Conducting User Research with Multiple Participants

Here I am conducting User Research for Microsoft Surface (actually, it’s a dramatization of me conducting user research on the Microsoft Surface, but you get the picture!). I especially appreciate the high angle shot used here, making the activity appear even more dramatic than it already is(!).

One of the unique aspects of conducting user research for a multi-user interactive surface is managing the social activity and negotiation that takes place during data collection, unlike a traditional one-on-one usability study that takes place with a single individual in front of a single desktop screen. In this multi user scenario, it is best to let the participants create the rules, structure, and turn taking themselves, so that your data collection reflects a natural social order of interaction - among the participants as well as with the system.  

You can learn more about Microsoft User Research here.