Designed for Use

Avoid Stressful Situations

All medical students are taught this principal precept of medical ethics: “Primum non nocere,” or, “First, do no harm.” The same should apply to usability professionals. When we run usability tests, we put people in a situation where we want them to make mistakes. But making mistakes can be a stressful situation; nobody likes to make mistakes. You can do a number of things to make testers feel OK with the situation they find themselves in.

First, you need to make sure you explicitly and clearly point out that you are not testing them, but the user interface.

Second, if a tester gets stuck and it becomes obvious that he’s on the wrong track or becoming agitated, intervene. Say something to make it clear that the tester ...