Unmoderated Testing
The participant does it on their own, with no researcher present.
Definition
Research sessions participants complete alone, following recorded instructions.
Craft convention. True because the industry converged on it. Breaking it costs familiarity, not correctness.
On this plate
In plain language
The participant does it on their own, with no researcher present.
Example
A task-based study run through a testing platform with fifty participants overnight.
Commonly confused with
Close neighbours that get substituted for each other. The difference is stated first, then the condition that picks one over the other.
Moderated Testing
TermA session run live with a researcher who can adapt as it goes.
Key difference
Moderated sessions have a researcher present who can probe and unstick. Unmoderated sessions run on their own, which scales and costs less, and gives up every follow-up question.
Use Unmoderated Testing when
- The task is simple and self-explanatory.
- You need many sessions quickly or across time zones.
- You are measuring rather than exploring.
Use Moderated Testing when
- The task is complex or the prototype is fragile.
- The why matters more than the completion rate.
- You expect to need follow-up questions.
Local chart
TERM·029 · Region X · Grid C5
This entry and the entries it is stated to connect with. Each line is labelled with what the connection means.
Continue from here
Each link says what the connection is, so you can tell a principle from an alternative from a thing people mix this up with.
Deeper reading
The full entry behind this definition.
- First-Click TestingRES·007 · Research method
- Usability TestingRES·001 · Research method