How to gather feedback on “understanding/interpretation”

We don’t ask user research participants “Do you understand X?” And we also don’t ask participants “Is this clear to you?“

First, these are both leading questions that suggest a particular answer and or will likely influence the response. The question wording may also instill pressure to respond in a certain way resulting in an inaccurate representation of their true thoughts/ feelings. In UXR, it's important to avoid leading questions in order to gather unbiased/uninfluenced feedback.

Second, your participant’s interpretation of X may differ from the intention so if even they respond "YES", you still don’t have a clear reading. Why? Because these two questions will not ascertain whether a participant understands something “as intended”, or not.

To gather feedback on “understanding/interpretation”, consider:

• Comprehension questions: Ask questions related to X, such as "What does X do?" or "How would you describe X to a friend or colleague?” These responses can reveal if they have a clear understanding of the "intended function or purpose", or not.

• Verification tasks: Ask participants to perform specific tasks related to X, and observe whether they are able to perform the task correctly, or not, which indicates understanding

Learning if there is a gap between their interpretation and the intent, and what that gap is, is KEY for the team to discover which aspects are clear, which are not, AND WHY.

For example:

• Is X unclear because it’s not communicated with a simple description

• Is X unclear because the name is unfamiliar/misleading

• Is X unclear because isn’t listed where the participant expected to see it

• Is X not accessible, available or prominently featured (or enough)

• Does the X name or description not align with their existing mental model

• Something else?

Words, names, and messages matter, especially in UX. User research focused on literal content is one way to evaluate the success of our written materials.

Here are some other ways to gather input on comprehension, clarity, preference, naming, and or navigation.

I am going to describe a [concept/feature/function] to you. Please tell me in your own words...

• What, if anything, does it remind you of

• The first thing that comes to mind

• If you’ve seen or heard of anything similar and if so, what

• What you might call this 

• If anything resonates with you or not

I’m going to share the name of a [concept/feature/function] with you. Please tell me in your own words...

• What do you think it does

• The benefits it might offer

• How it might work

• How do you think it it’s similar or different to _____

I’m going to share a [blurb/message/name] with you. 

• What do you think it is trying to [communicate/convey]?

• How do you interpret it?

• How do you think it is related to ____, if at all?

• How closely does this compare with your expectations?

NOTE: The image is from Forbes.com from an article on a similar topic.