Moderating Usability Tests: Principles and Practices for Interacting
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Ten golden rules for successful usability testing
Preface xiiiAcknowledgments xvAbout the Authors xviiIntroduction 1Why This Book? 1What Is Usability Testing? 2The Importance of Moderating Skills 3The Golden Rules of Moderating 3Cultural Points of View 4About the Sidebars in This Book 4About the Videos that Accompany This Book 4About the Companion Web Site 5Getting started as a test moderator 7What Makes a Great Moderator? 7Understanding usability testing 7The basics of interacting 8The ability to establish and maintain a rapport 8Lots of practice 9Roles of a Moderator 9The Gracious Host 9The Leader 10The Neutral Observer 10Other possible roles 11When roles change 11When roles conflict 11Testing Locations 12Test Preparation 12Planning ahead 12Planning for many tasks 14Understanding the domain andproduct 15Jump-Starting Your Moderating Skills 15Six things you can do first 15The big challenges 16Golden rules 1 through 5 19Rule 1: Decide How to Interact Based on the Purpose of the Test 20The type of test 20The product's stage of development 21Relationship with developers 22Rule 2: Protect Participants' Rights 23Compensation 23Informed consent 23Confidentiality 24Balance of purpose and risk 26Priorities 26Rule 3: Remember Your Responsibility to Future Users 26Letting participants struggle 27Conflicting responsibilities 28Rule 4: Respect the Participants as Experts, but Remain in Charge 28Controlling logistics and pacing 28Stopping unacceptable behavior 29Dealing with uncertainty 29Projecting authority 30Dispelling negativity 31Managing visitors 32Rule 5: Be Professional, Which Includes Being Genuine 33Dos for making and maintaining a connection 33Don'ts for making and maintaining a connection 35When you're not in the room 37Golden rules 6 through 10 39Rule 6: Let the Participants Speak! 39Speakership 40Appropriate interruptions 40Judicious speaking 41Silent communication 41Rule 7: Remember That Your Intuition Can Hurt and Help You 42Your intuition can hurt you 42Your intuition can help you 42Rule 8: Be Unbiased 43Use an unbiased test script 43Use unbiased questions 44Keep answers unbiased 45Watch nonverbal cues 45Rule 9: Don't Give Away Information Inadvertently 46Giving an assist 46Explaining the designer's intent or being defensive 47Recording all suggestions 48Rule 10: Watch Yourself to Keep Sharp 48Initial contacts 51Recruiting 51Contacting participants 52Advertising 53Explaining the test 54Screening candidates 57Confirming appointments 59When Participants Arrive 59Greeting participants 60Creating comfort 60Obtaining informed consent 61The Pretest Briefing 64Preparing yourself 64Preparing participants 64Using a script or checklist 65Practicing the think-aloud technique 66Confirming that participants are ready 67Transitioning to the Tasks 68Starting the tasks 68conducting a pretest interview 68Interacting during the session 71Interacting for a Reason 71Keeping Them Talking 72Prompting as a reminder 72Prompting the silent ones 73When and How to Probe 73Probing questions 74Planned versus spontaneous probes 74Probes to avoid 75Common probes 75Providing Encouragement 76Encouraging statements to avoid 76Common encouraging statements 77Dealing with Failure 77Participants' self-blame 78The moderator's distress 78The participant's distress 79Responses to participants' distress 80Stopping a test 81What you shouldn't do when a participant fails 82Providing Assistance 83An assist 83Giving assistance 84Interventions versus assists 85Not giving assistance 85Levels of assistance 86Completing a task for a participant 87Measuring assists 88Interacting during post-test activities 91Maintaining Your Roles 91Determining the Order of Activities 92Clarifying Things That Occurred during the Test 93Administering Ratings and Questionnaires 94Questionnaires 94Reasons behind the ratings 95Accuracy of ratings 96Asking Open-Ended Questions 97Allowing Others to Interact with Participants 98Final Activities 100Providing incentives 100Ending the session 101Interacting in a remote test session 105What Is Remote Testing? 105Synchronous and asynchronous testing 105The technology 106Advantages and disadvantages 107Preparing for the Session 109Recruiting 109Obtaining informed consent and confidentiality 110Determining the equipment candidates have 110Establishing willingness and downloading software 113Interacting during the Session 114Establishing what participants see on their screen 116Providing instructions on thinking aloud 116Making the task scenarios available to participants 117Avoiding dependencies between tasks 118Managing visitors during the session 118Dealing with distractions at the participants' end 119Making a connection despite the physical distance 121Moderator-participant arrangements 123A Bit of History 124Physical Arrangement 125The moderator in the test room 125The moderator not in the test room 126Beliefs about Arrangements 126Physical separation 126Physical proximity 127Choice of Arrangement 128Being physically close to participants 128Being physically separated from participants 129Considerations for the Practitioner 130Interacting with diverse populations 133General Guidelines 134People with Physical Disabilities 138Interacting with the physically disabled 139Interacting with blind participants 140Interacting with deaf and hard-of-hearing participants 143The Elderly 145Recruiting elders 145Interacting with elders 146People Who Have Low Literacy Skills 147Functional illiteracy 147Interacting with functionally illiterate participants 148Testing with low-literacy participants 149Children and Teens 149Grouping children by age 150Recruiting children and teens 150Interacting during the session 152People From Other Cultures 152Interacting with participants from the same and other cultures 153Adapting your techniques 155Integrating the videos 157About the Videos 157The test session videos 157Use of the videos 158Content of the Videos 159Video 1: Pretest briefing with a checklist 159Video 2: Pretest briefing following a script 159Video 3: Interacting during the session, example 1 162Video 4: Interacting during the session, example 2 162Video 5: Interacting in a remote testing situation 162Video 6: Post-test interview 162The Future of Usability Testing 162Current trends 164What's next? 167References 169Index 175
