Technical writers rely on usability testing to evaluate a set of instructions or a product, to see if they do what they're designed to do. It requires the drafting of a similar scenario. Putting yourself in the same frame of mind in which the intended audience might be.
You may think your writing is easy to understand but, more importantly, does your reader? Does your draft work the way it is intended to? The only accurate way to answer this question is to have a test subject read and evaluate your draft. Primary draft testing is the best method to increase the quality of a final draft that will be read and studied by thousands of people. Test materials range from drafts of websites, to print instructions, to informational documents.
In addition to working directly with clients during technical writing projects, we are also certified testers with the following UI testing companies: