1. Define tasks for usability tests with your main stakeholder up front 2. State that tests should take no longer than 30mins due to user decision fatigue so reduce tasks to no more than 5-6 per test 3. Test no more than 5 participants per user test round These principles keep the testing cycle agile and should keep scope creep away from testing - by being clear about what requirements are under review, it allows further requirements to be tested in separate tests. It should also allow you to iterate on usability challenges surfaced by testing by involving stakeholders in the process, if they feel a sense of ownership in test definition they will be interested in the outcome, allowing you to focus on the feedback instead of scope.

Scope creep can quickly derail a usability testing project. Start by clearly defining testing objectives from the outset—what are you testing and why? This ensures that any new requests can be easily assessed for relevance. Prioritize critical testing areas and stick to the plan, deferring non-essential changes to future phases. Regularly communicate with stakeholders, managing expectations and reminding them of the impact on timelines and resources if the scope expands. Fact: 50% of projects suffer from scope creep, often due to undefined goals and lack of boundaries. (Source: PMI) By maintaining focus and clear communication, you can protect timelines and deliver effective results.

Usability research needs a strong collaboration with stakeholders. A few parameters of the research should be made transparent at the outset. 1. The amount of time available with each participant is finite limited amount with limited flexibility to stretch each usability session. 2. Compensation to the participants. Budget is limited especially within small organizations to pay them for their time. 3. Availability of the participants The compensation is determined by the time commitment as well as how easy or difficult it is to hire participants for the study which is the third key constraint. Engage the stakeholders in prioritizing the tasks with these constraints in mind. They will quickly come to agree on key tasks to test.

There could be genuine cases that come out from usability testing & it is essential to understand the impact ( to business, to customer experience & timeline) prior to saying no to it. 1. Evaluate using MoSCoW 2. Check trade off options 3. Understand risk if not done Based on the assessment take an educated call on adding it to work queue or put it in backlog as a delayed delivery.

It starts with a friendly “Can we just add this one little thing?” and before you know it, you're staring at a mountain of “extras.” My goto tools are very simple and it keeps the product simple and yet grounded to the objective. Using these three tools will sort everything. Arm Yourself with Tools That Don’t Take Any Nonsense. If tools were sidekicks, Asana, Trello, and Miro would be the no-nonsense friends who keep you grounded. Set them up to track every task, and don't let anyone sneak extra work in on the sly. Your “Nope Scope” wall in Trello will be legendary.