welterweightUX

Had this dream last night where someone (stupidly?) booked me to give the keynote speech at a conference. I was confused about why I’d been asked and terrified of how I’d blunder though it.

A phony. That’s what I felt like.

Presentation day: The reality
Anyway, the presentation day came. I have no idea what I was talking about or what I said, but I did it. There was applause, but no real excitement.

I’m not a dream untangler, but I here’s what this one meant to me: You are not an expert.

Funny, because that’s what I tell myself (and others) all the time.

Look, this is what I do
I have definite insight to what users expect and need when using websites. Through user research, I’ve been able to get inside their minds. When I meet with stakeholders before involving users, I can distance myself from opinions or personal preferences and play the role user-hugging devil’s advocate awesomely.

This blog is not science
There are sites out there dedicated to the scientific, numbers-based analysis of user behavior and preferences. This is not one of them. I’m not a scientist.

And most of what I post on this blog is not based on any kind of scientific evidence. Rather, it’s cobbled from what I see users do out in the field. That’s what shapes my insight into user behavior.

Be a flip-flopper
The other day, I met with a Business Analyst who asked me a question about an element of a tool we’ve been working on for a few months. Apparently my response contradicted something I said in a previous iteration.

Context is crucial to good user experiences. There certain guidelines, sure, but in the real world, any principal can—or should—be swayed or dismantled by even the most minute refinement.

Only jerks are afraid to flip-flop. So never be afraid to alter your feedback if you’re confident it will help your user, given a change in context.

It’s the right thing to do.