Customer Data: It’s not just for designers anymore… Why it matters: User data can improve every dimension of a vendor’s relationship with its customers Software solutions that disregard user work practice are destined to become “shelfware” The lack of a common language for business software designers results in poor knowledge distribution In Part 1 of [...]

Why it matters: Doing a reverse User Environment Design on an existing application before re-design reveals design and usability problems Going to a smaller display is an opportunity to improve an application’s usability A smart team takes advantage of paper prototypes and design rooms to communicate and “sell” their work to organizational stakeholders, and even [...]

Melding “Their” Work Style with “ours” Why it matters: Successful designs are a team effort More and more teams are cross-functional, cross-company, and even across multiple companies—each of which may have its own culture When different cultures come together we need ways to actively prevent possible collisions and get the best of all world I [...]

Part 1 of 2 Why it matters: The current economy has CIOs sharply focused on real ROI from business software investments Enterprise software vendors can no longer rely on software design practices that keep users in the periphery Using so-called best practices, domain experts, and requirements that don’t come from actual end user work practice [...]

Why it matters: Knowing the type of project you have (tactical or strategic) drives your focus setting decisions Once your focus is set, you need the right role mix and organization mix to collect the appropriate amount of customer data There are guidelines you can follow to help you make good decisions about who and [...]

Why it matters: To create a successful design, teams need to balance between analytical thinking and creativity Making the shift from analysis to creativity can be hard There are some ways you can use to quickly engage your creativity when you need it The success of a design project relies on a team’s creativity and [...]

Challenges and Solutions from Real World Experience Why it matters: Advocates of customer-centered design often come face-to-face with resistance from their company and co-workers when they try to introduce it into the organization There are strategies and tactics that work to shift organizations toward customer-centered design Recognizing what works—and that it takes time to shift [...]

Why it matters: Paper prototyping can help you work out the problems in any design, no matter how large or small Paper prototyping can help integrate process design with design of a tool or machine It’s always fun to push the limits of a process and see what it can do. Paper prototyping is our [...]

Why it matters: Without explicit focus setting before the project starts, your success is already at risk Everyone associated with a project needs to understand what the expectations are for the project, what is within the scope of the project, and what is outside the scope Carefully choosing which roles to interview and at which [...]

For Real Feedback on Multimedia Elements Why it matters: Rough paper prototypes are the most effective way to test a proposed design with users Paper prototype interviews allow you to have a co-design experience with the user When your design contains video or other media, standard paper prototyping methods need to be extended to create [...]

Why it matters: It’s easy to focus on the technology, but cool technology can seduce us into thinking we have a product people want Successful products come from a deep understanding of the customers’ work practice Successful products support and extend customers’ work practice “It’s deja vu all over again”1 Latest Attempt at Video Phone [...]

Points to consider : Teams are trying to employ use cases to define the design, but that’s exactly the opposite of how they should be used Teams who care about customer needs are looking for ways to reconcile customer-centered design with the requirements of corporate-mandated development methodologies Contextual Design has the components you need to [...]

Why it matters: If you want the users to understand the product, you must first understand the user Understanding about the users and their needs is central to any successful product In the effort of pleasing all your users you might have pleased none “Build it, they may or may not come. But if they [...]

Why it matters: A well-designed document invites your readers into your text. A poorly designed document pushes your audience away. Your readers are time-challenged. You can’t manage their schedule, but you can help them get your message quickly. Good layout can improve the accessibility of your writing; poor layout can hinder it. From time to [...]

Why it matters: Customer data will continue to drive design ideas long after the original project is completed. Building a full set of customer work models is an investment. You want to make it pay. You want to use your resources wisely. Don’t get data before you need it-but don’t get blindsided by changes in [...]

Why it matters: Facts are not the data that matters for design Interpreting facts with the customer during the interview reveals design needs Using a chain of reasoning with the customer brings you to a shared understanding of what the facts mean Offering a hypothesis is more effective than asking open-ended questions You’ve made the [...]

Why it matters: The work of Contextual Design is done by a team To be successful, team members must be in ongoing touch with customer data and have a shared understanding More and more companies are using distributed teams that can’t meet face-to-face We need techniques for making the Contextual Design work in those environments [...]

Why it matters: The only way to understand the work you are supporting is to see it Learning to interview like an anthropologist leads to better customer data and better designs Looking at work artifacts like an archaeologist reveals important work practices By now, I’m used to the question, “How did your background lead you [...]

Why it matters: Learn how to recognize when a meeting is going off track and what to do about it Learn to set up your meetings for success Agree on ground rules in advance so participants let you control the meeting “What conversation are we in?” This is a question you’ll hear frequently in a [...]

Why it matters: Reinforce the website message with branding elements, graphics, and links Make scanning for key information easy Users goals are the primary focus Simply Stated Starting with the home page — get to the point It’s that simple. If there’s a need to explain what your website is about with text, write a [...]

Why it matters: Complementary members bring divergent ideas Conflicting pairings can derail teamwork You want to spark creativity, not ignite a conflagration A team can only be as good as the combined skills of its members. So what qualities combine to create a crackerjack team? And how can you deal with each other’s differences? Design [...]

Why it matters: So your audience will want to read your documents. A well-written document is a pleasure to read. A badly written document will drive readers away. So your stakeholders can understand your project. They need to know what’s going on and you want them to know the project is a success. So your [...]

Social Scientists Can Bring More Than Expertise in Studying People Why it matters: The role of user researcher has existed informally for years The field is growing as more companies are focusing on user-centered designs User researchers bring unique value beyond front-end data collection and modeling Designers bring unique value to user research An old [...]

Why it matters: When management doesn’t think there’s time for contextual design When your co-workers are afraid it will add more work When you know that customer data will make your design better Sometimes life is beautiful. Managers smile on your requests. Co-workers are eager to adopt your suggestions. Product managers love the idea of [...]