Template: Usability Testing Interview Script

Use this template as an outline to create your interview script for your project. This script contains both questions and tasks/activities for the participant; you should adjust, edit, and omit content for your project’s needs.

Note: As mentioned in the checklist and on the research plan instructions, sometimes it is beneficial to collect a signed consent form from the research participant; other times, a verbal recognition captured on a recording is sufficient (what we have depicted below).

Hi, this is [INTERVIEWER NAME] from [ORGANIZATION NAME]. I’m here today with [NOTETAKER NAME], who will be taking notes from our call. Thank you very much for volunteering your time to help us [INSERT PURPOSE AND GOALS OF RESEARCH].

Before we get started, I want to go over a few reminders and ask for your permission to record our session today so we can make accurate observations and notes.

[Confirm]

• You are not required to participate and may opt out at any time. Your participation in this session in no way affects [YOUR ORGANIZATION’S] access or future access to [repository, etc.].
• There are no “right” or “wrong” answers or actions during the activities portion of the session.
• Can you confirm you are able to connect to the internet, open links, and share your screen?

To refresh your memory on the purpose of our session today, we are interested in [PURPOSE AND GOALS OF RESEARCH] As part of our session, we will ask you to complete a few activities on the site today to see where we can make this process easier for users in the future. We will cover that after we talk through some initial questions.

Before we begin, do you have any questions?

Questions

Question 1: Add here

Question 2:

Question 3:

Question 4:

Question 5:

…

Tasks/activities

Thank you for sharing more about your thoughts. Now, I’d like to ask you to complete a few activities on the site. I’ll give you one to do at a time – some will be shorter and some will be longer. We’d like you to do what you would do normally and think out loud as you go - the more detail the better! Please be as open and honest as possible – there are no right or wrong answers, and we’re getting insight about the website (not you!). We won’t be saying much and we might not be able to help right away if you have questions.

[NOTETAKER PASTES LINK IN CHAT]

At this point, can you share your screen and navigate to the link that [NOTETAKER NAME] has put in the meeting chat?

Activity 1: Add here

Activity 2:

Activity 3:

Activity 4:

Activity 5:

…

OPTIONAL: Post-Activities Usability Survey – see next section

…

Wrapping up

Thank you again for sharing your feedback – it will help our team [REACH GOALS]. So you are aware, we plan to [EXPLANATION OF PUBLICATION PLAN AND/OR NEXT STEP FOR TEAM’S PROJECT]. We will keep you informed via [email, etc.].

Before we go, I have a few additional questions:

• Is there anything you felt we should have asked but didn’t?
• Anything else you’d like to share with our team?
• If we have follow-up questions, may we contact you?

Thank you again!