Wizard of Oz testing

The wizard in this type of testing is someone behind-the-scenes who is pulling the levers and flipping the switches.

Users would interact with an interface without knowing that the responses are being generated by a human rather than a computer.

You can use this method to test new ideas. They may be costly concepts, but with this method, you can test them inexpensively and define a problem.

You can test users’ reactions to a system before you even have to think about development. 

The easiest way to conduct Wizard of Oz testing is to build a simple and easy-to-use prototype that allows the ‘Wizard’ to quickly react to the user’s gestures or actions with the designed response with a single click.

• Wizard of Oz testing by Nielsen Norman Group
• Wizard of Oz testing – a method of testing a system that does not yet exist by Simple Usability