Techniques for getting the conversation right when you talk to your customers and users, for analyzing your data and modeling that data into personas. Anyone can do this!
The Excellence Book: 50 Ways To Be Your BestKevin Duncan
BE AS EXCELLENT AS YOU CAN BE
The book draws together 50 ingenious thoughts to improve your attitude, your approach to life and work, the questions you ask, the decisions you make, and even your timing.
Attitude, approach, timing, questions and decisions are all covered, with ten provocative thoughts in each area.
Lean in - Questions...move you toward what you want!Denise Reed
Rachael Herrscher discusses the power of asking the right questions in her TED talk. She is the CEO and founder of an online media company. The document provides tips on how to be a good question asker by considering different archetypes like a question advocate, doctor, lawyer, etc. It then describes a process called QuestionStorming which is an alternative to brainstorming that focuses on generating questions rather than statements to help solve problems in a more creative way. The document encourages picking one action step to apply a questioning tip.
This document provides tips for presenting effectively. It recommends knowing your audience, material, strengths/weaknesses, and space before presenting. When presenting slides, it advises not reading slides word for word, maintaining good posture, making eye contact, and speaking loudly and clearly. During the presentation, it suggests moving around calmly without acting nervous and speaking loudly and clearly so all can understand.
Don't solve the wrong problem rocketconf may 2016Ben Sauer
Zengenti and Clearleft recently partnered on a redesign, which began with user research that defined the trajectory of the whole project. In this talk you’ll learn about why user research should never be treated as a ’nice to have’, how the team did it, and how to get research to stick in peoples' minds.
By Neeharika Bhartiya, Head of Product and Co-Founder at Sonar.
Learn how to conduct product usability studies at lean startup organizations. Know prototyping techniques, how many user studies to run, which software to use, and which questions to ask through the studies. These user studies have significantly informed product at Sonar, and we hope they'll help you do the same!
This presentation discusses the importance of understanding people in order to succeed. It argues that companies sometimes fail despite having great ideas, processes, and people because they did not understand their own employees or clients. The key is to listen effectively to understand people's motivations, mindsets, and communication styles. Understanding who you are working with and for is essential. Various tools like DISC profiles can help with understanding people but should be evaluated critically. The overall message is that success requires listening to and understanding both internal colleagues and external customers.
A 40 minute quick introduction to using a few clean questions to elicit positive states for your teams, and reveal things that would amplify their effectiveness. Presented at Agile NYC 2018
All too often, we are advised to keep motivated in order to excel in our studies, but what does being motivated even mean? Why are we still struggling to find it, maintain it and identify its significance for our future careers? In this free one-hour webinar, join USQ research expert Dr Fein as he delves into the theory behind keeping motivated, and then discover how a USQ alumnus used it to pursue her dreams as a world record-breaking athlete and entrepreneur.
The Excellence Book: 50 Ways To Be Your BestKevin Duncan
BE AS EXCELLENT AS YOU CAN BE
The book draws together 50 ingenious thoughts to improve your attitude, your approach to life and work, the questions you ask, the decisions you make, and even your timing.
Attitude, approach, timing, questions and decisions are all covered, with ten provocative thoughts in each area.
Lean in - Questions...move you toward what you want!Denise Reed
Rachael Herrscher discusses the power of asking the right questions in her TED talk. She is the CEO and founder of an online media company. The document provides tips on how to be a good question asker by considering different archetypes like a question advocate, doctor, lawyer, etc. It then describes a process called QuestionStorming which is an alternative to brainstorming that focuses on generating questions rather than statements to help solve problems in a more creative way. The document encourages picking one action step to apply a questioning tip.
This document provides tips for presenting effectively. It recommends knowing your audience, material, strengths/weaknesses, and space before presenting. When presenting slides, it advises not reading slides word for word, maintaining good posture, making eye contact, and speaking loudly and clearly. During the presentation, it suggests moving around calmly without acting nervous and speaking loudly and clearly so all can understand.
