Draw a picture: what do you think of the product you just used?

I used to ask people to draw a picture after a usability session. Not a picture of the application itself, but a sketch of how they felt about it.

Not everyone likes to draw, so it didn’t always work. But when participants could do it, we got a great view into what they were thinking.

Here’s one of my favorites, from a study of a human resources application. The person was comparing the new software with other applications he’d used. He liked the new product and compared it to others that weren’t helpful.

“A two-part image: on the left, a desk with a computer, with ‘Clear answers’ above the computer. On the right, a door that said ‘HR’ and ‘Don’t have answers. Come back later.”

Question: Have you ever tried something like this? How did it work?