"Thanks for coming in today! We’re constantly trying to improve our product, and getting your frank feedback is a really important part of that. So just a reminder that what I show you and what we discuss here today are confidential. Also I want to ask your permission for me to record our session, just for our own internal use. That way we can go back and review it later. Do I have your permission? _____ Great! Naturally, you’re free to take a break or leave at any time during the session. I like to keep these sessions pretty informal. I’m just trying to learn from you today. I’ll ask a lot of questions, but I’m not testing you. There are no right or wrong answers. I’ll start this session by asking some background questions. Then I’ll show you some things we’re working on, and ask you to do some tasks. As you work on the tasks, please think aloud. This means that you should try to give a running commentary on what you’re doing as you work through the tasks. Tell me what you’re trying to do and how you think you can do it. If you get confused or don’t understand something, please tell me. If you see things you like, tell me that too. Since I didn’t design this, you won’t hurt my feelings or flatter me. In fact, frank, candid feedback is the most helpful. Again… I’m not testing you. I’m testing this product. If you get stuck or confused, it’s not your fault. It helps us identify the problems in the product that we need to fix. If and when you do get stuck, I’m going to try not to answer your questions or tell you what to do. I’m just trying to see what you would do if you were using it on your own. But don’t worry — I’ll help you if you get completely stuck. Today we’re going to use a prototype. That means some links or buttons or features may not work quite right. You can still click anywhere you like to do the tasks. When you run into something that’s not working, I’ll let you know. Do you have any questions before we begin?"