The Moderator's Survival Guide

Introduction

Why we wrote this book

Throughout the years that we’ve known each other, we’ve spent a lot of time thinking and talking about the unique challenges of moderating user research. In the usability lab between sessions, driving to and from field visits, at professional meetings, and in the local coffee shop, we picked each other’s brains. We shared stories about our experiences with participants, the approaches that our colleagues used, and any recent research on moderating techniques (although the latter always felt lacking). A book on this topic has been percolating for quite a while because, as you can probably guess, we’re big moderating geeks.

When we started to mentor new user researchers, we found ourselves sharing tips on ...