Actions speak louder than words. Observation trumps inquiry. Reality defies expectation. Abandon the treacherous world of self-reporting bias and unlock true user desires through behavioral observation. Think users know what they want? Ha!
When I first came into ux in the 1990s, UseIt was my go-to ux information and techniques (as well as Kim Goodwin's Designing for the Digital Age).
When UX became the "hot new thing," it was of course co-opted by marketing agencies who swiped personas and journey maps, turning them into other things that had nothing to do with observational research and testing.
This is unfortunate and has made it even harder to implement solid UX practises at an enterprise level. After all it is easier to introduce a new idea than to correct a wrong one.
I have found that field studies and jobs to be done task mapping are the most effective and inexpensive ways to get the most information, but without direct observation it's just more theorizing.
Once again, Jakob nails it.
When I first came into ux in the 1990s, UseIt was my go-to ux information and techniques (as well as Kim Goodwin's Designing for the Digital Age).
When UX became the "hot new thing," it was of course co-opted by marketing agencies who swiped personas and journey maps, turning them into other things that had nothing to do with observational research and testing.
This is unfortunate and has made it even harder to implement solid UX practises at an enterprise level. After all it is easier to introduce a new idea than to correct a wrong one.
I have found that field studies and jobs to be done task mapping are the most effective and inexpensive ways to get the most information, but without direct observation it's just more theorizing.