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Evaluating Design

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Moderator Best Practices

3:18 with Anya Mezak

If you’re the one running the usability study and asking participants questions, you’ll need to brush up on the moderation best practices.

Moderator techniques and best practices

  1. Form unbiased questions
  2. Avoid leading responses
  3. Make the participant feel comfortable
  4. Ask limited follow-up questions
  5. Observe diligently
  6. Encourage thinking aloud
  7. Use simple language
  8. Check in with observers

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    Now we'll be taking a closer look at moderated techniques and best practices. 0:00
    Perhaps you noticed some of them in the last video. 0:04
    1, Form unbiased questions. 0:07
    Make sure to avoid biased questions throughout the study. 0:11
    For example, when I asked about the Amazon's Choice label, I could have asked, 0:15
    was the label helpful? 0:20
    Or, did you click on a specific product because it had the Amazon choice label? 0:21
    No, I simply asked, why did you click on the one that says Amazon Choice? 0:27
    2, Avoid leading responses. 0:32
    It is easy to get carried away and provide leading responses to the participants. 0:37
    For example, when the participant paused after telling me what information 0:41
    they were looking for on another page. 0:45
    I could have said, that's a reasonable thing to look for, 0:46
    or it makes sense that you'd want more information there. 0:50
    Either of these would have shown a form of approval and 0:55
    would have led them to seek more approval. 0:58
    Instead I simply responded with, I understand now. 1:01
    3, Make the participant feel comfortable. 1:06
    A participant who's comfortable will be more honest and forthcoming in your study. 1:10
    The journey to establishing rapport starts even before your first meeting. 1:15
    Make sure all the communication leading up to the study is clear and consistent. 1:20
    When the participant arrives, welcome them, shake hands, use a friendly tone. 1:25
    The last part applies to both in person and remote testing. 1:31
    4, Ask limited follow-up questions. 1:35
    It's important to ask clarifying questions when you have them, 1:39
    but don't force the issue. 1:43
    Give the participants a chance to use your products naturally, and 1:45
    maybe even forget you're there for a moment or two. 1:50
    5, Observe diligently. 1:53
    Notice everything. 1:56
    Did they hesitate before selecting an option? 1:58
    Did they give a heavy sigh [SOUND] when they landed on that new page? 2:01
    Were they excited when they saw some feature pop up? 2:07
    All of these subtle behaviors matter, just as much as whether 2:10
    the participant was able to complete the task successfully. 2:15
    6, Encourage thinking aloud. 2:19
    We're not mind readers, and 2:21
    we'll need the help of our participants to know what they're thinking. 2:23
    Ask them to think aloud, and remind them, as needed, 2:27
    during the extended moments of silence. 2:31
    7, Use simple language. 2:33
    All of your communication from e-mail to the in person dialogue 2:37
    should be in simple language. 2:41
    Avoid industry specific terms that might be familiar to you but 2:43
    technical and possibility confusing to the other person. 2:47
    8, Check in with observers. 2:51
    Make sure to give the observers a chance to let you know the questions for 2:54
    the participants. 2:57
    This will both make sure that you cover all the important angles of the study 2:59
    as well as keep the observers engaged. 3:03
    Now that you're familiar with what makes for 3:06
    great moderation, run a couple friends or colleagues through your study as practice. 3:08
    And then you should be ready to start with a participant from your target audience. 3:13
    Good luck. 3:17

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