User testing in a hurry

They say that no war plan ever survives the first shot.  Well, the same can be said about user-testing.  No matter how much you prepare, there will always be something unexpected, and ultimately improvisation is crucial.  All the more so when you have to hurry through it.

When preparing, the important thing is not to be too rigid, so that when the unexpected does happen, your plan doesn't shatter.  Expect forks in the road, and be ready to deviate from the script when neccassery. 

Also, always kep in mind what the goals of the user-test are, so that you can keep your focus on acheiving that goal weather everything goes according to plan or not.  If you aren't focused on gathering the proper data, any deviation will derail the test.

And be cool...maintain an outward appearance of calm and focus, evven though you might be twiching inside.  The more frustrated you appear to the user, the more likely things will get worse.

Comments

[Daniel Higginbotham]

It'd be so great if people tested their designs more. I've actually started a small forum of web developers where we can post works-in-progress and get informed feedback from each other - please let me know if you'd like to join :)

Also, I've written an article which points out a couple things to consider when designing an interface that you might be interested in: http://www.flyingmachinestudios.com/2006/9/6/how-to-think-about-user-experience-br-interaction-models

Thanks!