There are many things to do and say when moderating a qualitative usability test and it is easy to forget essential items. Therefore, researchers often employ checklists or a formal facilitator’s guide. (You can find an example of a facilitator’s guide at the right of this article.)

Unlike a research plan or test plan, a facilitator’s guide is a document that is produced for and used solely by the researcher. It usually includes an introduction script, as well as checklists of items the researcher should not forget to do or say.

This article walks through 10 steps for moderating a usability test. If you’re in the study-planning stage, review our checklist for planning a usability test.

In This Article:

1. Welcome the Participant

When the participant arrives at an in-person or remote session, introduce yourself and thank them for volunteering to help with your research.

It’s important to put the participant at ease, since some participants may feel nervous and not sure what to expect. Avoid the word “test”, since it can make participants think they are being tested. (Remember: we’re not testing users; we’re testing the design!) Instead, describe the session as “research” or a “study”. Below is an example of an introduction.

Hello. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Maria and I work for Nielsen Norman Group. Thank you for agreeing to help with our research. In this session, I will be giving you a website to use and asking for your feedback.

2. Check Name Pronunciation

Sometimes you might need to stop the participant or get their attention during a session. Make sure you check with the participant how to pronounce their name, especially if the name is unfamiliar to you or could be pronounced in several ways. Make a note of the pronunciation if you need to. Using the participant’s name at the beginning of the session can build a bit of rapport and make the participant feel more at ease.

Before we get started, can I just check how to pronounce your name? Is it KEY-ARA or KEE-RA?

3. Inform the Participant About Observers and Recordings

Tell participants about observers and recordings during the recruitment stage, so they make an informed decision about whether they want to take part in your study. However, even if you have provided this information ahead of the session, remind participants of any observers or recordings you will be making, since that detail can be forgotten or missed in the recruitment materials.

I just want to let you know that a couple of my colleagues are observing the session today. They won’t be participating and will be taking notes for me. Would that be okay with you? As mentioned in the recruitment email, we would also like to record the session, but only with your permission.

In a remote session, sending a link to an online form via the chat feature is the easiest method of handling a consent form. In an in-person session, participants usually sign a paper version, but you can have the participant complete it electronically if you prefer.

Tell your participants to ask you if they have any questions before they sign it. Do not rush participants.

Before we begin, I’ll need you to sign a consent form. I’m pasting a link into the chat. Please take your time to read over it and please let me know if you have any questions. Once you’re ready, please feel free to sign it.

Once the participant has signed the consent form, check whether you have access to it (if it’s been submitted electronically) and whether it’s been completed correctly.

If the participant can opt in or out of various conditions of the research (like recording), make a note of their preferences before you proceed with the session. If the participant has agreed to a recording, start the recording.

5. Conduct a Short Interview (if Needed)

If you need to know a little about the participant’s background, perform a very short interview. This interview can help you tailor tasks during the session. For example, if you were going to test an ecommerce platform, you might ask about recent experiences the participant had shopping online. This information might help you tailor some of the tasks you give the participant during the session or choose tasks which will be appropriate.

If you do need to run an interview alongside a usability test, pilot your study to make sure you have time for both. Don’t ask questions which could prime participants into certain behaviors that could alter results of your test and compromise the study’s internal validity.  For example, if you used a specific term in one of your interview questions and this term later appeared in the interface, the participant may have been given a clue on what to look for when doing the usability test.

6. Manage Expectations & Introduce Think-Aloud Protocol (if Used)

It’s likely that your participant has not taken part in a usability test before, so set their expectations and communicate what you will and won’t be doing during the session and how you’d like them to behave. Before the test begins, inform your participant that:

  • You will be giving them tasks to do one at a time.
  • Some tasks will be short and others will be longer.
  • They should do whatever they would do normally.
  • You will not be saying much and will be mostly taking notes.
  • You may not be able to help right away if they have questions.
  • You’d like them to think out loud while they work.

(However, some of these may not apply to your study. In particular, think-aloud protocols are often not used in quantitative user tests or even in some eyetracking user tests.)

The participant should understand that you are not testing their abilities or their knowledge. You should encourage them to share their open and honest thoughts with you.

Just to let you know, we’re not testing you, we’re testing the design. If something doesn’t make sense to you or is difficult, that’s something we need to know so we can make the design easier to use. Please feel free to share anything that comes to mind — both good and bad. I won’t be offended with anything you have to share. All your feedback and comments will be helpful to us.

(Note: when describing tasks to participants, we like to call them “activities” since that term feels less daunting and less like a chore.)

7. Give Tasks One at a Time

It’s a good idea to give the participant a written version of each task, especially if your tasks are scenarios that contain many details needed to complete the task. Depending on whether the session is remote or in person, you can deliver your tasks through a chat interface or on printed slips of paper. Allow the participant to keep hold of the task so they can refer to it again if they need.

To ensure that the participant reads the task properly, ask the participant to read the task out loud. Check that the participant understands the activity before they start attempting it. Asking them to read each task out loud can ease participants into thinking aloud.

I’m going to give you your first activity in the chat. Could you read the activity instructions out loud, just so I have it on the recording? Any questions about this activity before you start?

8. Ask Followup Questions

After the participant has attempted each task, you may want to ask them prepared followup questions, such as:

  1. Do you have any thoughts about doing this activity on the website you just used?
  2. Was there anything easy or difficult about doing this activity?

These kinds of questions give additional information about the task. It’s best to start with broad, open-ended questions (like 1) before you ask more-specific questions (like 2) about the interface.

Sometimes you may have questions about what the participant did or said. It’s often best to ask these questions after the participant has completed the task, rather than interrupting them during the task, to prevent participants from losing track of what they were doing or shifting into interview mode. There are some exceptions to this best practice, and that’s when tasks are very long that you fear the participant won’t remember what they did or said and gathering more insight about something is important to your research goals.

You can also save some questions for the end of the session, if you want to make sure all tasks are given during the session.

9. Check Whether Observers Have Questions

If your observers have questions for the participant, these can be asked at the end of the session. The observers can ask the questions themselves or give them to the facilitator, who can then communicate them to the participant. Either approach is fine; use the one you feel most comfortable with. Make sure your observers know in advance that you will dedicate the last 5 minutes of the session to their questions.

10. Thank the Participant and End the Session

Thank the participant for their time and tell them how they will receive the incentive (if you haven’t already given it to them at the beginning of the session). End any recordings and, if the session is remote, invite the participant to leave the meeting or end the meeting as the host. If the session is in person, allow the participant to collect their things and see them out of the room or building.

Summary

There are many steps to moderate a usability test but following a checklist of steps can ensure you don’t miss any important tasks or information. You can download an example facilitator guide at the top of this article.