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Combining Roles
In addition to users, there are three roles in a paper prototype usability test: the facilitator, the
Computer, and the note-taking observers. If you have a very small team, you might need to combine
roles. The best approach depends on the skill sets of the people involved—here are some thoughts.
Facilitator/observer. This is probably the combination I'd try first. I believe that with practice, a
facilitator can take good notes and still manage the rest of the facilitator duties, but other usability
specialists feel that one or both activities may suffer. It's probably fair to say that it depends on the
experience and comfort level of the facilitator.
Computer/facilitator. It's difficult to test your own design. The Computer has in-depth knowledge
of how the interface behaves, and often this knowledge came from designing it. Although it's
possible to facilitate a test of something that you've designed, it's really hard to remain objective.
Unless you're certain that you can resist the temptation to lapse into explanation/justification of the
interface, it's best to let someone else facilitate. On the other hand, if you know how to facilitate but
are unfamiliar with the interface, you can probably do a passable job as Computer after a couple of
run-throughs, especially if a designer will be observing and can help if you get stuck. The
advantage of this approach is that the designer can focus on note-taking.
Computer/observer. This one isn't very practical—the Computer has his or her hands full (literally)
with the prototype, so it's hard to take more than a few hastily scrawled notes.
Computer/facilitator/observer. Not recommended—I did this once, and my brain almost
exploded.
No matter which way you handle it, the session may go a little slower than usual if you're juggling more
duties than you're used to, but it still beats not testing at all. Reserve some time after the test to jot
down additional notes. You may also want to consider videotaping.
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