Remember to budget for more than one usability test. Building usability into a Web site (or any product) is an iterative process. Consider these elements when budgeting for usability testing:

• Time: You will need time to plan the usability test. It will take the usability specialist and the team time to become familiar with the site and pilot test the test scenarios. Be sure to budget in time for this test prep as well as running tests, analyzing the data, writing the report, and presenting the findings.
• Recruiting Costs: Consider how or where you will recruit your participants. You will either need to allow for staff time to recruit or engage a recruiting firm to schedule participants for you based on the requirements.
• Participant Compensation: If you will be compensating participants for their time or travel, factor that into your testing budget.
• Rental Costs: If you do not have monitoring or recording equipment, you will need to budget for rental costs for the lab or other equipment. You may also need to secure a location for testing, a conference room for example, so consider this as well.

It’s important to keep in mind that usability testing is not just a milestone to be checked off on the project schedule. The team should have a goal for why they are testing and then implement the results.