Moderating Usability Tests

■ Prepare a data collection sheet or fi le (if typing notes) ahead of

time, and have a good labeling and numbering scheme so that the

notes don’t get mixed up.

■ Know well in advance the types of measures you will be collecting,

and have a consistent way to record them.

■ Know the product and the tasks well enough that you can antici-

pate problems participants might have, whether technical or

usability related.

■ Decide ahead of time what you will do if one or more participants

are not able to fi nish all tasks. For example, prioritize so that the

last tasks are least important and can be omitted, or establish a

time limit for each task.

■ If you ...