Synthetic user

Synthetic users are AI-generated representations of users, designed to mimic the behavior, preferences, and interactions of real human users within a digital product or interface. They're used to rapidly test designs, simulate user journeys, identify potential usability issues, or generate large-scale interaction data without human participants, often complementing traditional user testing methods.

Synthetic users are best used in the early, exploratory phases of UX research, when generating initial hypotheses, and to quickly test basic usability concepts (like interface affordance) or simulate user flows at scale.