Comments on: Why using 30 observers in the same room as the participants is 99% bad* http://haakonha.wordpress.com/2007/10/30/why-using-30-observers-in-the-same-room-as-the-participants-is-99-bad/ Haakon Halvorsens blog about Information Architecture, Interaction Design and Usability Sun, 23 Mar 2008 07:39:14 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Jared M. Spool http://haakonha.wordpress.com/2007/10/30/why-using-30-observers-in-the-same-room-as-the-participants-is-99-bad/#comment-6 Jared M. Spool Wed, 31 Oct 2007 22:14:19 +0000 http://haakonha.wordpress.com/2007/10/30/why-using-30-observers-in-the-same-room-as-the-participants-is-99-bad/#comment-6 We can agree to disagree on our approaches. I'll just say this: 1) many folks don't have the luxury of two facilitators 2) Just because observers are in another room, it still influences the behavior of the participants -- it's just a different influence. 3) You can still draw conclusions if each test is unique -- you just draw different conclusions. 4) Don't knock a technique until you've tried it. I've been doing this work for 30+ years now. I've tried most every technique out there. I pick techniques that get the results I need. I've found this technique to work well for me. Thanks for thinking about these things. We can agree to disagree on our approaches.

I’ll just say this:

1) many folks don’t have the luxury of two facilitators
2) Just because observers are in another room, it still influences the behavior of the participants — it’s just a different influence.
3) You can still draw conclusions if each test is unique — you just draw different conclusions.
4) Don’t knock a technique until you’ve tried it. I’ve been doing this work for 30+ years now. I’ve tried most every technique out there. I pick techniques that get the results I need. I’ve found this technique to work well for me.

Thanks for thinking about these things.

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