Decide

• What are the goals of the study? Qualitative or quantitative results wanted?   

• What kind of experimental observation will be conducted? 

  • Controlled: 

    • In restrained environment where external factors will have little effect

    • Set list of actions will be created that the user will perform  

    • Have the user quantify their experience 

    • Advantages: 

      • Simple to reproduce 

      • Quantitative results that can be analyzed  

      • Easy to conduct 

  • Naturalistic:

    • Space where the experiment occurs is not constrained

    • Observe the user interacting with the product in their normal life  

    • Less observer interaction with the users  

    • Advantages: 

      • Information recorded is more reliable  

      • Qualitative results 

• What information will you record? 

• How will this information be recorded and in what detail? 

  • Make sure to include the framework around when the device is being used

• How many people will be observed? 

• Where will the participants be recruited from? 

• What are their demographics and expertise levels? 

Find

• Research Participants

• Trained Observers

Explain

To Observers 

• What information they are looking for?

To Participants

• How the information will be used? 

• Their rights and protections? 

To Participants and Observers

• What information will be collected?

• How the information will be collected?

Source

“How to Conduct User Observations.” The Interaction Design Foundation, www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/how-to-conduct-user-observations.