All modern products are technology products. Design and experience are fused with the science and engineering of products, and it is often impossible to separate the boundaries of design from technology:

• Rapid changes in technology create opportunities to introduce new experience patterns for many existing products. How will customers respond to departure from experiences they like and used to? How does the new design-technology experience compare to the existing one? Are changes needed? Which elements should be changed? What are the priorities in making the changes before launch?
• New products need to be validated to ensure that the experience is safe and satisfactory. Just because a product is new and the experience is new and unique, does not automatically mean that its quality, efficiency, and user satisfaction are good. How do design assumptions correlate to a user's actual impression and experience?

Key justifications for testing help validate these questions:

• Is the product working as intended?
• How easy is the product to use?
• How satisfied are users with the experience?

Encapsulated in these three questions are numerous variations that help designers ensure that the experience delivered is satisfactory throughout the product's life and well beyond first impressions.

As an example, let's consider you, the reader. You have an extensive experience as a usability assessor and judge, right in your own home. The typical home kitchen has several large and small appliances--refrigerator, stove, dish washer, microwave, food processor, coffee maker, toaster, juicer, and so on.

The aggregate number of all potential functions these products help perform is mind boggling--given the enormous range of age, education level, and other demographics of the users who experience the equipment on a daily basis--with no prior training.

As appliances are getting more advanced, connected, and "intelligent", the combined number of user interface controls that an average person has to master rivals the interface of a small aircraft.