Moderating Usability Tests

82 CHAPTER 6 Interacting during the session

6.5.6 What you shouldn’t do when a participant fails

Commiserate. When participants fail, your fi rst reaction may be to

make them feel better. It’s very tempting to say, “I can see why that

was hard.” It’s also tempting to nod your head in vigorous agreement

when participants say things like, “Wow, that took forever,” or “That

was really confusing.” Our advice is not to commiserate. Acknowl-

edge that you heard and understood the comment, perhaps with a

little nod, and say, “OK” or “Mm hmm.”

Tell a white lie. You may also be tempted to reduce the impact of

failure by telling a “white lie,” such as, ...