The article, “Talking with Participants during a Usability Test” by Kara Pernice starts off by mentioning echo, boomerang and Columbo. These words are meant to remind usability-test facilitators of three productive methods for responding to users during usability tests. The echo approach is when facilitators echoes the users’ last phrase or words in an interrogatory tone. The boomerang method allows the facilitator to create a question that turns the users’ previous question back at them. This method doesn’t answer the users’ previous question, but it allows them to think for themselves. The Columbo method causes facilitators to establish tasks and questions in a way that lures users into answering. In other words, the facilitators use state part of a comment or question and allow users to fill in the blanks. It is important for facilitators to know when they should approach a user during a test session. Key events such as the users commenting, asking a question, seeking guidance, or interrupting their own flow are generally when a facilitator should interrupt a test session. A facilitator could also count to ten silently as an extra measure to check if it is an appropriate moment to converse with a user.
World Leaders in Research-Based User Experience. “Talking with Users in a Usability Test.” Nielsen Norman Group, www.nngroup.com/articles/talking-to-users/.
In the article I read, it stated that users will typically tell you what you want to hear. Following these ways above to test users, designers can find out what users really want in a page.