Notes & Protocols for Usability Tests

The careful documentation of observations is a central component of every usability study. Because only what has been systematically recorded can be analyzed, communicated and translated into concrete design decisions. notes and protocols form the bridge between observed behavior, user feedback and methodical evaluation - in both qualitative and quantitative settings.

In practice, it often turns out that those who document well not only recognize more usability problems, but can also communicate them more convincingly. A typical scenario: During a test, a user trying to submit a form says: “I don’t know if this has really been submitted.” - If this sentence is documented verbatim with context, it serves as an evidence-based foundation for design improvements in the area of feedback design.

Why Structured Documentation is Crucial

Usability tests produce a variety of impressions: observed behavior, spoken thoughts (e.g. in Thinking Aloud), unexpected errors, non-verbal reactions or technical hurdles. These impressions are often fleeting. Without structured notes, they get lost - especially if several tests are carried out in one day or results are to be evaluated in a team.

A good protocol helps to achieve the following goals:

• Making user experiences comprehensible - even for non-users
• Link statements and behavior with time stamps
• Systematically record problems, frustrations and ideas for improvement
• Facilitate evaluation and communication within the team and with stakeholders

Forms of Observation Documentation

In practice, three main forms have become established - depending on the test design, team size and evaluation objective.

Free Notes

Probably the most flexible, but also the most unstructured variant. Here, observers freely document what they notice as needed. This is particularly helpful for exploratory tests, e.g. in early design phases or in the case of unusual interactions.

Example: A user repeatedly clicks on a non-interactive label. The observer notes: “Repeated clicks on label > possibly not recognizable as static.”

Advantage: Fast, spontaneous, close to the context.
Disadvantage: Comparability and evaluability are limited.

Standardized Observation Forms

Predefined tasks, criteria and columns are used here. The documentation is based on fixed parameters such as “success”, “error”, “understanding”, “time” and “quote”. This facilitates subsequent analysis and makes the results easier to compare.

Typical structure:

Practical example: In the task “Add product to shopping cart”, the observer enters:

Digital Protocol Forms

Many teams work with tools such as Google Sheets, Airtable, Notion or specialized platforms such as Lookback or Dovetail. These enable collaborative documentation in real time, video annotation and tagging - particularly useful for remote tests or team reviews.

Roles in the Test Setting

Depending on the setting, several people may be involved in the documentation:

• Moderator:in leads through the test, remains as neutral as possible and observes rather roughly.
• Beobachter:in documents systematically in the background without disturbing the test person.
• Protokollant:in (optional) is responsible for timestamps, screenshots and the parallel recording of remote sessions.

Ideally, everyone involved should agree in advance on observation focal points - for example, interaction with a new filter function or behavior when entering a form.

Good Practice in Note Taking

• Pbservation ≠ Interpretation: Instead of “Participant is frustrated” better: “Participant clicks the same button three times, sighs audibly.”
• Save verbatim quotes: Statements such as “I can’t find the back button” are worth their weight in gold for later communication.
• Note time stamps: Ideal for synchronization with video recordings.
• Stay neutral: No hasty assessments such as “makes mistakes” or “doesn’t understand anything”.
• Use abbreviations and symbols: ✔ ✘ ? 🕒 make it easier to maintain an overview - especially when running multiple tests.

Digital Tools for Support

• Lookback, UserZoom, Dovetail: Specialized platforms with video recording, markers, tags and comment functions.
• Notion, Trello, Airtable: Ideal for collaborative observation in teams.
• Google Sheets/Excel: Classic for standardized tables, also with drop-down fields and color coding.

Conclusion

Systematic notes and protocols are the backbone of any well-founded usability evaluation. They help to objectify subjective impressions, make relevant problems visible and communicate findings across teams. Especially in iterative processes, good protocols are a valuable memory and an argumentative basis for design decisions. If you work carefully here, you lay the foundation for valid UX recommendations.

Last modified: 17 June 2025