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6.2  usability test procedure
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backtracking analysis, we devoted careful attention to the initial greeting process. The goals
of the greeting included explaining the purpose of the study, making the participant as
comfortable as possible with the moderator, clarifying each person’s role in the study, and
obtaining informed consent. A rough transcript of the greeting is provided in Appendix B,
but the moderator adlibbed somewhat rather than reading verbatim from the script.
Training in Photoshop (15 minutes)
The training video was identical to that used in the previous study. Please refer to Section
4.3 for details.
Practice (10 minutes)
Participants were given 10 minutes to practice using Photoshop. As in the backtracking
condition, participants were provided a “rubber duck” image, and were allowed to freely
explore the interface during this time. The moderator purposefully did not ask participants
to think aloud during the practice phase. This was done for consistency with the backtracking study, in which participants did not think aloud. Pilot studies had also revealed a
concern that participants might explore the interface less thoroughly when their actions
were being actively watched by an observer. Accordingly, the moderator moved to the other
side of the room during the practice phase, and did not ask the participant to think aloud.
Training in Thinking Aloud (3 minutes)
To prepare the participant to think aloud while working on the task, the moderator
provided some training in how to effectively think aloud. She emphasized the distinction
between giving explanations and thinking aloud, encouraged the participant to speak as if
alone in the room, and informed the participant that she might occasionally interrupt to
remind the participant to think aloud, or ask questions. The moderator demonstrated the
think aloud process while replacing the staples in a stapler. She then asked the participant to
practice thinking aloud while refilling the tape in a tape dispenser.