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Subject:
From:
molly wright steenson <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
molly wright steenson <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 11 Oct 2001 09:55:32 -0500
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It also strikes me that there's a difference between usability and user
research. In trying to get people who aren't familiar with it into the
right mindset, I describe it as seeing the world from your user's shoes.
What goes on in their environment? What do they use to get their daily work
done? What problems do they encounter? Who are they? What do they need --
and what do they absolutely not need?

Market research aims to define demographics and groups. But user research
aims to get at an understanding -- that individuals interact with
experiences, or interfaces, or businesses (not just male, 18-34, white,
living on East Coast). It's great when you get your clients to have the
same kinds of "ah-ha" moments that we get when we do this -- sometimes
there are ways to include them in the process or present things in such a
way that it really hits them.

This isn't quite the same as usability testing -- though they're activities
on the same continuum. Once you know who your users are and what they're
like, you can test with them or people like them. (I'll leave it to other
people to talk about heuristics in this regard.)

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