Don't solve the wrong problem rocketconf may 2016Ben Sauer
Zengenti and Clearleft recently partnered on a redesign, which began with user research that defined the trajectory of the whole project. In this talk you’ll learn about why user research should never be treated as a ’nice to have’, how the team did it, and how to get research to stick in peoples' minds.
By Neeharika Bhartiya, Head of Product and Co-Founder at Sonar.
Learn how to conduct product usability studies at lean startup organizations. Know prototyping techniques, how many user studies to run, which software to use, and which questions to ask through the studies. These user studies have significantly informed product at Sonar, and we hope they'll help you do the same!
This presentation discusses the importance of understanding people in order to succeed. It argues that companies sometimes fail despite having great ideas, processes, and people because they did not understand their own employees or clients. The key is to listen effectively to understand people's motivations, mindsets, and communication styles. Understanding who you are working with and for is essential. Various tools like DISC profiles can help with understanding people but should be evaluated critically. The overall message is that success requires listening to and understanding both internal colleagues and external customers.
A 40 minute quick introduction to using a few clean questions to elicit positive states for your teams, and reveal things that would amplify their effectiveness. Presented at Agile NYC 2018
All too often, we are advised to keep motivated in order to excel in our studies, but what does being motivated even mean? Why are we still struggling to find it, maintain it and identify its significance for our future careers? In this free one-hour webinar, join USQ research expert Dr Fein as he delves into the theory behind keeping motivated, and then discover how a USQ alumnus used it to pursue her dreams as a world record-breaking athlete and entrepreneur.
The document discusses effective communication techniques. It recommends listening carefully, choosing words wisely by focusing on solutions rather than problems, and speaking in a clear, concise, and courteous manner. Non-verbal cues like eye contact, posture, and smiling also impact communication. Mastering these communication skills can help improve relationships at work and reduce mistakes.
This document outlines an introductory problem solving session, which will cover several topics: reviewing the module topics and expectations, completing paperwork, reviewing learning styles, and answering questions. The module will teach critical thinking and problem solving skills through activities and cover the six steps to problem solving. At the end, participants will receive a learner plan, certificate, and be asked to provide an evaluation. Follow-ups will occur at 3, 6, and 12 months.
The document provides guidance on identifying problems by asking clarifying questions, writing down the problem clearly, and building related skills through activities. Key steps include determining what is happening, where, how, when, and why to fully understand the problem before attempting to solve it. Practice activities are suggested to develop skills in organizing information, classifying data, and identifying patterns that aid problem identification.
Failure. It’s a taboo subject. When starting university, you may be overwhelmed with study support, extra assessment assistance and resources, as well as being provided with multiple opportunities to accept help from your lecturers. But what happens if you fail, or don’t do as well as you had hoped? What happens when you accept that failure without learning from it? In this free one-hour webinar, you’ll hear about why learning from different types of failure is important, how to positively reframe that failure for future success and how to incorporate strategies to cope with any study let downs you may experience in future.
The document provides guidance on conducting competency-based interviews. It discusses defining competencies for the role, using the EAR (Example, Action, Result) model in questioning, keeping the candidate talking, dealing with difficult people, and avoiding pitfalls. Competency-based interviews focus on real-life examples of the candidate's skills and experiences rather than hypothetical questions. The interviewer should ask open questions and actively listen to understand the candidate fully.
Talk by Sue Johnston and Declan Whelan at Agile & Beyond, Ypsilanti, MI, May 5, 2016
The stereotype of engineers and technical professionals as inarticulate, socially inept geniuses inventing problems to solve is not just unkind. It's inaccurate. (OK, maybe not the "genius" part.) Yet the Dilbert image persists. So do jokes like the one about the engineer sentenced to death on the guillotine, who watches the instrument of death malfunction, then tells the operators how to fix it. In this interactive session, we'll show a little empathy for engineers and other analytical folk whose neurological wiring makes them seem different from the rest of humanity. We'll also explore how those with the engineering mindset can consciously adopt behaviours that amplify their value to their teams and organizations - and make their lives easier by positioning themselves for understanding. The analytical mind is particularly valuable when we can turn it off and adopt the perspective of the person we're talking with. Technical professionals are excellent at finding solutions to problems. Unfortunately, searching for the perfect solution to the interesting problem we see can prevent us from seeing other problems that stand in the way of value for others. True collaboration and value creation invite us to see through the lenses of end users and sponsors and help them connect the dots. In this interactive presentation, you will discover: - how to make your ideas meaningful to others by taking their perspective - how shifting your language from "What?" to "So What?" helps people connect your dots - why giving up the need to be smart may be the smartest thing you ever do Join Declan, a professional engineer and developer, and Sue, a communication coach, in a lively discussion of what can happen when engineers and technical professionals shift their mindset from solving problems to creating impact.
