Design & Product
Sr. Marketing Manager
Ever had a frustrating online experience—like clicking a button that doesn’t work, getting lost in a checkout process, or waiting forever for a customer support response? Annoying, right?
Now imagine your business is the one causing that frustration. Not a great thought—especially when 86% of users are willing to pay more for a better experience, and just one bad interaction can drive 32% of them away for good.
That’s where Customer Experience (CX) Testing comes in. It helps you spot friction points before your customers do—so you can fix them before they leave.
In this guide, we’ll break down CX testing—what it is, how it works, and real examples, and best practices to help you create a smoother, frustration-free experience for your customers.
Think of CX testing as a reality check for your product or service. It’s about stepping into your users’ shoes and seeing how easy (or painful) their experience is—from first click to checkout, support calls, or app usage.
The goal? Spotting friction points before they frustrate real customers.
It answers big questions like:
Instead of guessing what’s wrong, CX testing gives you direct insights into what’s working, what’s broken, and what needs improvement.
Because bad experiences cost money. Here’s the proof:
At the end of the day, if your customers struggle, they’ll leave. CX testing stops that from happening.
It isn’t just about avoiding problems—it’s about creating effortless, enjoyable experiences that turn customers into loyal advocates.
let’s make trust the foundation of every project you work on.
CX testing isn’t one-size-fits-all. Some methods help you understand the “why” (qualitative data), while others show you trends and numbers (quantitative data). You need both to get the full picture.
Here’s a quick guide to the most popular methods and how they can help you improve your customer experience:
Usability testing is all about observing real users as they interact with your product to identify friction points. It helps you understand where users struggle and why they get frustrated.
For example, let’s say a user gives up halfway through checkout because the form is confusing. With usability testing, you can pinpoint the problem and fix it before more users drop off
Best for: Catching UX issues early
Who should use it: Anyone who wants to improve user flow and reduce frustration
How to use it: Get users to perform specific tasks while you observe. Then, identify the pain points and fix what trips them up
Surveys and feedback forms let you gather quick insights from users after they interact with your product.
Best for: Collecting scalable feedback quickly.
Who should use it: Anyone looking for real-time insights from a large number of users.
How to use it: Ask short, focused questions after key actions like checkout or sign-up. Keep it simple!
Example: After a purchase, ask, “What almost stopped you from completing your order?” You might find users are confused about shipping costs, which can be fixed to reduce cart abandonment.
Moderated user interviews involve one-on-one conversations where you ask users about their experience with your product.
Best for: Gaining deeper insights into emotions and frustrations.
Who should use it: Teams wanting to understand the “why” behind user behavior.
How to use it: Conduct interviews with users, asking open-ended questions and digging into their feelings about your product.
Example: A FinTech app discovers users churned because the onboarding process felt too overwhelming—helping them rethink the design to improve retention.
Heatmaps and session recordings let you visually track user interactions on your site, showing where they click, scroll, and get stuck.
Best for: Understanding how users interact with your site.
Who should use it: Anyone who wants to see exactly where users engage or hit roadblocks.
How to use it: Set up heatmaps to track clicks and scrolls. Review session recordings to understand how users navigate your site.
Example: You notice users keep clicking on a logo expecting it to link somewhere. With heatmaps, you can easily spot this and make it clickable to meet user expectations.
A/B testing compares two different versions of a webpage or feature to see which one performs better.
Best for: Boosting conversions with data-backed decisions.
Who should use it: Product and marketing teams who want to optimize key performance metrics.
How to use it: Split your audience into two groups and show each group a different version. Measure performance and choose the winner.
Example: A/B testing the CTAs “Buy Now” vs. “Get Yours Today” could show you which one leads to more clicks, helping improve sales.
Customer support analysis involves reviewing support tickets and customer queries to uncover recurring issues.
Best for: Identifying common pain points and areas for improvement.
Who should use it: Anyone looking to improve their product or service based on real user complaints.
How to use it: Regularly analyze support tickets to spot patterns or repeated questions, and address these issues in your product. Gidon Sadovsky, founder of Overnight Glasses, advises businesses to focus on recurring customer complaints, as they often highlight deeper issues that need immediate attention. Addressing these effectively can enhance customer trust and streamline service efficiency.
