How do I think aloud during a user test?
Thinking aloud means saying what you are looking for, what you expect to happen, and how you feel about it, continuously, while you do the task. Narrate your eyes: "I'm looking for a way to change the date, I'd expect it up here, that icon might be it, no, that opened settings." Keep talking when you are stuck; the stuck moments are the most valuable part of the recording.
What to say
- What you are looking for, before you click: "I want to find the price."
- What you expect: "I'd guess that's under Account."
- What you notice: "That label is confusing, I thought it meant something else."
- How you feel: "This is taking longer than I'd like."
- What you would do in real life: "At this point I'd probably give up and search Google."
You are not reviewing the product for the designers. You are letting them hear what a first-time user thinks. Opinions about the colours are less use to them than "I can't tell which of these two buttons does what I want."
When you get stuck
Say so, and keep trying the way you would at home. On Inflight you can press "I'd give up here" at any point; the study still pays in full. A recording where someone tries, gets lost, and gives up is better data than one where they succeed silently, and it is scored as good faith.
What gets a recording rejected
Across every platform the same few things: long silence, skipping through tasks without trying, reading the task aloud and nothing else, copied or one-word answers at the end, and background noise that drowns your voice. Inflight's payment policy defines good faith as trying the task, speaking your thoughts and answering honestly; failing the task is still good faith. Why user tests get rejected goes through each reason.
Setting up
- Quiet room, door closed, notifications off.
- Built-in microphone is fine; a headset is better if you have one.
- Close other tabs so you are not tempted to look away from the study tab.
- Do the task yourself. Do not search for the answer or ask someone.
Questions people ask next
- Do I have to talk the whole time?
- Close to it. A few seconds of silence while you read is fine; a minute of silence while you click around is not, because the reviewer cannot tell what you were thinking.
- What if I say something wrong?
- Say it anyway. Wrong guesses about where things are show the designers what the product led you to expect.
- Can I swear or be negative?
- Be honest. Frustration is useful. Keep it about the product, not the people who made it.