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them well enough on their role. A user who has participated in focus groups may believe that they're
being asked to give their impressions of what they like and dislike, which is usually not the primary goal
of a usability test. An excess of opinion can also happen if the user is an influential stakeholder, such
as an important customer.
Users who have interface design backgrounds are often tempted to offer their suggestions because
they believe—sometimes even correctly—that their expertise is valuable to the team. Unless you're
looking for a design consultant, it may be helpful to screen out potential test participants who claim to
know a programming language, have created a Web page, and so on, unless of course these users
are your target audience. (This is similar to the reason why people who work for market research firms
aren't allowed to participate in focus groups—they know too much about the methodology, and it affects
their behavior.)
Regardless of the cause, when you encounter a user with an agenda, there are a few tips for keeping
him or her focused on what will provide the most value to you:
Avoid asking the user's opinion about likes or dislikes—you'll just open the floodgates.
Direct the user's attention back to the interface, for example, "Please show me what you'd do
next."
Let the user know you've captured his or her feedback—sometimes the person just wants to be
sure the message has been heard. One way to confirm this is, "Thank you, I've made a note of
that." If the user makes the same point again shortly thereafter, you might try, "Yes, you mentioned
that."
If necessary, politely curtail further discussion. My favorite way to do this is by saying, "In the
interest of time, there are some other areas we want to cover." This reminds the user that there are
plenty of other issues that we would like his or her feedback on.
Unusually Nervous User
Perhaps the most difficult situation a facilitator will ever face is a user who simply can't manage to relax.
I have seen initial nervousness in such a variety of usability testing situations that I find it impossible to
generalize about the cause—male/ female, solo/co-discovery, paper/computer, lab/living room,
with/without videotaping, a dozen/no observers. I believe that a few users are destined to experience
initial nervousness in virtually any test setting, and we should accept this as unavoidable even as we
seek ways to alleviate it.
But every now and then, a user who starts out uncomfortable stays that way. If a user doesn't relax
after he or she starts interacting with the paper prototype, here are some tips:
Provide help sooner—don't let the person struggle.
Take a break and assess how the user is feeling. End the test if necessary.
Give positive feedback and reassurance as explained in the flight attendant section.
Avoid humor, especially sarcasm. In a delicate situation, trying to be funny can give users the
mistaken idea that you're laughing at them. I have learned the hard way that flippant comments I
aimed at the interface ("Oh yeah, like that makes sense") can strike users instead.
Mismatched Users
Another challenge in facilitating co-discovery usability tests is when one user has less confidence than
the other does. (Sometimes this user has less knowledge of the subject matter, but not always.) Try to
get feedback from both users. Don't allow an outgoing or confident user to speak for both—ask the
other user whether he or she agrees or disagrees, or even direct questions to that user first. But if one
user seems especially reticent, avoid putting him or her on the spot.
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