Seeing the Elephant: Defragmenting User Research

Like everyone else who 1) has performed user research, and 2) is over age 40, I spent the requisite decade or two wandering a wilderness inhabited by misguided folks who assumed that, at best, users’ behaviors and opinions were but minor considerations in the design process.

So imagine my shock when, about five years ago, I found myself trolling (AKA “consulting”) down the corridors of a large Silicon Valley tech company. You most definitely know this company—in fact, you’ve likely complained bitterly about your experience with their products. Naturally, I expected to find precious little sensitivity there to users’ needs, much less any actual user research.

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