UXPA 2012 Establishing Rapport and Matching Communication Styles with Test Participants

Establishing Rapport and Matching
Communication Styles with Test Participants

Human Factors International, Inc. User Experience for a Better World

UPA International 21st Annual Conference
5 June 2012

Mary M. Michaels & Catherine D. Gaddy
www.humanfactors.com

© 2012 Human Factors International, Inc. All rights reserved.

Building on the Classic Advice of Dale Carnegie

• Give honest and sincere appreciation.

• Smile.

• Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most
important sound in any language.

• Make the other person feel important - and do it sincerely.

Now, what else should we do to help establish rapport?

http://www.westegg.com/unmaintained/carnegie/win-friends.html

© 2012 Human Factors International, Inc. All rights reserved. 2

Tips & Techniques for User Experience (UX) Interviews & Testing

This session will provide techniques for quickly connecting with
your participants.

Learn what works and why so
that you can increase your
skills and effectiveness
facilitating both in-person and
remote moderated studies.


Goals for this Session

• Learn practical tips for building rapport quickly

• Understand techniques for establishing a personable tone during the
sessions

• Increase your skills in determining the interaction style of the participant
through visual, verbal, and audio cues

• Explore methods for matching the participant’s style

• Discover ways to make the testing even more enjoyable, while still keeping
the rigor needed

• Gain insight on how these techniques can help you demonstrate leadership
at your organization to assist others with their interview moderation skills


A Few Quick Stories When We Faced Challenges

What we did when we started a user interview or usability test and the
participant…

• Would not make eye contact

• Would not talk

• Seemed very nervous


Methods

1. Engage in small talk

2. Understand and match verbal interaction styles

3. Be alert for verbal cues


1. Engage in Small Talk


Engage in Small Talk

It is NOT small!

• Relate experiences regarding the weather

• Make associations concerning geography

• Forge positive first impressions by showing interest

• Use body language to reinforce engagement


Rules of Engagement for Small Talk

1. Keep the conversation topic neutral: weather and geography work well.

2. Be specific (“Hi, how are you?” vs. “Hi, how was your ride in today?”)

3. If in person, use body language to indicate a welcoming atmosphere.

• Avoid crossing your arms, having a closed body stance, or maintaining
a “poker face.”

• A smile, a nod, or a handshake is much more likely to be welcoming,
and encourages others to engage with you.

• Lean slightly towards the participant when you are seated to help
indicate interest.


Rationale for Engaging in Small Talk

• You must quickly establish rapport and create a safe and open environment
for participants.

• Data gathering interviews and usability testing situations benefit from the
honest input and reactions from participants.

• User experience testing probes deeper into the psychology of desire and the
various factors dealing with Persuasion, Emotion, and Trust (PET) where
there is more emphasis on the triggers and blocks in motivation.

• You need to enhance your facilitation skills to be able to gain trust,
particularly when asking participants about potentially sensitive topics on
their decision making.


2. Understand and Match
Verbal Interaction Styles


Understand and Match Verbal Interaction Styles

There are vast amounts of research available on personality types and mood,
such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, or Keirsey Temperament Sorter, etc.

From: http://www.keirsey.com/4temps/overview_temperaments.asp


Interaction Styles

However, these are too extensive and complex to have bearing on the
quick assessment that you need to do at the start of an interview.

Therefore, you can somewhat oversimplify, and group the participant as:

 Direct
 Light-hearted
 Humorous
 Quiet

http://www.amazon.com/White-Dwarfs-Disney-Special-Platinum/dp/B00003CXCQ


Direct Style

• No-nonsense, to-the-point, clipped verbal responses

• Not afraid to talk

We suggest that you tone back your zeal somewhat, and keep the
conversation fairly straightforward without embellishment.


Light-hearted Style

• Warm and engaging

• Rarely need prompting to provide interaction

We recommend that you scale up your enthusiasm to match the participant’s.

Still be mindful of your role to keep the testing session on track, and achieve
objective results about both positive & negative aspects of the area being
studied.


