Get an objective read on your application before anyone else sees it. Virtual user testing sends an AI-driven user through a workflow you describe, then returns a report covering what worked, where the experience broke down, and what to improve. Virtual user testing does not replace feedback from the people who will actually use your application — it helps you resolve the obvious problems first, so real users can spend their attention on what only they can tell you.
This article discusses functionality that is included in the Aha! Builder Team and Aha! Builder Scale plans. Please contact us if you would like a live demo or want to try using it in your account.
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User permissions
Action |
User permissions |
|---|---|
Run a virtual user test |
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Create ideas from findings |
Virtual user testing follows the same permissions as the rest of your application. If you can open and edit an application, you can test it and act on the results.
Run a virtual user test
You can start a test from three places in your application:
Click the Run virtual user testing icon in the Preview menu bar.
Navigate to Implement -> Features -> Ideas and click the Run virtual user testing icon.
Navigate to Plan -> Strategy -> Personas and click the Run virtual user testing icon on a persona card. The test opens with that persona already selected.
Each entry point opens the same Virtual user testing setup modal:
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In the Testing workflow field, describe the work or workflow you want feedback on. Be specific about the workflow rather than the application as a whole — for example, "Navigate to the credits calculator and estimate usage for a team of 10."
Test the full application before you first deploy it. On later rounds, narrow the test to the flow you just changed.
You can also describe a set of high-level test cases you want the virtual user to work through.
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Select a persona from the Persona dropdown to represent your target audience. This step is optional.
The dropdown lists the personas you defined for this application under Plan -> Strategy -> Personas. Click Manage personas to review or edit them.
If you started the test from a persona card, that persona is already selected here.
Note: A persona shapes what the virtual user pays attention to, but it does not limit what the test can find. Many findings apply to any audience. You do not need personas to run a test.
Click Submit to start the test.
Elle opens in a panel and works through the application while you watch. Each step appears in the panel as it completes, and you can expand a step to see the screenshot the virtual user captured at that point.
The panel is read-only. The agent that runs virtual user testing is purpose-built for testing and does not carry the rest of Elle's capabilities, so you cannot continue a general conversation there. To explore something else, start a new test or open Elle from your application.
Review the findings
When the test finishes, open the findings to see the full report.
The summary explains what the virtual user set out to test and how the test run went.
A carousel of screenshots shows the screens the virtual user moved through. Click through them to see how the test unfolded — you may spot something the report did not flag.
Recommendations appear below the carousel. Each one describes the friction point the virtual user hit, why it matters, and a concrete suggestion for improving it. Every recommendation carries an estimated priority.
Click to open the findings in a larger modal when you want to read a long report comfortably.
Recommendations range from usability friction and unclear copy to genuine bugs and unrealistic business logic. Two tests using similar descriptions can surface different problems, so run more than one pass on a workflow that matters.
Create ideas from findings
Turn the recommendations worth acting on into ideas you can prioritize alongside everything else.
Click Create idea on a recommendation to save it as an idea record. The finding keeps a link to the idea it created.
The new idea appears on your application's ideas board at Implement -> Features -> Ideas.
From the idea, click Build to have Elle implement the change directly.
Virtual user testing applies a threshold before it recommends creating an idea — a finding must represent a large enough problem to warrant follow-up work. Expect a short, weighted list rather than an idea for every observation.
Review past tests
Every test you run is saved so you can return to it.
Click the Run virtual user testing icon, then click History to open Test history and see your previous tests for this application.
Select a past test to reopen its full report, including the step-by-step screenshots and recommendations.
Past results also remain available in Elle's chat history. The Test history view gives you a filtered view of testing runs only.
Rerun a test after you implement changes to see how the experience improved. When you are confident in the workflows, share the application with real users to gather the insights that only they can provide.
If you get stuck, please reach out to our Customer Success team. Our team is made up entirely of product experts and responds fast.