

Steps to Getting Users’ Insights while Avoiding a Bruised Ego - Baustin
http://blog.smartbear.com/development/a-developer-and-a-user-walk-into-a-bar-5-steps-to-getting-users-insights-while-avoiding-a-bruised-ego/

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sbarre
I've long used the quote "end users don't know what they want until they _don
't_ see it in the final product". I don't remember where I picked that one up,
but it's been proven true time and time again.

This is why you can discover, design and wireframe something until you're blue
in the face, but nothing compares to putting something functional in front of
your users.

Even if it's just something as basic as clickable wireframes (something
Balsamiq Mockups does pretty well), or a super basic first pass HTML (for web
apps), you will get much better feedback from your potential users.

Sometimes developers and designers forget the huge amount of domain-specific
knowledge and skill that their opinions and insights are built on top of, and
that the end user doesn't have this.

~~~
protonfish
I think its more common that developers forget the huge amount of domain-
specific knowledge the users have - not about development but about the
problem the software is trying to solve. Always focus user research on what
the end user is trying to accomplish. Then design the simplest way to solve
their problem and present it to them in some kind of prototype/mock/wireframe.
Ask them to walk through it mentally with common situations, then ask them to
evaluated it in their less common scenarios. Then finally you can ask if they
have any suggestions. Take this new information back and repeat.

Designing an interface is not a technical problem like configuring a server -
it is about communication.

------
chiph
I think the idea of having the users compare/contrast two sketches is useful.
As you said, they have trouble telling you what they want, but have no problem
telling you what they don't want. Especially if they're visual thinkers.

ob.: A Developer and a User walk into a Bar. User says "Why aren't you done
yet? Those screens look fine to me." The Developer replies "Fuck you, I'm
fully vested."

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Adrock
I don't usually do this, but the timing is just so perfectly aligned with
today's SMBC:

[http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=3188#comic](http://www.smbc-
comics.com/?id=3188#comic)

------
lignuist
I was expecting a list of developer jokes.

~~~
Baustin
Sorry about that. If you're looking for a laugh, I actually do have a few
developer/QA comics that I published to the same blog a while ago:

[http://blog.smartbear.com/cartoons/so-i-heard-you-guys-
like-...](http://blog.smartbear.com/cartoons/so-i-heard-you-guys-like-
software-comics/)

[http://blog.smartbear.com/mobile/5-software-cartoons-to-
get-...](http://blog.smartbear.com/mobile/5-software-cartoons-to-get-you-
through-friday/)

