diff --git a/tests/common/user-account.nix b/tests/common/user-account.nix
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8157cf8d263
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/common/user-account.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+{ pkgs, ... }:
+
+{ users.extraUsers = pkgs.lib.singleton
+    { name = "alice";
+      description = "Alice Foobar";
+      home = "/home/alice";
+      createHome = true;
+      useDefaultShell = true;
+      password = "foobar";
+    };
+}
diff --git a/tests/kde4.nix b/tests/kde4.nix
index 56c8acbc8dc..ff75758429d 100644
--- a/tests/kde4.nix
+++ b/tests/kde4.nix
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@
   machine = 
     { config, pkgs, ... }:
 
-    { services.xserver.enable = true;
+    { require = [ ./common/user-account.nix ];
+
+      services.xserver.enable = true;
 
       services.httpd.enable = true;
       services.httpd.adminAddr = "foo@example.org";
@@ -21,15 +23,6 @@
         '';
 
       services.xserver.desktopManager.kde4.enable = true;
-
-      users.extraUsers = pkgs.lib.singleton
-        { name = "alice";
-          description = "Alice Foobar";
-          home = "/home/alice";
-          createHome = true;
-          useDefaultShell = true;
-          password = "foobar";
-        };
     };
 
   testScript =
diff --git a/tests/xfce.nix b/tests/xfce.nix
index 2ebe7a7e5b9..3d0a6f7ee12 100644
--- a/tests/xfce.nix
+++ b/tests/xfce.nix
@@ -5,21 +5,14 @@
   machine = 
     { config, pkgs, ... }:
 
-    { services.xserver.enable = true;
+    { require = [ ./common/user-account.nix ];
+
+      services.xserver.enable = true;
 
       services.xserver.displayManager.auto.enable = true;
       services.xserver.displayManager.auto.user = "alice";
       
       services.xserver.desktopManager.xfce.enable = true;
-
-      users.extraUsers = pkgs.lib.singleton
-        { name = "alice";
-          description = "Alice Foobar";
-          home = "/home/alice";
-          createHome = true;
-          useDefaultShell = true;
-          password = "foobar";
-        };
     };
 
   testScript =