me, online.

User Testing: Building rapport with kids

I helped run another play testing session at zinc Roe last week; so much fun!  The more I do these though, the more I realize that the secret to getting great data boils down to two things:

1. Building a rapport with the kids
2. Being hyper attentive to what they’re doing.

I’m gonna focus this post on the first bit.  

From their perspective, they’re here to play games - rad.  Unfortunately, these might not be games they normally play, they’re in a foreign land, tired, and there’s likely strangers watching their every move.  The goal of rapport building is to help kids feel comfortable enough to play games as they normally would, and to create an environment where they can openly say - this is stupid!

The following are some of the things that work for me:

1. Mimicry

Generally, people will respond better to those who are similar to themselves.  Simple things like mimicking body gestures subconsciously make yourself more amicable to your conversation partner (see: Chameleon Effect).  When testing, I try to match a kid’s energy, body language, and even verbal language.  If they use the term “granola face”, better believe that I’m using that too!

2. Dress the part

If the famous Milgram shock experiment taught us anything, it’s that how we are dressed impacts how we are perceived.  Remember this is about rapport building, and you want to be perceived as their friend.  If you are wearing a suit, the child might feel a need to qualify him/herself to you, and would filter out the “dumb” comments, whereas a friend would be more likely to get the unfiltered version. That of course is where the money’s at.

Sometimes, I’ll even wear clothes that elicit conversation from them.  I’ll wear bright hats, robot t-shirts, even stickers on my hands; stuff they can identify with and makes me part of their wolf pack.  

3. They’re Batman, you’re Robin

Central to user testing is allowing the subject to run the show.  Being encouraging is fine, but you playing and them watching is a waste of time.  To give them the confidence to do so, you want to ensure that they are the alpha, the one in charge.  To this point, I try to sit in a position of submission, relaxed, and either lower than them, or sitting on my hands (I got that last bit from Split-Second Persuasion).  If I tower over them, I’m all of a sudden an authority figure.  They’ll ask for help, or seek approval more than they would otherwise.

4. Winning over the parents

Parents are the gatekeepers to the digital content that kids digest, so obviously it’s important to be-friend them.  A secondary objective is to garner a subject’s trust, by demonstrating social acceptance by their parent/guardian who is present.  It’s just like the dating world where winning the parents and/or friends over, wins you the girl.  Demonstrating that you’re dad’s friend and not a stranger helps kids feel more comfortable.  

5. Don’t play games

Probably the most important point, brought to you by Jason Krogh, is to not play games.  Spend 10 minutes talking about the butterfly they saw, or the pizza they ate for dinner.  Make a connection, find commonalities, and don’t treat them like lab rats.  Sometimes these informal conversations can lead to fantastic inspiration.

Bill Cosby had it right all along, kids say the darndest things; they just need to be comfortable enough to do so.