Example: If users frequently ask about order tracking, it might be time to improve your tracking page or make the process clearer.
Monitoring social media and reviews helps you stay on top of customer sentiment and catch issues early.
Best for: Gaining real-time insights into customer opinions.
Who should use it: Marketing, PR, and product teams who need to stay connected with customer feedback.
How to use it: Keep track of mentions of your brand on social media and review platforms. Act fast on any issues that come up.
Example: A viral Twitter thread complaining about your refund policy could be a red flag. By monitoring social media, you can quickly address the concern before it escalates.
This is your CX testing toolkit—quick, easy-to-use methods that help you find problems and improve your experience. Just pick the right one for the job and get started!
Customer experience testing isn’t just about gathering data—it’s about making meaningful changes that impact your bottom line. Here are some real-world use cases showing how different industries use CX testing to improve their product and customer satisfaction.
E-commerce businesses live and die by conversions, and cart abandonment is a silent killer. Using CX testing, e-commerce teams can identify exactly why users leave their cart behind and how to fix it.
How businesses use it:
SaaS businesses rely heavily on user retention, and a smooth onboarding process can make all the difference. CX testing helps SaaS companies identify where users get stuck during onboarding and make the necessary changes.
How businesses use it:
With mobile apps, user engagement is a constant challenge. If users lose interest, they’ll quickly uninstall. CX testing can help businesses pinpoint why users disengage and how to get them back.
How businesses use it:
Customer support teams are often the first line of defense when it comes to identifying product issues. CX testing in this area can help spot recurring pain points and fix them before they overwhelm your support team.
How businesses use it:
These examples show how CX testing isn’t just about gathering data—it’s about using that data to make smarter decisions and enhance the customer experience across various touchpoints.
Join countless professionals in simplifying your user research process and delivering results that matter
CX testing is all about using real data to solve problems and improve customer experiences. Here’s how some well-known companies have put it into action and seen great results.
Problem:Airbnb was seeing users drop off during the booking process. The issue? Unclear cancellation policies were causing hesitation.
Fix: By conducting CX research, they found that users were unsure of the cancellation terms, leading to abandoned bookings. After testing and clarifying the policy, they made sure it was easy to understand.
Result: A clearer and more transparent cancellation policy boosted bookings significantly. This small change helped Airbnb reduce friction in the booking process and increased conversion rates.
Problem: Amazon’s product recommendations weren’t getting the engagement they needed. Users weren’t clicking on recommended products or adding them to their carts.
Fix: Through A/B testing, Amazon experimented with personalized recommendations based on a user’s past browsing and shopping behavior. This customization made suggestions feel more relevant and appealing.
Result: A 29% increase in purchases from recommended items. By tailoring the shopping experience, Amazon boosted its conversions and made shopping feel more personal.
Problem: New users were signing up for Slack but weren’t sticking around. The onboarding experience felt overwhelming, and many users struggled to get started.
Fix: Slack used user interviews to gather feedback and uncovered that the onboarding process was too complex. They simplified it, focusing on core features to make the experience more intuitive.
Result: A streamlined onboarding process led to higher user retention and engagement. New users were able to get up and running faster, which kept them engaged and using the platform long-term.
These examples show how powerful CX testing can be when businesses truly listen to their users and adapt based on real feedback. From fixing small friction points to personalizing experiences, these companies leveraged customer insights to make huge improvements—and you can too.
CX testing is an ongoing effort, not a one-time task. To get the most out of it, here are a few best practices that can guide your approach:
By following these practices, you’ll ensure that your CX testing is effective, relevant, and continuously driving improvements.
Starting CX testing can feel overwhelming, but having the right templates in hand makes it easier. Here are some ready-to-use templates to kickstart your testing process.
Customer experience testing isn’t optional—it’s the difference between keeping or losing customers. Every friction point you fix means better engagement, more conversions, and long-term loyalty.
The best part? You don’t have to do it alone. UXArmy helps you test, optimize, and improve customer experiences—with real user insights, usability tests, and automated analytics.
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