1. Waiver
2. Entrance Questions
3. Task Based Questions (the heart of the hands-on usability test)
4. Exit Questions

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Let's look at the purpose of these docments and see a sample of each.

1. Waiver - Each test subject should sign a waiver or consent form, indicating that they are giving permission for you to take notes (or video/audio tape) them during the testing. Sample Waiver.
2. Entrance Questions - these documents help you collect demographic information that you can later use when analyzing your results. Questions include name, age, gender, internet experience and target audience group. Sample Entrance Questions.
3. Task Based Questions - The heart of hands-on usability testing is the Task Based Questionnaire. During the test, the subject is sitting in front of a computer with the appropriate starting page on the browser. The facilitator verbally leaeds the test subject through a series of questions/tasks, encouraging them to think out loud. The facilitator does NOT lead the subject to the answer. Sample Task Based Questions.
4. Exit Questions - At the end of the testing session, you will want to allow at least 10 minutes for your test subject(s) to give you their opinion of the site. How easy was it to navigate the site? What did you like or dislike? What was confusing? Sample Exit Questions.

Feel free to use the samples above as your template, making changes as needed to adjust to your specific testing needs. The document that will require the most work will be your Task Based Questions. Here are some pointers on how to write your task based questions:

Key Pieces of Info - Think about your site. What key pieces of information will people need to find on your site? Consider writing a task/question for each of your key pieces of information.

Top Ten - Have too many key pieces of information, then test for the "Top Ten" things people need to get from your web site.

Audience Versions - Don't hesitate to write a slightly different version of your Task Based Questions for each of your target audiences. Different target audiences have different needs on your site. When I create different versions, I usally have a core group of questions that work for all my audiences (perhaps 60-70% of the questions) with a few more audience specific questions.

Non-leading Questions - When writing the text of the question, make sure you are NOT leading your test subject to the answer. Use common vocabularly and specifically avoid the vocabulary that you are using in your hot links and buttons. For example, if I wanted to test the ease of finding the "Campus and Parking Maps" and the link text was "Campus and Parking Maps", I might word the question like this, "You are planning on taking your friend to the Texas Memorial Museum this weekend and you need to find out where you can park."

Simple - the task/question should be simple, so the test subject can keep it in their mind without reading it. Try to write the task in the vocabulary of the target audience.

Realistic Scenarios - The Task/Questions should be realistic scenarios that your target audience would really experience. The point of the test is to simulte being "the fly on the wall" while a real person is using your site.