5 tips for an effective presentation
Based on the best practices presentation about how to give the presentation could be used as well as for beginners to understand the foundation of presentation skills and also for experts to remind themselves this important tips.
The document describes various communication methods used for evaluation and planning, including mind maps, mood boards, style sheets, layout plans, brainstorming, informal pitches, group idea generation, formal pitches, initial reactions, sketches, and formal proposals. For each method, the document lists strengths, weaknesses, and whether the author liked using the method and why. Overall, the document evaluates different planning and creative techniques.
This document provides guidance for students on brainstorming and selecting ideas for a senior project. It emphasizes turning off inner criticism to boost creativity, collaborating with others, exploring interests and passions, and finding inspiration from other sources. Students are instructed to generate many ideas quickly through divergent thinking and then narrow their focus to the five most viable options by asking questions. The overall goal is for students to leave with genuine enthusiasm for several potential senior project topics.
Civic Design: User Research Methods for Creating Better Citizen Experiences
Building tech tools informed by input from real users is essential. Without feedback from the intended users, you’re making design and tech decisions in the dark. User testing can help! Learn how to carry out effective user testing to build better civic tools.
Cyd Harrell, UX Evanglist, Code for America
Kavi Harshawat, 2014 Code for America Fellow
Watch the video online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipjLBcBD21I&index=21&list=PL65XgbSILalVoej11T95Tc7D7-F1PdwHq
Get involved with Code for America: http://www.codeforamerica.org/action
This document discusses the importance and power of asking questions. It notes that children ask many questions from ages 4 but that questioning declines as they get older due to pressures from parents, teachers, bosses, and lack of time. It argues that focusing narrowly can prevent seeing other perspectives. The document advocates asking more and better questions to prevent disasters, gain clarity and shape the future. It provides examples of how assumptions can have painful consequences if wrong. Techniques like the "5 Whys" and "How Might We" questions are presented as ways to challenge existing ways of thinking and find new solutions. The overall message is that regularly questioning perceptions and seeking different perspectives can lead to better outcomes.
This document contains slides from a presentation by Sue Johnston on upgrading an organization's operating system from one of unilateral control to one of mutual learning. The presentation discusses two types of operating systems - a traditional rigid mindset focused on unilateral control and fixed assumptions, and a more agile growth mindset focused on mutual learning, transparency, and transforming assumptions. It provides examples of how each type of operating system shows up in values, assumptions, and behaviors. The presentation then offers suggestions for upgrading an organization's operating system, including reflecting on one's own behaviors and mindset, using useful questions to invite mutual learning with others, and making small changes that can start to shift the overall culture over time.
This document discusses the importance of listening and provides tips for becoming a better listener. It begins by stating that listening is important for building friendships. It then provides ways to show you are listening such as making eye contact and mirroring what the other person says. The document suggests practicing listening with emotions and provides prompts for reflection on listening skills. It concludes by acknowledging resources used to create the document.
1. Effective communication is a core skill for designers as they need to justify their design decisions to stakeholders.
2. The document outlines seven things to focus on when communicating design: understand the business goals; set the stage properly for meetings; be confident as the expert; be engaging with stakeholders; don't take questions as change requests but as understanding; guide the feedback loop to get useful input; and don't get defensive when receiving feedback.
3. By focusing on business goals, preparing thoroughly for meetings, and handling feedback professionally, designers can communicate their work successfully to gain approval.
