Call out for participation
This week I was grounded at home - it was virtually impossible to get to the office. So when I tweeted to my followers in the village, asking locals if they had time for me I was not only surprised people were 'listening' but they'd invite me to their homes. I had a handful of people offering their time so that I could conduct usability tests at their home.

Scenarios and tasks - beta baby beta
I was particularly interested in the prototype's UI and how people - with fresh eyes - would notice available choices, their perceptions, and ease of use during a set of fairly rudimentary pre-defined tasks.

After I had recruited my participants I packed my Macbook Pro laptop (with Silverback app, power lead, address and note book/pens). When I arrived at their house I was welcomed in to the home and guided to a comfortable place - usually the lounge or sitting room. Once we got comfortable (break the ice) I explained what my aims of the test were and what we were going to do. With a relaxed environment it felt distinctly real... my participants did not seem to feel intimidated or pressurised. 

Reporting
It was great fun, I learnt a lot about our newly designed UI but I also found it interesting stepping inside people's homes and observing people's personal spaces.