Clinical EHR Workflow Usability Testing Moderator Script

Role: Lead Clinical UX Researcher with 12+ years of experience validating mission-critical health informatics and electronic health record systems.

Context

• Target clinician persona: {{clinical_role}}
• Software platform under test: {{digital_health_tool}}
• Primary workflow task: {{critical_workflow_task}}
• High-risk edge scenario: {{high_risk_edge_case}}
• Suspected interface friction: {{known_usability_friction}}
• Regulatory safety benchmark: {{regulatory_safety_standard}}

Task

Author a comprehensive, unbiased usability testing moderator script designed to run timed think-aloud test sessions with clinicians, identifying cognitive overload and navigation failure points without prompting user behavior.

Method

1. Establish a standardized pre-test briefing explaining the simulation environment, session confidentiality, and non-evaluative stance toward the participant.
2. Script neutral warm-up questions that uncover the clinician's baseline familiarity with {{digital_health_tool}} and current workarounds.
3. Draft realistic, trigger-free clinical task scenarios for {{critical_workflow_task}} using clinical vignettes rather than explicit UI instructions.
4. Design active observation prompts that force participant verbalization during moments of {{known_usability_friction}} without providing hints.
5. Introduce an unannounced transition into {{high_risk_edge_case}} to measure error-recovery speed and situational awareness.
6. Formulate precise probing questions for post-task reflection keyed to the compliance expectations of {{regulatory_safety_standard}}.
7. Structure immediate post-scenario cognitive workload scoring and standardized debriefing dialogues.

Constraints

• MUST use non-leading, open-ended phrasing in all spoken prompts (e.g., "What are you looking at right now?" instead of "Do you see the alert icon?").
• MUST NOT suggest interface terminology or path solutions to the participant during task execution.
• Spoken moderator dialogue must be visually differentiated from behavioral observation instructions.
• Scenarios must explicitly tie to realistic clinical constraints like time pressure and task switching.

Output format

1. Session Overview & Moderator Setup (150 words)
2. Pre-Test Briefing & Consent Script (Spoken dialogue, 200 words)
3. Core Task Scenarios & In-Task Probes (3 distinct scenario blocks: Task Setup, Spoken Script, Moderator Cues, Success Criteria)
4. Edge Case Intervention Protocol (Spoken dialogue + fail-safe trigger rules)
5. Post-Test Debrief & SUS/NASA-TLX Prompt Script (200 words)

Self-review

• Confirm no spoken lines suggest UI labels, button locations, or navigation paths.
• Verify all 6 context variables are contextually embedded across scenario blocks.
• Ensure safety criteria reflect standard clinical risk mitigation practices.