Getting the Most out of Your Participants

Let s explore some things that the test moderator can do to enharce the process. One of the best things a test moderator can do is to develop in-eased sensitivity to the plight of the participants. What does it feel like to b= in the testing hot seat? Figure 4-1 shows a hypothetical example of one parti^ant's point of view compiled from many of the participants observed over thf vears While it is written tongue in cheek, its point is not. Participants are ofterr laced in awkward, stressful situations where they have little control over everts The 

more you put them at ease, the greater are your chances for accurate results that are applicable to real-world situations. You should become family with the codes of ethics of the Usability Professionals' Association and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. The links for each are available on re web site that accompanies this book (www.wiley.co_m/go/usabilit_ytesti^