How do you prepare and structure your notes before, during, and after usability testing?

Observing and taking notes are essential skills for usability testing, as they help you capture user behavior, feedback, and insights. However, it can be challenging to balance your attention between the user and the notes, as well as to organize and analyze your notes later. In this article, we will share some practical tips on how to prepare and structure your notes before, during, and after usability testing.

1 Before the Test: Plan Your Notes

Before you start the test, it is important to plan what kind of notes you want to take and how you will record them. Depending on your preferences, resources, and goals, you can use different methods and tools such as paper and pen, digital notes, audio or video recording, or software like Excel or Google Docs. To help decide which option is best for you, consider the level of detail and format of your notes, the type of data and metrics you want to collect, the role and perspective of the note-taker, and if working with a team, how you will synchronize and consolidate your notes. Additionally, consider if you want to measure time, errors, satisfaction, or usability issues of the user with scales, ratings, or categories. Do not forget to note down your own observations, opinions, or questions.

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Callie Myers

UX Research & Strategy, Information Architecture (IA), Service Design, Facilitation
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When I have a more linear interview guide, I've found success in creating a structure format - in an Excel or Google sheet - the reflect the general outline of conversation and the key points I want to collect. This gives me a way to collect responses on the same topic across participants and cut out some of the back-and-forth that might arise from more organic note.

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Lisa MacDonald

Service Designer - User Research - Nova Scotia Cyber Security & Digital Solutions
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I find it easiest to create a simple table/spreadsheet with columns for the tasks and rows for the Participants. This way when I get to sensemaking I can see all of my observations for a participant on that particular task together. Of course, this would be the method using a device to type. If taking notes by hand, having space for each task is more helpful than documenting by participant.

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2 During the Test: Focus on the User

During the test, you should focus on the user and their actions, reactions, and emotions. You should strive to remain impartial, refraining from interrupting, leading, or influencing the user unless it is part of the test scenario. Additionally, it’s important to avoid distractions such as checking your phone or email or chatting with other note-takers. To help with this focus, you can use a note-taking template or structure that matches your plan and goals. This will help you organize your notes and save time and effort. You can create your own template or use existing ones such as the observation grid or the note-taking matrix. Additionally, using shorthand, symbols, or abbreviations can help you write faster and clearer. Colors, highlights, or tags can also be used to mark important or relevant information. For example, you can use a ‘+’ for positive feedback, a ‘-’ for negative feedback, or a ‘?’ for questions or issues. Quotes, verbatim, or paraphrasing can capture the user's words and tone while emoticons, emojis, or facial expressions can describe the user's emotions. During breaks or pauses you should review and revise your notes. This is an ideal time to check your notes for accuracy, completeness, and clarity while also adding additional comments, questions, or insights that you may have missed or thought of later.

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Callie Myers

UX Research & Strategy, Information Architecture (IA), Service Design, Facilitation
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It's vital to stay in the conversation with the participant to ensure you're asking the appropriate follow-ups and getting the most out of the conversations. When I'm facilitating on my own without a dedicated note-taker, a real-time transcription service allows me to capture quotes with minimal effort. And the interview transcriptions are easy to scan and tag during synthesis, after the interview.

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3 After the Test: Analyze and Report Your Notes

After the test, you should analyze and report your notes to extract meaningful and actionable insights, as well as store and archive them for future reference or comparison. To help you in this process, you can use a coding system or a framework to categorize and label your notes, so that patterns, themes, and trends in your data can be identified. Additionally, a summary or synthesis can be used to highlight and communicate your findings and recommendations. Visuals or multimedia can also be utilized to illustrate and support your notes, making them more engaging and convincing.

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Callie Myers

UX Research & Strategy, Information Architecture (IA), Service Design, Facilitation
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It's helpful to revisit your research objectives if you find yourself overwhelmed with notes and observations. Grounding your findings in what you originally set out to learn is a great place to start, and you can always share more insights from there. Visuals help make all your findings more memorable and digestible, and can offer a foundation upon which you can build with further research efforts.

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How do you prepare and structure your notes before, during, and after usability testing?

1

2

3

1 Before the Test: Plan Your Notes

2 During the Test: Focus on the User

3 After the Test: Analyze and Report Your Notes

Usability Testing

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How do you prepare and structure your notes before, during, and after usability testing?

1

2

3

1 Before the Test: Plan Your Notes

2 During the Test: Focus on the User

3 After the Test: Analyze and Report Your Notes

Usability Testing

Rate this article

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