Humorous Style

• Quick with finding humor

• Laughs easily

We suggest you engage and respond with humor of your own, if you can,
while always ensuring that no insensitive or offensive remarks are made.


Quiet Style

• Seems to say very little without prompting

• Does not tend to elaborate

• May be nervous or shy

We recommend that you respect this style and scale back accordingly, while
also looking for relevant opportunities to ask the participant to elaborate.


Audience Participation


Audience Participation

We will conduct a very brief role play, having you use one or more of the
rapport-building methods presented so far.

This will provide an opportunity for you to practice, based on what we have
just discussed.


Audience Participation Handout for INTERVIEWER

Your practice interviewee here will be a bit challenging. Your job is to:

• Build rapport quickly
• Establish a personable tone
• Match the interaction style of the participant

Here is your script:

Hi, my name is _______. Thanks for helping us today.

We’re going to spend the next few minutes asking you about any problems or
shortcomings you’ve noticed so far about your:
[cell phone / smart phone / mobile device]


Audience Participation Handout for PARTICIPANT

As the interviewer introduces the session, role play that you are
uncomfortable, interrupt them, and ask a couple of questions, such as:

• Are there right or wrong answers?

• Can I show you whatever I want?

• Are there other people watching or listening to us?

Or…any other related questions you can think of!


3. Be Alert for Verbal Cues


Be Alert for Verbal Cues

• You should make note of how the participants express themselves.

• By attempting to match the sensory wavelength of participants, you should
be able to establish better communication connections.

• The matching is a subtle method, but given the brief amount of time that you
have with participants, it’s worth a reasonable effort.

• Understanding participants and their emotions helps you uncover their
decision-making processes.


Verbal Cues for Visual

A primarily visual person may use visual language, such as:
“I see what you mean,” or “That looks good.”

During unscripted moments before a test or between interview sections, you
can use visual phases, such as:
“We are very interested in what you will see in ____.”


Verbal Cues for Auditory

A primarily auditory person may use language related to hearing, such as:
“I hear you,” or “Sounds good.”

During unscripted times, you can use auditory phases, such as:
“We are very interested hearing what you have to say about ____.”


Verbal Cues for Kinesthetic

People who are primarily kinesthetic may use words related to touch & feeling,
such as:
“I feel good about that,” or “I don’t feel there is any difference.”

During unscripted times, you can use phrases related to kinesthetics, such as:
“We want to know what you feel about ____.”

Quickly establishing rapport with participants is vital, since emotions and
feelings are key to decision-making.


Examples and Case Studies


Examples and Case Studies

Formal Usability Testing Lab
 Testing a Web site dealing with personal financial information

In-Person Onsite Testing
 Testing an interface during a high-stress event at a convention

Remote Moderated Usability Testing
 Testing a Web app with upper-level IT staff about a global software support site


Summary

• Engage in small talk

• Understand and match verbal interaction styles

• Be alert for verbal cues

Use the techniques from job aid, and feel free to share with your colleagues.

And enjoy your precious time with users… it’s like gold!


Human Factors International, Inc. User Experience for a Better World

Thanks!

mary.michaels@humanfactors.com
cathy.gaddy@humanfactors.com

Human Factors International
Corporate Headquarters
410 West Lowe
P.O. Box 2020
Fairfield, IA 52556 USA
Phone: (800) 242-4480
(641) 472-4480
Fax: (641) 472-5412

© 2012 Human Factors International, Inc. All rights reserved.

Job Aid for Establishing Rapport

Engage in small talk

1. Keep the conversation topic neutral: weather and geography work well.
2. Be specific (“Hi, how are you?” vs. “Hi, how was your ride in today?”)
3. If in person, use body language to indicate a welcoming atmosphere.

Understand and match verbal interaction styles

• Direct
• Light-hearted
• Humorous
• Quiet

Be alert for verbal cues

• Visual
• Auditory
• Kinesthetic


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