
5 Ways to Get Usability Testing on the Cheap - wheels
http://www.sitepoint.com/blogs/2008/11/25/5-ways-to-get-usability-testing-on-the-cheap/
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grahamr
I think this article has some good tactics. Three additional points I would
add:

1\. An incredibly valuable skill is being able to clear your mind and see what
you're working on from the fresh perspective of a potential user. This is even
easier if you are your own target audience, or if your product is such that
your team can 'eat your own dogfood.'

2\. Don't forget that usability testing typically only makes sense if the
participant is in your target audience. If you are targeting some sort of
specific niche audience or need (and most businesses probably are), it's worth
taking time/$ to find the right kind of person versus someone online who has
no context for the need you're trying to solve. If you already have customers,
some of them will almost certainly be excited to help test new features.

3\. If you're doing research interactively, consider having someone who didn't
design the product asking the questions: it's really easy to bias the results
based on your expectations.

Finally, it's certainly not cheap but if you ever have a chance to do
usability research in a lab with genuine 1-way glass, it's a blast!

