Just Enough Research / Erika Hall - UX Salon 2016

Summary

The speaker humorously explores the pitfalls of being overly confident in one's own correctness and argues for the power of questioning over knowing. They emphasize the importance of research in design, challenging the common excuses for avoiding it. By understanding organizational dynamics, user behavior, and the competitive landscape, designers can make better-informed decisions and create more successful products. The talk advocates for a continuous research process, where being open to being proven wrong is the best attitude for innovation.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker emphasizes the importance of asking questions over knowing the answers, as questions can be applied repeatedly while answers have a short shelf life.
• 🌟 The speaker shares a personal journey from being obsessed with being right to valuing the process of questioning and learning.
• 🔍 The talk highlights the significance of research in design, arguing that it helps to bridge the gap between assumptions and reality, reducing risks.
• 🛠️ Design is described as a series of decisions, and research plays a crucial role in making those decisions more informed and effective.
• 📚 The speaker debunks the misconception that research is only for understanding users, stressing the importance of also understanding the organization and the real-world context.
• 🤔 The talk suggests that people often resist research because they want to be right and fear being proven wrong, which is counterproductive in the design process.
• 📈 The speaker argues against common but ineffective research methods like focus groups and emphasizes the value of one-on-one interviews and observing real behavior.
• 💡 Good research questions are specific, actionable, and practical, and they should be clear about what is needed to answer them and what resources are available.
• 👥 Understanding the organization's goals, capabilities, and politics is as important as understanding user needs and behaviors.
• 🔗 The talk connects the dots between research, design decisions, and the creation of better products, emphasizing that research should be continuous and integral to the design process.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the speaker's talk?

The main theme of the speaker's talk is the importance of asking questions and conducting research in design and development to avoid assumptions and create better products.

Why does the speaker emphasize the love for being right?

The speaker emphasizes the love for being right to highlight how this desire can lead to negative traits such as being a poor listener and increasing the chances of being wrong, which is a pitfall to avoid in design and research.

What is the connection between studying philosophy and the speaker's tendency to be right?

Studying philosophy provided the speaker with the skills to construct airtight arguments, which weaponized their tendency to be right but also led to negative outcomes like being a terrible listener.

How does the speaker suggest closing the gap between assumptions and reality in design?

The speaker suggests closing the gap by gathering more information through research to make decisions more informed and reduce the risk of failure in design.

What is the significance of asking questions in the design process according to the speaker?

According to the speaker, asking questions is significant in the design process because a good question can be used repeatedly to guide decisions, unlike an answer that has a short shelf life.

Why does the speaker argue that having a degree in Latin that says 'how right you are' is not enough?

The speaker argues that having such a degree is not enough because it does not prevent one from being wrong or from making poor decisions without proper research and understanding of the real world and user needs.

What are some examples of bad products mentioned by the speaker despite good design principles being known?

The speaker mentions iTunes by Apple and Google's failed products like Glass and Wave as examples of bad products despite the companies being known for good design.

What does the speaker mean when they say 'people are a giant pain in the ass' in the context of design?

The speaker means that people, including those designing and those for whom they are designing, often rely on assumptions and habits rather than questioning and researching, leading to poor design decisions.

What is the simple process the speaker outlines for conducting research in design?

The simple process outlined for conducting research is: figure out your questions, gather data, and analyze the data to inform better design decisions.

Why is organizational research important according to the speaker?

Organizational research is important to understand requirements, politics, workflow, capabilities, and ethical considerations within the organization, which can greatly impact the success of a product.

What is the key to effective user research according to the speaker?

The key to effective user research is to understand how people actually behave, not what they say they will do or like, by conducting activities such as ethnography and individual interviews.