Design validation is the process of testing a design with real users to confirm that it meets their needs, is intuitive to use, and achieves the intended experience goals. It bridges the gap between what designers intend and what users actually experience.

How it works: Validation sessions expose users to a design ranging from wireframes to high-fidelity prototypes to shipped features and observe or measure how they interact with it. Researchers look for points of confusion, task failure, misaligned expectations, and emotional responses. Findings are used to refine the design before or after launch.

Design validation is different from design exploration. Generative research discovers what to build; design validation confirms whether what has been built works as intended. Both are essential, but they answer different questions.

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