1. The document provides guidance on how to plan and conduct effective and engaging meetings in 3 sentences or less. It discusses preparing an agenda, assigning roles, setting ground rules, and managing disruptive participants like dominators, complainers, slackers, mutes, and ramblers.
2. Meeting preparation tips include defining goals, selecting participants, choosing a format, distributing materials in advance, and ending with clear actions. During meetings, time should be managed, disturbances minimized and progress tracked.
3. Disruptive participants are managed through techniques like thanking dominators, asking complainers for solutions, setting expectations for slackers, encouraging mutes, and refocusing ramb
Collaborative Research The Conference by Media Evolution MalmöErika Hall
The document discusses collaborative research and user research methods. It provides an overview of stakeholder interviews, competitive analysis, usability testing, analyzing research findings, and creating models and reports. The key goals are to form good research questions, gather and analyze qualitative data, and create a shared understanding to inform decisions.
The document discusses effective communication techniques. It recommends listening carefully, choosing words wisely by focusing on solutions rather than problems, and speaking in a clear, concise, and courteous manner. Non-verbal cues like eye contact, posture, and smiling also impact communication. Mastering these communication skills can help improve relationships at work and reduce mistakes.
This document outlines an introductory problem solving session, which will cover several topics: reviewing the module topics and expectations, completing paperwork, reviewing learning styles, and answering questions. The module will teach critical thinking and problem solving skills through activities and cover the six steps to problem solving. At the end, participants will receive a learner plan, certificate, and be asked to provide an evaluation. Follow-ups will occur at 3, 6, and 12 months.
The document provides guidance on identifying problems by asking clarifying questions, writing down the problem clearly, and building related skills through activities. Key steps include determining what is happening, where, how, when, and why to fully understand the problem before attempting to solve it. Practice activities are suggested to develop skills in organizing information, classifying data, and identifying patterns that aid problem identification.
Failure. It’s a taboo subject. When starting university, you may be overwhelmed with study support, extra assessment assistance and resources, as well as being provided with multiple opportunities to accept help from your lecturers. But what happens if you fail, or don’t do as well as you had hoped? What happens when you accept that failure without learning from it? In this free one-hour webinar, you’ll hear about why learning from different types of failure is important, how to positively reframe that failure for future success and how to incorporate strategies to cope with any study let downs you may experience in future.
The document provides guidance on conducting competency-based interviews. It discusses defining competencies for the role, using the EAR (Example, Action, Result) model in questioning, keeping the candidate talking, dealing with difficult people, and avoiding pitfalls. Competency-based interviews focus on real-life examples of the candidate's skills and experiences rather than hypothetical questions. The interviewer should ask open questions and actively listen to understand the candidate fully.
Talk by Sue Johnston and Declan Whelan at Agile & Beyond, Ypsilanti, MI, May 5, 2016
The stereotype of engineers and technical professionals as inarticulate, socially inept geniuses inventing problems to solve is not just unkind. It's inaccurate. (OK, maybe not the "genius" part.) Yet the Dilbert image persists. So do jokes like the one about the engineer sentenced to death on the guillotine, who watches the instrument of death malfunction, then tells the operators how to fix it. In this interactive session, we'll show a little empathy for engineers and other analytical folk whose neurological wiring makes them seem different from the rest of humanity. We'll also explore how those with the engineering mindset can consciously adopt behaviours that amplify their value to their teams and organizations - and make their lives easier by positioning themselves for understanding. The analytical mind is particularly valuable when we can turn it off and adopt the perspective of the person we're talking with. Technical professionals are excellent at finding solutions to problems. Unfortunately, searching for the perfect solution to the interesting problem we see can prevent us from seeing other problems that stand in the way of value for others. True collaboration and value creation invite us to see through the lenses of end users and sponsors and help them connect the dots. In this interactive presentation, you will discover: - how to make your ideas meaningful to others by taking their perspective - how shifting your language from "What?" to "So What?" helps people connect your dots - why giving up the need to be smart may be the smartest thing you ever do Join Declan, a professional engineer and developer, and Sue, a communication coach, in a lively discussion of what can happen when engineers and technical professionals shift their mindset from solving problems to creating impact.
