This document discusses common problems that can occur during user research, including observers interrupting participants, not being prepared without dry runs, technical glitches, losing attention during sessions, mis-recruiting participants who don't fit criteria, struggling to get detailed responses from participants, observers having personal agendas, participants only being motivated by incentives, and issues that can arise from translations between languages.

1. Preparing for
Murphy’s Law:
When stuff goes wrong in user research
UX Australia 2013 improv talk

2. When observers go wild:
Interrupting participants!
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3. Image available under a Creative Commons licence:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/illuminated_photography/3282460389/
The under preparer:
No plan, no dry runs...OMG!

4. Know your
shit:
Don’t show up without
some understanding of
the domain
Image credit: unknown

5. Technical glitches
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6. Losing attention:
Oops, what did the participant just say?
Image source: unknown

7. The
mis-recruit
Someone who managed
to slip past the screener

8. The
Grunter:
Where getting more
than a one word
answer is like
pulling teeth

9. The Personal Agenda
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10. The Money taker:
Only there for the incentive….
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11. International problems:
When translations go wrong….