Let’s spruce up the blog with a GIF for once whilst a certain music video from ‘99 comes to mind…
Throw away your list of failed experiments, the projects that didn’t get off the ground, the books or screenplays that failed to sell. Keep the lessons you’ve learned in mind, but recognise that it may simply have been the approach, the pitch, or the conditions at the time that were not optimal for success - the idea may still have legs.
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A research question is not a question you’d ask a user or customer in an interview, survey, or any other study. A research question is what you need to learn to help you or your stakeholders make a good, data-informed decision. So, how do we define research questions in such a way that both guides our studies and reminds us that there’s more than one way to get those answers when the goal is helping stakeholders learn?
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Flower bouquet image courtesy of Francisco Menéndez via Wikimedia Commons.
Created just-in-time around specific [and hopefully validated] scenarios and needs. Heavy hitting and unambiguous with their core values and present emotional situation clearly on display. Task-based personas give product and design teams the context they need for strong ideation, and here's an example why...
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In this episode, Geoff Wilson and Guy Thompson team up and trade barbs in debating Guy’s reluctance to move to his new phone. As you know what they say, they just don’t make physical and digital products like they used to.
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In this episode, Geoff Wilson is joined by Doug Collins to explore the balance needed to design for customers who aren’t the users, but are ultimately the ones left cleaning up the mess… in this case being the parents of small humans.
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Recently, one of my colleagues came to me seeking tips and advice on how to approach job interviews so that they could have the best chance of getting a few offers to choose from. So, in reflecting on all of the advice I’ve received, read, and practiced over the years related to job searching, applying, and interviewing, I decided to combine it all down into one extensive guide that I could share with them and anyone else currently in the arduous job hunt. The sections in this guide cover my three key preparations for successful job interviews: interview skills, common job interview questions, and creative and challenging questions to ask…
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In this episode, Geoff Wilson and Guy Thompson 'plug back in' to lament how easy it is to end up with the e-waste nighmare that is the cable drawer (we know you have one too).
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In this episode, the fabulous Kate Rutter joins Geoff Wilson in tackling [read: deftly complaining about] the most complex customer experience covered on this show thus far: The Postal Service.
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A PrinterNOx nitric oxide monitoring device with a red light showing above an “Alarm” light label
If you’re near a smoke detector in your home, go press the Test button now. Hear (or remember) that shrill tone that all but guarantees you wince in pain as soon as it starts going off? Now imagine that you’re a fragile, sick patient lying on a hospital bed (not to mention being a preterm baby) and are suddenly bombarded with that ear-piercing wail emanating mere feet from your head - that’s not detrimental to your recovery, no, not at all…
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In this episode, Geoff Wilson and Guy Thompson debate why it feels like there are no universally applied standards for digital or physical buttons. Communication technology standards have been rigorously documented and applied, yet button behaviour is seemingly left up to the whim of the designer.
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In this episode, Geoff Wilson and Guy Thompson ponder how grocery stores could be better designed for the customer, and whether that is in supermarkets’ best interests.
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In this episode, Geoff Wilson and Guy Thompson recount their inspiration for this podcast and how their career paths influnced this mutual curiosity for observational design. Plus, real life examples of what happens "when usability falls off a cliff".
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In this pilot episode of the Everyday Experiences Podcast, an overly-excited Geoff Wilson is joined by the eloquent Guy Thompson to dive into dive bars—exploring the design choices that influence bar patrons and tenders for better or worse. Hey barkeep, pour us another round!
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Dymo label maker with label scraps on the table alongside scissors and a tape measure. Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons
The wave pushed me and I pushed back, but alas, it was stronger. After years of fighting UX’s relegation to the realm of digital-only products, I’m finally accepting the changing tide.
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Two women sitting on a couch talking, one holding some paper, a pen, and pointing at the other woman’s iPad
At some point or another you'll be asked to review someone else's work, but there are some key differences between giving strategic level advice versus prescriptive design feedback. I recently came across a short article by Fabricio Teixeira on that specific topic, and the following key questions rang true in my head around what to consider when reviewing and providing feedback to any team…
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