So You Think You Can Moderate? Techniques to Enhance Your Moderating Skills
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This document provides techniques for moderating user research sessions. It discusses the spectrum of moderator personalities from robotic to animated. The key attributes of a good moderator are being friendly, flexible, open-minded, objective, curious and able to deal with ambiguity. Good moderators observe participants quietly, keep participants at ease by remembering they may feel nervous or want to please the moderator, and ask open-ended questions to obtain useful feedback without introducing bias. The document also provides tips for how to handle different participant types and situations that may arise during a session.
So You Think You Can Moderate? Techniques to Enhance Your Moderating Skills
- 1. So you think you can moderate? Techniques to enhance your moderating skills PREPARED BY: PREPARED FOR: Andrew Schall Director of User Experience SPARK Experience Design Tweet during this session #userfocus
- 2. In this session: • What kind of moderator are you? • Understand what makes a good moderator • The participant persona watch list • Moderating Live! Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 3. 1,200+ hours moderating user research sessions Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 4. So…are you a good moderator? PREPARED BY: PREPARED FOR: Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 5. Most people think they are good moderators (This is typically not the case) PREPARED BY: PREPARED FOR: Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 6. The spectrum of moderator personalities Robotic Animated Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 7. Attributes of a good moderator • Friendly (but not too friendly) • Flexible • Open-minded • Objective • Curious • Deals well with ambiguity Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall 7
- 8. How to be a good moderator Do’s & Don’ts PREPARED BY: PREPARED FOR: Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 9. Remember that participants: • Are often nervous • Feel as though they are being tested • On their best behavior • Have more patience • Usually want to please you (Experimenter Effect) • Want to succeed Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 10. Keep Quiet Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 11. Observe Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 12. Ask Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 13. Reducing bias Don’t let the participant know what you are thinking • Watch your verbal language • Watch your body language • Embody neutrality Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 14. What to do when a participant… • Asks you a question about the task • Gets stuck • Looks frustrated/confused/grunts/sighs • Gives up • Does the wrong thing and thinks they are wrong • Does the wrong thing and thinks they are right • Does the right thing • Asks you if they got the task right • Asks for your opinion Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 15. Participant Persona Watch List Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 16. The Mute Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 17. The Talker Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 18. The Naysayer Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 19. Mr./Mrs. Positive Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 20. The Designer Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 21. Let’s try this out PREPARED BY: PREPARED FOR: Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall
- 22. Q&A PREPARED BY: PREPARED FOR: Tweet during this session #userfocus @andrewschall