[MUSIC PLAYING] So you've made it to module 3. You've probably learned by now that you are not your user, and that's why we do usability testing. We've learned what it is, we started to plan, and now, it's time for the more complicated stuff, what I like to call logistics. First, let's start talking about the length of each session. An hour long is usually what you need for a moderated usability test, but you can get away with shorter periods.
20, 30 minutes is OK for a remote test. Really, it's as long as it takes a user to complete the task scenarios you've created. Having a plan that fits within a one-hour time period is probably a good start. Let me break down the one-hour testing session for you. Usually, it starts with about five minutes of welcome and intro. You want to make the user feel comfortable with the test and then the environment that they're in.
First, we start with five minutes of welcome and introduction. We want the user to feel comfortable in the space that they're in. Next, we start by asking probing questions. What kind of place do you like to shop? Where do you like to go? What influences you? I would call these warm-up questions. The task-based scenarios are done in the same order for every respondent.
Each task-based scenario is shown to the user and then the user completes that task to the best of their ability. Along the way, if they hit stumbling blocks, the moderator is there to help them, but not guide them. Once they've completed the task scenarios, it's time for a little bit of post-testing assessment. The post-testing assessment allows the moderator to ask a few additional questions and gauge the ease of use of the user in having just interacted with that interface.
How easy were the tasks to complete? Did they have any recommendations that they'd like to make on the interface? Was there anything else that they might want to do that was potentially missing? Once that's all done, there's a few minutes of thank you and wrap-up. And then they can get on their way. The other thing you really need to think about is planning for triage. Now, triage, what is that?
A triage for usability testing is like a brainstorm. Everyone just wants the usability test, but they all watched it from different lenses and different perspectives. And some people may have taken some specific notes on the topics that they were more interested in. A triage allows all of the viewers of the usability testing session to come together and share their ideas. The other thing you want to plan for in your usability testing day schedule is no-shows.
Some people don't show up. Is it frustrating? Yes, but luckily, you've already planned for that. You've planned a backup person. You've planned an additional person at the end of the day. Always plan for at least one no-show out of the segment that you've populated. Once you figured out your schedule you need to figure out where you're going to be conducting the usability test.
A usability test can be conducted anywhere. The facility could be two adjoining offices. The facility that you use for your usability test could be a room in your office and then a room somewhere else. All you need is a laptop with a webcam and some teleconferencing software, and you can do your own usability test. If you have that baseline of technology, you can see your user, view what they're seeing on the screen, hear what they're saying, record it, and watch it again.
That will allow you to determine exactly what needs to be done to fix any problem that you see. The most elaborate usability testing that you can do involves a dedicated facility with one-way viewing from another room next door. That allows clients like yourselves to sit in a viewing area and see the respondent and the moderator perform the usability test scenarios together.
Usually, there's also a closed circuit television that shows the users' activities on a screen. One of the most important tools for a recruiter to use is called the screener. A screener is a survey that asks the right questions to qualify your users. What it does is it screens out users who don't qualify as respondents for your usability test.
For example, if you need a user between the age of 25 and 35, one of your questions on your screener would be age. And if the user chooses an age outside of that range they would be disqualified or screened out of the recruitment process. This allows you to ensure you have a very qualified group of respondents for your usability test.
But what is a screener? A screener ultimately is a survey. It can be delivered verbally on the phone by calling a potential recruit or it can be delivered online via number of software platforms. It's a method for recruiting specifically, but ultimately, the purpose of a screener is to screen in or screen out potential respondents. [MUSIC PLAYING]
