Brukartestar

Brukartestar is a term used in Nordic design and software development discourse to denote participants who test a product as end users, as well as the practice of conducting such tests with real users. The term is a portmanteau combining a word for “user” in Scandinavian languages (brukare/brukar) with the English word “tester.” It is not part of formal standards but appears in project documents, blogs, and method guides related to usability testing and UX research.

In practice, brukartestar involves recruiting participants who reflect the product’s target user base, and conducting tests in moderated or unmoderated formats, either in person or remotely. Tasks are designed to reflect common user goals, and participants may think aloud or provide feedback after completing tasks. Data collected can include qualitative observations, screen recordings, and performance metrics to illuminate how real users interact with the product.

The purpose of brukartestar is to identify usability issues, understand user behavior, and validate that features meet user needs and expectations. It is often used in combination with other UX research methods such as interviews, surveys, analytics, and contextual inquiry to build a comprehensive understanding of user experience.

Limitations and considerations include potential sample bias, the artificial setting of a test environment, and facilitator influence. Privacy, consent, and data handling are important, and the cost and logistics of recruiting and running tests can be challenging for smaller teams.

See also: Usability testing, user testing, UX research, participatory design.