Chapter 10 - Observers

Abstract

The main goals of usability testing are to get information from the users about the ways to make the product better and to deliver that information to the people who can act upon it. A fast and efficient means of achieving that goal is to have the product team members observe the usability test. This chapter discusses about the observers that are an integral part of usability testing. It explores the benefits and risks of having observers in the test room and discusses the ways to ensure that they behave appropriately. Effective usability test facilitation contains a feedback loop—users provide data to developers; developers respond by taking notes, through body language, and by asking questions; and the facilitator makes adjustments to help the observers get the most out of the session. Usability tests of paper prototypes are not an especially good way to gather data about whether users like a product concept enough to buy it, the way much they’d pay for it, and so on. In a usability test, the primary purpose of a test is to determine the efficiency of the interface to perform tasks that the users need it to do, and often one ends up learning valuable things that he/she didn't know about the users and their requirements. To gather this kind of information, the user needs to remain open to all feedback, both positive and negative.