How To Ask Questions

• Participant profile questions can be asked:
  • In a questionnaire that the participant fills out on arriving at the session.
    • Advantages of using a written questionnaire are:
      • Saves time.
      • No interviewer bias.
  • In a brief interview at the beginning of the session.
    • Advantages of asking the questions as an interview are:
      • Serves as an icebreaker to make the participant comfortable.
      • Can probe to insure the information is accurate and useful.

• Questions can be close-ended.
  • Use radio buttons for mutually exclusive answers.
  • Use radio buttons for check boxes more than one answer.
  • Use a Likert item to obtain a level of agreement with a statement.

• When asking open-ended questions, it is critical to ask them neutrally.
  • Do not bias the participant to give you a particular answer.

• Here is an example of open-ended questions for an useability test.
  • What is your overall impression of the product?
  • What did you like best about the product?
  • What did you like least about the product?
  • If you developed this product, what would be the first thing you would do to improve it?

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© 2008 John Michael Pierobon

Notes