Simple Single-Room Setup - I

The simple single-room setup, shown in Figure 6-4, is the most basic type of testing setup, both in terms of resources and the amount of space required. It represents the minimum environment required for testing that can accommo- date observers, essentially a quiet secluded room. Within the room, the test moderator is located a few feet from the participant at about a 45-degree angle. 

As you can see from Figure 6-1, the idea is for the test moderator to be close but not too close. It is important to remain within the peripheral vision of the participant, so that the participant can sense where you are at all times, but not so close that your presence is distracting or anxiety-provoking.

The main concern with this type of positioning is that the test moderator might inadvertently bias the participant through subtle (or not so subtle) nonverbal cues. However, if such biasing can be minimized, there are real advantages to being close to the participant, and for very interactive testing, such as exploratory testing, this degree of intimacy is required.