5 tips for an effective presentation
Based on the best practices presentation about how to give the presentation could be used as well as for beginners to understand the foundation of presentation skills and also for experts to remind themselves this important tips.
The document describes various communication methods used for evaluation and planning, including mind maps, mood boards, style sheets, layout plans, brainstorming, informal pitches, group idea generation, formal pitches, initial reactions, sketches, and formal proposals. For each method, the document lists strengths, weaknesses, and whether the author liked using the method and why. Overall, the document evaluates different planning and creative techniques.
This document provides guidance for students on brainstorming and selecting ideas for a senior project. It emphasizes turning off inner criticism to boost creativity, collaborating with others, exploring interests and passions, and finding inspiration from other sources. Students are instructed to generate many ideas quickly through divergent thinking and then narrow their focus to the five most viable options by asking questions. The overall goal is for students to leave with genuine enthusiasm for several potential senior project topics.
Civic Design: User Research Methods for Creating Better Citizen Experiences
Building tech tools informed by input from real users is essential. Without feedback from the intended users, you’re making design and tech decisions in the dark. User testing can help! Learn how to carry out effective user testing to build better civic tools.
Cyd Harrell, UX Evanglist, Code for America
Kavi Harshawat, 2014 Code for America Fellow
Watch the video online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipjLBcBD21I&index=21&list=PL65XgbSILalVoej11T95Tc7D7-F1PdwHq
Get involved with Code for America: http://www.codeforamerica.org/action
This document discusses the importance and power of asking questions. It notes that children ask many questions from ages 4 but that questioning declines as they get older due to pressures from parents, teachers, bosses, and lack of time. It argues that focusing narrowly can prevent seeing other perspectives. The document advocates asking more and better questions to prevent disasters, gain clarity and shape the future. It provides examples of how assumptions can have painful consequences if wrong. Techniques like the "5 Whys" and "How Might We" questions are presented as ways to challenge existing ways of thinking and find new solutions. The overall message is that regularly questioning perceptions and seeking different perspectives can lead to better outcomes.
This document contains slides from a presentation by Sue Johnston on upgrading an organization's operating system from one of unilateral control to one of mutual learning. The presentation discusses two types of operating systems - a traditional rigid mindset focused on unilateral control and fixed assumptions, and a more agile growth mindset focused on mutual learning, transparency, and transforming assumptions. It provides examples of how each type of operating system shows up in values, assumptions, and behaviors. The presentation then offers suggestions for upgrading an organization's operating system, including reflecting on one's own behaviors and mindset, using useful questions to invite mutual learning with others, and making small changes that can start to shift the overall culture over time.
This document discusses the importance of listening and provides tips for becoming a better listener. It begins by stating that listening is important for building friendships. It then provides ways to show you are listening such as making eye contact and mirroring what the other person says. The document suggests practicing listening with emotions and provides prompts for reflection on listening skills. It concludes by acknowledging resources used to create the document.
1. Effective communication is a core skill for designers as they need to justify their design decisions to stakeholders.
2. The document outlines seven things to focus on when communicating design: understand the business goals; set the stage properly for meetings; be confident as the expert; be engaging with stakeholders; don't take questions as change requests but as understanding; guide the feedback loop to get useful input; and don't get defensive when receiving feedback.
3. By focusing on business goals, preparing thoroughly for meetings, and handling feedback professionally, designers can communicate their work successfully to gain approval.
1. The document provides guidance on how to plan and conduct effective and engaging meetings in 3 sentences or less. It discusses preparing an agenda, assigning roles, setting ground rules, and managing disruptive participants like dominators, complainers, slackers, mutes, and ramblers.
2. Meeting preparation tips include defining goals, selecting participants, choosing a format, distributing materials in advance, and ending with clear actions. During meetings, time should be managed, disturbances minimized and progress tracked.
