Inclusive User Testing: Design Courses That Work for Everyone

When you build an online course, inclusive user testing, the practice of testing learning materials with real people who represent diverse abilities, backgrounds, and needs. Also known as equitable usability testing, it’s not about checking a box—it’s about making sure no one gets left behind because the interface is confusing, the content moves too fast, or the examples don’t reflect their life. Most courses are designed for a fictional "average" learner. But there is no average. Someone might be learning on a phone with slow data. Someone else might rely on screen readers. Another might be juggling a full-time job and kids. If your course doesn’t work for them, it’s not working at all.

accessible learning, the design of educational content that can be used by people with a wide range of abilities and disabilities isn’t optional—it’s the foundation of good instructional design. Think about how you’d feel if a video had no captions, or if you couldn’t navigate a quiz with just a keyboard. These aren’t edge cases. They’re everyday barriers. And when you test with real users who face them, you don’t just fix problems—you uncover better ways to teach. That’s why user-centered design, an approach that puts the learner’s needs, behaviors, and challenges at the heart of every design decision shows up in posts about wireframing, micro-learning, and even escape room-style activities. All of them work better when they’re built with real people in mind.

You don’t need a big budget or fancy tools to start. You just need to ask. Reach out to learners with different needs. Watch how they interact with your course. Listen to what they say when something breaks. That’s how you turn a course that’s "good enough" into one that’s truly powerful. The posts below show you how to do this without overcomplicating it—whether you’re setting up community guidelines, designing a glossary, or testing a new quiz format. You’ll find real examples of how inclusive user testing changes outcomes—not just for a few, but for everyone.