which moments need more clarity and direction from your content. For example, if several users keep making the same error or hesitate on a page with updated payment instructions, that’s a signal your wording needs work.
But the biggest advantage of unmoderated testing is scale: You can test with multiple users quickly without the need to schedule live sessions. Instead, users complete the test in their own time, and you review the recordings afterwards.
Platforms like UXArmy support unmoderated testing by recording both screen and voice. As long as you’re using the think-aloud protocol, you can hear users explain their thinking as they complete tasks. You can also include survey questions before or after the session to gather additional context and tag key moments in the recordings for later review.
This UX copy testing method works especially well when:
- You want fast feedback on prototypes or live designs.
- You’re testing content across markets or devices.
- You need to validate flows like onboarding, checkout, or navigation without a live facilitator.
You won’t have the chance to ask follow-up questions in unmoderated usability testing. Still, it offers a flexible, efficient way to test your UX writing with real users and detect common pain points.
Method 3: Surveys – quickly check if your copy makes sense
Surveys are tricky to pull off. When crafted well, however, they are a robust way to collect qualitative and quantitative insights from a large pool of users.
For UX writers, surveys are useful for:
- Scoring your content based on UX writing principles, like clarity.
- Gathering feedback on your content’s personality and tone.
- Identifying weak spots in your content and prioritizing improvements.
The challenge lies in knowing the right questions to ask. Most users don’t know what UX writing or content design is (any UX writer who’s tried explaining their job at a party knows the struggle).
A question like “How would you rate our UX writing?” won’t yield good results. Things get even trickier if your digital product has different content types, like content marketing and blog posts. Make sure your questions focus on UX copywriting.
That said, as a UX writer, you should be no stranger to writing in language that’s unambiguous, jargon-free and easy to understand. Instead of asking users to rate your “UX writing,” focus on how the words in your product support the experience. Keep your questions grounded in the user journey and product interface.
When I ran surveys at Klook, I focused on three principles we used to evaluate UX writing:
- Clarity
- Conversational tone
- Localization (wording choice for the local audience)
With these principles in mind, I used a simple rating scale to ask how much users agreed with statements.
| What I wanted to find out | How I phrased it for participants |
| Is the UX writing clear enough to guide users? | “The text I see on Klook helps me do what I want to do.” |
| Is the UX writing written in a human, conversational way, or does it sound robotic? | “Reading the text on Klook feels conversational, like I’m talking to a human.” |
| Is the UX writing localized well? | “Klook uses words and phrases suitable for me and my culture.” |
We scored strongly for clarity and conversational tone, but localization lagged. After segmenting results by region, we saw that most dissatisfied responses came from Australian users.
To follow up, I created an Australian English glossary with the Australian marketing team and started updating product copy. For instance, we changed “pickup truck” to “ute” on car rental pages—a small change that made the content feel more natural for local users Down Under.
We also asked open-ended questions like, “What parts are unclear?” Multiple users pointed to confusion around promo code entry.
Fast UX copy testing methods (great for tight deadlines)
Short on time? These quick UX writing testing methods deliver insights that won’t break your budget.
When you put your UX copywriting to the card sorting test, you’ll find out:
1. Card sorting
Card sorting is a deceptively simple research method that helps you understand how users mentally group and label information. Researchers use it to set up information architecture and menu structures, and it’s a powerful tool for UX writers—especially when you’re working on navigation labels, onboarding flows, FAQs, or anything that requires clear, intuitive categorization.
- Do users understand your labels?
- Are the groupings aligned with how users think?
Card sorting helps match your product’s information design to your users’ expectations and works as a quick UX writing validation technique. It reduces the cognitive load for users as they won’t need to overthink when navigating menus on your product.
There are three main formats:
- Open card sorting. Participants group items in a way that makes sense to them and label those groups using their own words. Users will show you how they naturally organize your content without prompting.
- Closed card sorting. Instead of asking users to use their own words, they group items into categories decided by the researcher. You’ll find out whether your existing labels are intuitive.
- Hybrid card sorting. A combination of both, in which you provide some structure while allowing users to adjust or create their own groups.
UXArmy can help you create cards and categories for sorting. You can even collect additional feedback on each card as participants are nudged to explain their thinking, which gives you a layer of qualitative insight alongside the sorting behaviour.
Having worked on different e-commerce sites, card sorting helped me figure out how to categorize items to make menus easier for users to navigate.
One surprising insight came up during closed card sorting at Klook: nearly half of the participants placed cruise products under “Transport”. That seemed logical at first. After all, cruises are vehicles. But from a product perspective, cruises aren’t about getting from A to B; they’re round trips more aligned with experiences than transport.
This insight helped us rethink how we framed certain offerings and led us to clarify in our interface that cruises are “experiences at sea”, and not modes of transport.
2. Five-second testing – get gut reactions to your UX writing
When users land on a screen, what content catches their eye, and what do they remember? Five-second testing is a fast, cost-effective testing method to answer that question.
You show users a screen for a very short period (typically five seconds), then follow up to gauge their impressions. It’s particularly useful for testing high-impact content, such as homepages, product cards and button labels, where clarity and first impressions are vital for conversions
Unlike longer tests where users have time to settle in and explore, five-second testing is more akin to real user behaviour: scanning, skimming, and making snap judgments. People are busy and distracted; if your writing isn’t immediately clear or engaging, users won’t register it
Five-second testing with UXArmy can help you catch what content needs to be more skimmable for busy and distracted users. UXArmy integrates these tests into unmoderated usability studies, in which you can set exposure times, track the time to first click (to measure hesitation), and ask users to click on the element that drew their attention. You can add follow-up questions to uncover what users remembered and how they felt about the content.
Five-second testing won’t give you the whole picture, but it will show how users react when they don’t have time to overthink, making it an excellent method to validate messaging with A/B testing.
BONUS: First click testing – see where users click first on your UX copy
First-click tests show where users would click first to complete a task using just your content, great for evaluating CTAs or info hierarchy
Summing up: Smarter testing means better writing
To recap, here are five alternatives to A/B testing for UX writing, all of which are available on UXArmy:
- Usability testing through user interviews. Deep insights and real-time feedback
- Unmoderated usability testing. Fast, scalable, and natural.
- Surveys. Great for putting scores on your content.
- Card sorting. Effective for navigation and labelling.
- Five-second testing. Finding out first impressions.
So the next time someone asks, “Have you tried A/B testing?” you can say: “I have, and I’ve also tried smarter UX writing testing methods that helped me fix copy fast.”
Great UX writing isn’t about winning tests but helping users win with your products.
Run your first UX writing test on UXArmy for free!
Frequently asked questions
Why is A/B testing not always ideal for UX writing?
A/B testing isolates small copy changes and lacks context. It doesn’t explain why content performs a certain way, and requires time, tech resources, and large user samples to get meaningful results.
What are better alternatives to A/B testing for UX copy?
Alternatives include:
- Moderated usability testing
- Unmoderated usability testing
- Surveys focused on clarity and tone
- Card sorting for categorization
- Five-second testing for first impressions
How does usability testing improve UX writing?
It helps identify content confusion, misalignment with user expectations, and guides content updates based on real behavior and feedback.
Can I test UX writing without technical resources?
Yes. Tools like UXArmy allow non-technical teams to run usability studies, card sorting, and five-second tests without developer involvement.
How can UXArmy help in testing content?
UXArmy provides unmoderated testing, card sorting, screen recordings, surveys, and five-second tests—all useful for refining UX copy without A/B tests.
