Putting the “User” in UX

To create digital products that truly serve the user, you have to verify assumptions about what those users want. Julie Young serves up easy ways to incorporate first-person user research.

Transcript

1. Julie Young
   Putting the 

   “User” in UX
   

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2. Let me
   introduce
   myself…
   

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3. Image By Kt38138 - File:BlackBerry 8820, BlackBerry Bold 9900 and BlackBerry Classic.jpg, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46704628
   

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4. Image: https://netherregioniii.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/maxine-bright-side.jpg?w=300
   

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5. Is user research
   missing from
   your practice?
   

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6. Today we’ll talk about: 

   

   How to add user research at
   your organization.
   How to find participants.
   

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7. What is user research?
   Talking to real-life users of
   your product or service.
   

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8. Start with
   information
   you already
   have
   

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9. Talk to
   stakeholders
   

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10. User interviews
    and observations
    

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12. The goal of user research is…
    to not only understand the
    user better, but share that
    understanding with your
    project team.
    

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13. Smarter
    solutions
    

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14. Evidence-
    based rationale
    for decisions
    

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15. Create demand
    for more
    research
    

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16. Let’s talk about…
    why you haven’t been doing
    user research.
    

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17. It’s expensive.
    

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18. It’s time-
    consuming.
    

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19. It’s difficult.
    

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20. You’ve been
    getting by
    without it.
    

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21. Someone else
    does it. (YAY!)
    

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22. So, how can you make user
    research happen at your
    organization?
    

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23. Stop asking for
    permission.
    

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24. Start small. Be
    scrappy.
    

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25. Say to your client:
    “We always talk to users as
    part of our process…”
    

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26. Say to your project manager:
    “I’m doing some user research.
    I’m allocating this many hours
    of my UX budget to it, and will
    be done by this date. Is that
    timeline okay with you?”
    

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27. Deliver.
    

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28. The hard part:
    Finding people to talk to.
    

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29. Start by asking
    your client or
    stakeholder.
    

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35. When your
    user is a typical
    consumer.
    What to do…
    

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36. By Raysonho @ Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine - Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29977188
    

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41. When your
    user is
    specialized.
    What to do…
    

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46. When it’s a
    sensitive
    subject.
    What to do…
    

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48. If you have $$
    to burn.
    What to do…
    

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52. Informed Consent:
    Tell the user why you’re talking
    to them, how you’re using their
    information, and get their
    consent. ALWAYS.
    

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53. Let’s thank our participants
    with incentives.
    

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54. Consumer: $1
    per minute.
    

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55. Specialized 

    or sensitive:
    $50-100, 

    but depends.
    

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56. Captives or
    fans? Discounts
    and swag.
    

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57. No budget? Be
    thankful and
    respectful.
    

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58. A big idea:
    Let’s all help each other.
    

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59. Stay tuned 

    for Q&A
    Putting the “User” in UX Julie Young
    

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