---
name: usability-test-plan
description: "Plans a usability test with realistic tasks, success criteria, participant criteria and an observation sheet so findings are comparable across sessions. Use when a team is about to test a prototype or live feature with real users and needs tasks, success criteria, participants and an observation sheet. Do not use for open-ended discovery interviews or analysing analytics data. Related topics: design, research."
---

# Usability Test Plan

Plans a usability test with realistic tasks, success criteria, participant criteria and an observation sheet so findings are comparable across sessions.

## When to use

Use this skill when a team is about to test a prototype or live feature with real users and needs tasks, success criteria, participants and an observation sheet. Do not use it for open-ended discovery interviews or analysing analytics data.

## Workflow

1. Ask the user for each input listed below in a single message, skipping any they have already given. Where options are listed, offer them, but accept other answers too.
2. Turn each user goal into a scenario task that avoids words used on the interface.
3. Define success criteria for every task in advance, including a time or error limit that counts as a problem.
4. Specify participant criteria, a short screener and the group mix for the chosen number of sessions.
5. Write the moderator script with consent, think-aloud setup, neutral prompts and a rule against helping early.
6. Provide the observation sheet and a severity scale, then explain how to merge findings into a ranked issue list.

## Inputs

- **What is being tested** (free text, e.g. "Prototype or live feature name")
- **Key user goals** (longer free text)
- **Participants** (longer free text)
- **Number of participants** (number from 3 to 12)
- **Test format** (choose one: Moderated in person, Moderated remote, Unmoderated remote)
- **Session length** (free text, e.g. "45 minutes")
- **Known concerns** (longer free text)

## Output

A test plan with scenario tasks and success criteria, participant screener, moderator script, an observation sheet table and a method for ranking issues.

## Prompt template

Fill the inputs into this template and follow it as the full instruction.

### Usability Test Plan

Plan a usability test.

- What is being tested: {{What is being tested}}
- Key user goals: {{Key user goals}}
- Participants: {{Participants}}
- Number of participants: {{Number of participants}}
- Test format: {{Test format}}
- Session length: {{Session length}}
- Known concerns: {{Known concerns}}

Turn each user goal into a task written as a scenario with a reason, not instructions ("You need to move your appointment to Friday" rather than "Click Reschedule"), and never use words that appear on the interface. For each task define success criteria in advance: completed unaided, completed with help, failed, plus a time or error threshold that counts as a problem. Order tasks from easy to hard and keep to what fits the session length. Describe participant criteria, a short screener, and the mix needed. Add a moderator script: welcome, consent, think-aloud instructions, neutral prompts such as "What are you thinking?" and a rule to not help early. Provide an observation sheet with a row per task and columns for success, time, errors, quotes and severity of each issue. Explain how to rate severity and combine findings across participants into a ranked issue list with recommendations.

## Pitfalls

- Naming interface labels in the task, which turns the test into a word-matching exercise.
- Deciding what counts as success after the sessions, which bends results toward the team's hopes.
- Helping a stuck participant too early, which erases the very problem the test exists to find.