4. Technology

Always have pen and paper and note down any issues you discover. This can be when you use the software yourself (6.1 Dogfood), in user tests (6.10 Watch people use the software) or when talking to people (6.5 Benchmark opinions). To be able to assess the severity of issues later you can also note down how frequent and persistent they are (Nielsen, 2005b). See 7. Reporting. There isn’t really much to prepare other than:

1. Test device: The hardware you test the software on, either your own or that of the participant.
2. Test object: The software itself: An application for web, desktop or mobile.
3. Recording: If you want to review the interview later. Because of privacy issues and paperwork it’s best to only do this only when really needed, if ever.