As a usability testing moderator, you have the sole responsibility of observing behavior and collecting verbal feedback. Furthermore, you should manage the participant’s experience and comfort during the session. Even though it may seem easy, there is more to performing website usability tests than you may actually be thinking.
Either way, you can still build rapport with participants regardless of whether you choose to do it in person or remotely. You’re probably wondering how this is even possible in the first place! Here are a few tips user testing moderators can leverage to attain success.
Never Rush Through Your Introduction
One of the greatest mistakes you can make as a suability testing moderator is rushing your introduction. You know your personality and you should be more than ready to use it to your advantage. A good introduction ought to set expectations for the usability sessions while at the same time building trust between you and the participant.
Aside from your introduction, your role and those of any observers says a lot about the session’s purpose, not forgetting the type of questions to be asked. Learn to interpret non-verbal cues and encourage them to think out loud during the session.
Be Flexible with Your Tasks
It is highly recommended that you profile each persona before you get going. If a participant is not willing to do something, there’s no essence of forcing them into it. Instead, move on to the next task and get feedback from your other participants. For those who may have time between sessions, then you can take a few minutes to figure out why they participant might have been uncomfortable with the task at hand. That way, you’ll have an easy time adjusting your tasks and questions.
Final Thoughts
As a usability testing moderator, you should not only watch your body language but also take the time to set expectations at the beginning of each session. It doesn’t stop there since you must make it the norm to reinforce these expectations throughout the sessions. Through this action, you can create an open environment for collecting the most useful insights without the hassle.
Remember, user experience counts on real users’ feedback to create an refine useful, usable and desirable digital products. Set aside to read more about website usability tests and determine what it takes to get it done effectively with minimal mistakes.
