Here’s a second round-up of the ux research links we’ve come across and bookmarked this May (2016).
UX Research Links: May 2016
How a Small Team Iterated Rapidly by Running Up to 12 User Tests Per Week (The Effective Engineer)
Continuous user testing isn’t free — the time spent conducting and learning from user tests is time not spent writing software. But when we consider all the time we spend tweaking and perfecting features that never get the adoption we want, it’s clear that the earlier we can make course corrections, the less effort we’ll waste and the bigger the impact we’ll create. So when does it make sense to use this technique?
The Ultimate List of Customer Development Questions (Mike Fishbein)
Mike Fishbein has compiled all of his favourite customer development questions into one place! These questions that can be asked throughout the product development lifecycle – from identifying problems/generating ideas to improving a live product. Please note that:
a) a lot of these will yield similar responses to each other. Pick 1 or more from each group that you think would be best given your situation.
b) many products require specific questions that aren’t “template-able,” especially in the product discover-validation phases.
5 cognitive traps to avoid in Discovery (Digital Transformation Office, Australian Government)
As human beings, we think we make rational decisions every day, but in fact, we’re all seeing the world under a set of behavioral illusions that can really muck up our decision making. These are called cognitive biases. They are sort of like optical illusions, but instead of interfering with the way we see things, they get in the way of our behavior when we make decisions and solve problems. Being aware of these biases can help us make better decisions.
Excuses, Excuses! Why Companies Don’t Conduct User Research (UX Matters)
“Doing user research is like eating healthy food, exercising, and getting an annual check-up. Almost everyone recognizes that it’s good to do these things, but many people fail to do them. Similarly, many companies neglect to do user research. Why? In this column, I’ll discuss the most common excuses I hear from companies and project teams that don’t conduct user research—and I’ll provide solutions to overcome them.”
Games User Research: What’s Different? (Nielsen Norman Group)
Game testing researches the notion of fun. Compared with mainstream UX studies, it involves many more users and relies more on biometrics and custom software. The most striking findings from the Games User Research Summit were the drastic age and gender differences in motivation research.
The Interview Survey: Getting the Accuracy of Interviewing Thousands of Users (UX Matters)
“People get excited about design—especially the latest innovations from amazing leaders in user experience such as Apple and Google. But these organizations built their cool designs on a solid foundation of user research that let them achieve an intimate understanding of their customers.
Every amazing product starts with a great product manager who works hard to achieve a deep understanding of their market. This level of understanding doesn’t come easy. Achieving it takes years of observation and lots of communication.”
Get our link roundups delivered straight to your inbox
Sign-up for our email newsletter and get all our UX research link round-up posts by email as soon as they’re published.