When to test-drive a new web site design

Recently we've received several emails inviting us to come to a newly designed nonprofit web site, and to take a survey expressing how we feel about it. Among them was one for the newly redesigned RedCross.org site.

Doesn't it make more sense, however, to invite some of your regular visitors to your site BEFORE you invest all that money in design?

Jakob Neilsen, the guru of usability, recently said, "Even the tiniest amount of empirical facts (say, observing 2 users) vastly improves the probability of making correct UI [User Interface] design decisions."

Given that, why not (a) invite a few regular users of your site to tell you how they use it and what's wrong with it, and then (b) invite a few users to the newly designed site BEFORE it's launched, and let them tell you what's STILL wrong with it, before you invest thousands of dollars in developing it and promoting it.

If you need some further advise on usability, give us a call.