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Evaluating Design

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Moderator Best Practices

3:18 with Anya Mezak

If you’re the one running the usability study and asking participants questions, you’ll need to brush up on the moderation best practices.

Now we'll be taking a closer look at moderated techniques and best practices. 0:00
Perhaps you noticed some of them in the last video. 0:04
1, Form unbiased questions. 0:07
Make sure to avoid biased questions throughout the study. 0:11
For example, when I asked about the Amazon's Choice label, I could have asked, 0:15
was the label helpful? 0:20
Or, did you click on a specific product because it had the Amazon choice label? 0:21
No, I simply asked, why did you click on the one that says Amazon Choice? 0:27
2, Avoid leading responses. 0:32
It is easy to get carried away and provide leading responses to the participants. 0:37
For example, when the participant paused after telling me what information 0:41
they were looking for on another page. 0:45
I could have said, that's a reasonable thing to look for, 0:46
or it makes sense that you'd want more information there. 0:50
Either of these would have shown a form of approval and 0:55
would have led them to seek more approval. 0:58
Instead I simply responded with, I understand now. 1:01
3, Make the participant feel comfortable. 1:06
A participant who's comfortable will be more honest and forthcoming in your study. 1:10
The journey to establishing rapport starts even before your first meeting. 1:15
Make sure all the communication leading up to the study is clear and consistent. 1:20
When the participant arrives, welcome them, shake hands, use a friendly tone. 1:25
The last part applies to both in person and remote testing. 1:31
4, Ask limited follow-up questions. 1:35
It's important to ask clarifying questions when you have them, 1:39
but don't force the issue. 1:43
Give the participants a chance to use your products naturally, and 1:45
maybe even forget you're there for a moment or two. 1:50
5, Observe diligently. 1:53
Notice everything. 1:56
Did they hesitate before selecting an option? 1:58
Did they give a heavy sigh [SOUND] when they landed on that new page? 2:01
Were they excited when they saw some feature pop up? 2:07
All of these subtle behaviors matter, just as much as whether 2:10
the participant was able to complete the task successfully. 2:15
6, Encourage thinking aloud. 2:19
We're not mind readers, and 2:21
we'll need the help of our participants to know what they're thinking. 2:23
Ask them to think aloud, and remind them, as needed, 2:27
during the extended moments of silence. 2:31
7, Use simple language. 2:33
All of your communication from e-mail to the in person dialogue 2:37
should be in simple language. 2:41
Avoid industry specific terms that might be familiar to you but 2:43
technical and possibility confusing to the other person. 2:47
8, Check in with observers. 2:51
Make sure to give the observers a chance to let you know the questions for 2:54
the participants. 2:57
This will both make sure that you cover all the important angles of the study 2:59
as well as keep the observers engaged. 3:03
Now that you're familiar with what makes for 3:06
great moderation, run a couple friends or colleagues through your study as practice. 3:08
And then you should be ready to start with a participant from your target audience. 3:13
Good luck. 3:17