How to do an unmoderated usability test well

In an unmoderated test there's no researcher on the call. You follow a few steps on your own while your screen and voice are recorded, and the researcher watches the recording later.

They can see where you click, but not what you were thinking. Your voice is the only way they find out what you expected, what confused you and why you gave up. A silent recording shows them what happened. A recording where you talk shows them why.

• Find a quiet place where you can talk out loud without being interrupted.
• Plug in your charger and check your internet. A test can take 15 minutes or more.
• Close private chats, emails and anything with personal details. Turn off notifications: everything on your screen is recorded.
• Check your microphone works, and speak a little louder than usual.

On myUsersInsight, choose Entire screen when your browser asks what to share, then allow your microphone. Your tasks appear in a small window that stays on top, so put it next to the app you're testing and read each step from there.

Thinking aloud means saying what's in your head as you go, like explaining it to a friend on the phone. It feels strange for the first minute, then it gets easy. Don't wait until you've finished a step to talk about it.

These sentence starters help:

• “I'm looking for…”
• “I'm going to tap this because…”
• “I expected… to happen, but…”
• “I'm not sure what this word means.”
• “In real life, I'd give up here because…”

Read out anything you find confusing, and say it if you'd normally do something else, like ask a friend or call customer care.

Getting stuck isn't failing. It's what the researcher most needs to see, because it shows them exactly what to fix. Try the way you normally would, say what you're trying, and don't search online or ask someone else for help.

If you really can't do a step, say why, then press I couldn't do it. On myUsersInsight, a step you couldn't do still counts as finished once you've spent 30 seconds trying, so an honest try is paid.

You're testing the product, not yourself. Nobody is grading you, and the people who built it want to hear what doesn't work before their customers find out.

Saying “it's nice” doesn't help them improve it. Saying “I didn't see the Pay button because it's grey, so I thought it was switched off” does. Be polite, and be specific.

Some steps are questions. Give a reason and an example with every answer:

• Weak: “It was okay.”
• Useful: “Sending money was easy, but I couldn't find where to check my balance. I looked under Account first.”

If the study is in English and a word in your own language says it better, use it and explain what you mean.

When you press Finish, keep the page open until your recording has uploaded. Closing it too early can lose the recording.

• Need to stop early? Press Stop and get paid. On myUsersInsight, task tests pay for each step you finish, from 2 finished steps.
• Stopping before half the steps, or leaving a test unfinished for 24 hours or past its deadline, gives you a strike.
• If the test stops working, tell us from the session. Once every 30 days, a technical problem won't count as a strike.

Researchers rate each session, and other teams see your average rating when you apply. Clear, honest tests are how you get invited again.

1. Find a quiet spot and plug in your charger.
2. Close private chats and turn off notifications.
3. Share your entire screen and allow your microphone.
4. Say what you're looking for, expect and feel, the whole way through.
5. When you're stuck, say why. Press I couldn't do it only after a real try.
6. Be specific: give a reason and an example with every answer.
7. Keep the page open until your recording has uploaded.