3. Disruptive participants are managed through techniques like thanking dominators, asking complainers for solutions, setting expectations for slackers, encouraging mutes, and refocusing ramb
Collaborative Research The Conference by Media Evolution MalmöErika Hall
The document discusses collaborative research and user research methods. It provides an overview of stakeholder interviews, competitive analysis, usability testing, analyzing research findings, and creating models and reports. The key goals are to form good research questions, gather and analyze qualitative data, and create a shared understanding to inform decisions.
The document discusses prototyping and provides guidance on conducting customer interviews to gather feedback on prototypes. It covers:
- The importance of prototyping to visually express, test, and iterate on ideas through the double diamond design process of research, synthesis, ideation, and implementation.
- Different types of prototypes including software, hardware, and data prototypes.
- Best practices for conducting customer interviews including putting customers at ease, asking open-ended questions, actively listening without assumptions, and using probing questions to gain deeper insights.
- The importance of thanking customers for their time and debriefing as a team to identify learnings.
Harvesting user insights revolve conf v09Darren Kall
An awareness talk about a low-invasive UX technique for non-scientists to participate in gathering user insights. Not a substitute for professional data gathering but a way to add first-hand experience for ANYONE on a product team. Everyone who plays a role in design decision making should have first hand direct observation of real people doing real tasks in the real world!
In a competitive job market, interviews are as much about enthusiasm and presentation as your applicable skills and relevant experience. You need to know what you want, how your experience applies, and how to present yourself in the best way possible. In this session, you will learn how hiring managers think, and how to impress them, as well as build your speaking and body language skills. We’ll also cover persuasive presentation – and what that entails – doing your research on the job and on the hiring manager, which questions to ask, how to practice your “story” in terms of many common questions interviewers ask, and effective ways to link your experiences directly to the opportunity at hand.
Design thinking is a problem solving process geared for ambiguous situations. There are four principles of design thinking: empathize, visualize, co-create and iterate. This presentation gives tips and techniques for empathizing includes how to interview and how to analyze research data.
Triagile Conference Workshop on Ubiquitous Coaching using Clean LanguageAndrea Chiou
How to use questions to find out more about resourceful states, desired outcomes, future events. How to give Clean Feedback. How to notice Metaphors. Where to look for more information
The document provides guidance on skills for active listening and effective user dialogue to better understand customer needs. It discusses removing distractions, using non-verbal and verbal indicators to show engagement, reflecting and clarifying to confirm understanding, and asking open-ended questions to uncover richer information. Effective dialogue involves establishing rapport, probing for relevant details through specific, unbiased questions, and keeping conversations going by asking follow-up questions within 10 seconds. Common barriers like discomfort are addressed, as well as tips for challenging situations.
The document provides guidance on practical design thinking and emphasizes the importance of understanding users through techniques like contextual inquiry, personas, affinity mapping, and interviews. It discusses how contextual inquiry involves observing users without interaction to understand their activities and context. Affinity mapping is analyzing qualitative and quantitative data to identify patterns and user segments. Personas are hypothetical user archetypes created from interview and research data to represent and empathize with different user groups. Tips are provided for each technique, like involving cross-functional teams, focusing inquiries, and making personas part of ongoing discussions to design with empathy.
Kent Sayre's Business Launching WorksheetKent Sayre
A guide to leverage your resources. Just go through the questionnaire and you will find out all ideas coming from your mind, producing all the needed resources you required in starting your own micro-business.
This document summarizes a presentation on collaborative research and user research. The presentation covers topics like understanding organizational stakeholders, conducting interviews and focus groups, analyzing user data, creating models and insights, and reporting research findings. It emphasizes that research should create a shared understanding, that asking questions is important but uncomfortable, and that clear goals and a collaborative approach are necessary for effective research. The presentation provides tips for different research activities and stresses selecting methods that answer key questions.
This document provides an overview of ethnography methodology for user experience research. It discusses how ethnography involves observing people in their natural environments to understand cultural practices and behaviors. The document outlines key aspects of ethnography including conducting longitudinal or cross-sectional studies, etiquette for researchers, learning observation techniques, developing empathy, and best practices for interviewing participants. Interactive activities are also presented to help researchers apply these ethnographic skills. The overall summary is that ethnography is a valuable research method for gaining insights into why and how customers use products within their environmental contexts.
