Guide to Facilitating a Usability Test Debrief Session

Purpose

The purpose of a debrief session is to identify and discuss observed problems that arose during usability testing. A debrief session should be held as soon as possible after each test.

The goals of the session are to:

  1. Create a list of the most serious usability problems that the participant encountered using the site.
  2. Prioritize which problems should be fixed.
  3. Determine if certain issues require further testing.

Findings will be summarized in a report prepared by the test facilitator or another designated team member following each round of testing.

How to run a debrief session

The debrief facilitator asks each member of the team to share with the group the most serious problems that they noticed during the test.

The facilitator will note each problem on a whiteboard/flip chart/shared screen. If a problem was observed in multiple tests, the facilitator will note that. The facilitator will lead a discussion about which are the most serious problems that should be prioritized to fix, and which may require more testing.

While discussion about how to fix a problem may arise, the focus of the debrief is primarily to identify the most serious usability problems that can be prioritized to be fixed rather than specify the implementation of a solution.

Follow up

The session facilitator will report the identified problems to the project team. The project team will strategize to identify and implement solutions and fixes.