Most companies have a readily available pool of people that can be used for testing any time--for free. These are company employees, and sometimes--their extended circle of family members and friends. To save time and money, it is not uncommon to recruit testers within the organization. The thinking is that these employees may not be familiar with the product being tested, and thus, their responses to the experience will be as useful as the responses of outsiders.

This approach can sometimes work, although there is always a risk that employees feel compelled to provide favorable feedback to support their colleagues. Providing negative responses might risk friendships, or, in case of hierarchical company structure, fear of retaliation.

Clearly, testing with target users who are impartial to the company is preferable, but if the choice is between no testing or testing with internal resources, the latter should be seriously considered.

Products have their critics--people who are annoyed by a product's poor usability, or it does not perform the way they expect. For example, people who are forced to use a product they don't like, but the product is mandated by their company.

The same exact product also has fans and champions, who love the product and find it useful and usable. These users are satisfied, and when recruiting for usability tests, it can be very tempting to approach supporters, and not critics.