Moderated usability testing checklist: before, during, and after the test
This checklist covers the full moderated usability testing process from preparation through reporting. Use it to track progress and avoid the most common oversights — especially the pilot test and the immediate post-session debrief, which beginners often skip.
Before the test
- Define 3-5 research questions the test must answer
- Write 3-6 task scenarios in plain language (no interface terminology)
- Define success, partial success, and failure for each task
- Set a pass/fail threshold (e.g., 4 of 5 participants must complete without assistance)
- Prepare the prototype — ensure it handles error states and alternative paths, not just the happy path
- Write opening questions (5-10 min of context-setting)
- Write post-task probes and include the Single Ease Question (SEQ)
- Write closing questions and select a standardized questionnaire (SUS or SUPR-Q)
- Run a pilot session with 1-2 colleagues to catch technical and wording issues
- Recruit 5-8 participants from the target audience (over-recruit by 20%)
- Set up recording: screen capture, audio, and optionally video of the participant’s face
During the test
- Build rapport in the first 5-10 minutes — explain the process, set expectations
- Ask opening questions to understand the participant’s current context
- Present each task as a scenario — do not read the success criteria aloud
- Encourage think-aloud: “Tell me what you’re thinking as you work through this”
- Do not help, hint, or react to errors — redirect questions back to the participant
- Probe between tasks, not during: “How was that?” “What did you expect?”
- Administer the SEQ after each task
- Close with overall impressions and the standardized questionnaire
- Record the full session (screen + audio)
After the test
- Write a quick summary within 30 minutes of each session ending
- Review recordings and code usability findings: what happened, why, severity
- Track which participants encountered which problems (frequency data)
- Group findings by theme and prioritize by severity × frequency
- Create a highlight reel (5-10 min) from the most illustrative moments
- Write the report: 1-page summary + detailed findings table + recommendations
- Present findings to the design team with video evidence
- Plan the next round of testing after critical issues are fixed