0 Basic understanding

This chapter may be only relevant if you conduct remote user research for the first time.

0.1 Carry out an internal playtest

The aim of an internal playtest is to test remote user research to see how it works. To do this, you create a so-called “fake study.” Don’t worry about choosing the perfect test user: ask a colleague or another person within your company.

The goal of an internal playtest is to identify where problems occur in remote research and how to fix them before starting remote research in practice.

0.2 Review existing recordings

To prepare for a user testing session, it’s worth revisiting old recordings. On the one hand, you systematically see what to improve for the future. On the other hand, you learn how to pose questions and what to dismiss to get the insights you want.

additional: 0.3 Participate in community testings

If you are new to user research, we recommend participating in a community testing session. Why?

👥 Roleplay: Put yourself in the moderator’s or a participant’s shoes. Especially having been a moderator once helps to do a better job later on.

💭 Feedback: During testing sessions, you can ask for two kinds of feedback: First, input on your moderator qualities. And second, feedback on the test object you bring to the session.

🗪 Exchange: Besides, you can always learn something new by exchanging ideas with others.

01 Planning remote user research

1.1 Clarify the expectations

To get the desired results from your user test, ask yourselves the following questions: