Moderating tips
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Use these tips to guide you through the logistics of conducting moderated research sessions, including mobile research, taking notes, transcription software, and Veteran-specific moderating tips.
Veteran-specific moderating tips
Hearing difficult stories
You'll hear hard stories from Veterans. It’s OK to sympathize with the participant. Saying something like “I’m so sorry you had to go through that” is perfectly acceptable after hearing a story before moving on to your task or follow-up. It is almost never necessary or relevant to the goals of any VA.gov study to dig deeply into folks' trauma, however. The best attitude when in doubt is a middle ground where you show compassion but then move on to the next task or question gracefully. For example, "that sounds so hard/frustrating/difficult. [Switch back to script or intention of study] Could you tell me more about your experience applying for that benefit?"
Questions about VA programs
If someone asks you about the legal rules of how a program works, say, "I'm not sure. But you can go to VA.gov and call the support line listed there." Don't guess or say anything, even if you might think you know the answer because we don't want to get into legal difficulties.
Thanking Veterans for their service
Avoid saying "Thank you for your service" to Veterans. Some Veterans have a negative association with that phrase. Instead, you could say, “Thank you for your time.”
General moderating tips
Avoid leading questions
Remember not to ask questions that are the same wording as what's on your designs. For example, if you have a "learn more" dropdown, don't ask, "How would you learn more about this?" It's pretty leading if you use the same terminology. Instead, something like, "If you're confused, where would you go to get more information?"
Be objective
Avoid using morale/biased language like "good!" or "perfect!" when a user completes a task in the way you'd expect.
Encourage participants to talk
Ask open-ended questions and avoid Yes/No prompts. Follow-up questions with “why?” and “tell me more” if the user has given you a short statement or not provided enough information. If someone asks you how something works or what happens when they click on something, respond with "How would you expect it to work?" rather than answering their question.
Help and feedback
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