Actually, the user didn’t really say that. What they really said was that something was a “pain in the butt.”
My transcription software, though, rendered it as “pain in the button.” Which, in its own way, is absolutely perfect.
To be honest, I don’t think I could live without transcription. Sure, I could simply watch the tapes. That, though is an extremely linear experience.
Honestly, there’s going to be so much filler – my prep, polite chitchat, reading scenarios, the user’s making their way through the easy part of the task, irrelevant diversions …
But with a transcript, if I’ve got a note about something interesting the user said about a certain topic, I can just search on that topic and go right there. Alternatively, if I’ve captured part of a quote, I can just search on any distinguishing word in that quote.
Now, if the test was unmoderated, I can also scroll through the transcript faster than I can go through tape. And that’s even if I play the tape at 2X (which, honestly, can be a little hard to interpret). Once again, I can just ignore all the filler, and go straight to where there’s something with a little more meat on it.
Now, no transcription software is perfect. So, I do get my fair share of stuff like this, usually with non-native English speakers (poor things):
- “I'm a little bit confusing.”
- “Sorry, I have a little bit, uh, destruction.”
- “So I'm confident that I have the DF finger, right?”
- “So again, uh, notifications for competent for Diva.”
- “APIs are, are variable submitted to change and accurate as okay as female reduced enemy, okay? A bonus plus a great threat.”
That said, I do love my transcripts.
Oh, and by the way … Transcript or not, I’ve had users comment on pain in butts, asses, keisters, tuchuses & dupas. And for those of you who don’t speak Polish, well, that’s exactly what that last one was. So, don’t say I never taught yez nuthin, ‘kay?
Just think of user researchers as big pillows on the hard, small bicycle seat of terrible UI
