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First build · Advanced beginner · Lesson 29 of 99 · 6 min video, then about 5 hours of practice
Moderating your first real test session
After this you have run two moderated sessions on your own prototype with people who are not your friends, and have notes to prove it.
Why it matters
Recruit two participants who fit the problem and are not close friends (a community group, a local noticeboard, a colleague's relative). Write three task scenarios, run the sessions, record with permission, and take notes in the observation/interpretation split so you do not fuse the two. Expect to discover that something you considered obvious is not. Trap: the moment a participant struggles, the urge to explain becomes almost physical. Sit on your hands and write down what they try instead.
How to use this resource
Rewatch immediately before session one, then again between sessions one and two; the second viewing lands differently once you have made the mistakes.