This document provides an overview of ethnography methodology for user experience research. It discusses how ethnography involves observing people in their natural environments to understand cultural practices and beliefs. The document outlines different types of ethnographic studies, such as longitudinal and cross-sectional studies. It emphasizes that ethnography requires observing over time to identify patterns. The document also covers ethnography etiquette for researchers, such as being prepared and flexible, as well as how to design an effective ethnographic study through observation and interview techniques.
Conversations and person centred approaches Jon Ralphs
The document outlines the objectives and context of a two-day training on person-centered approaches and effective conversations. Over the two days, participants will learn about the importance of equality in interactions, what makes good conversations, using person-centered planning tools to support conversations, understanding outcomes and how to identify them, and using a person-centered approach in supporting children and families. The training will cover frameworks for effective conversations, changing service-focused language to be more person-centered, tools like good day/bad day and what's important to/for someone, and how to have outcome-focused conversations.
The document provides guidance on how to prepare for and face an interview. It discusses that an interview is a two-way process for the employer to evaluate the candidate and the candidate to evaluate the employer. Proper preparation and presentation are essential. Candidates should research the company, prepare for common questions, and practice good body language during the interview like maintaining eye contact. The interviewer will evaluate the candidate's attitude, appearance, personality, knowledge and suitability for the role. After the interview, candidates should follow up politely if not contacted within the specified timeframe. Overall preparation, a positive attitude and good communication skills are important to make a strong impression.
The document provides guidance on how to prepare for and face an interview. It discusses that an interview is a two-way process for the employer to evaluate the candidate and the candidate to evaluate the employer. Proper preparation and presentation are essential. Candidates should research the company, prepare for common questions, and practice good body language during the interview like maintaining eye contact. The interviewer will evaluate the candidate's attitude, appearance, personality, knowledge and suitability for the role. After the interview, candidates should follow up politely if not contacted within the specified timeframe. Overall preparation, a positive attitude and good communication skills are important to make a strong impression.
The document provides guidance on how to prepare for and face an interview. It discusses that an interview is a two-way process for the employer to evaluate the candidate and the candidate to evaluate the employer. Proper preparation and presentation are essential. Candidates should research the company, prepare for common questions, and practice good body language during the interview like maintaining eye contact. The interviewer will evaluate the candidate's attitude, appearance, personality, knowledge and suitability for the role. After the interview, candidates should follow up politely if not contacted within the specified timeframe. Overall preparation, a positive attitude and good communication skills are important to make a strong impression.
You are the best user researcher ever Talisa Chang
On the ground tips and tricks for teams new to conducting user interviews, including: formulating useful questions, how to clarify and probe, and getting to your burning questions (without leading).
Discovering the Best Indian Architects A Spotlight on Design Forum Internatio...Designforuminternational
India’s architectural landscape is a vibrant tapestry that weaves together the country's rich cultural heritage and its modern aspirations. From majestic historical structures to cutting-edge contemporary designs, the work of Indian architects is celebrated worldwide. Among the many firms shaping this dynamic field, Design Forum International stands out as a leader in innovative and sustainable architecture. This blog explores some of the best Indian architects, highlighting their contributions and showcasing the most famous architects in India.
Explore the essential graphic design tools and software that can elevate your creative projects. Discover industry favorites and innovative solutions for stunning design results.
6. 6
Our friends at GE Healthcare are conducting a revolution.
They asked: “Healthcare can be among the most
emotional experiences any of us can encounter…
So why is it that the equipment & environments we
encounter in healthcare are devoid of emotion?”
Interviews
8. 8
Getting Started
Whom do you interview?
• The people who will really use your product:
Think about:
• Gender
• Age
• ???
Activity: Imagine a mobile product we could provide or digital
product you’ve always wanted to pursue.
• Write a sentence describing what it is and what it does
• Develop a profile of the people who will use your product -- 5
mins
10. 10
Getting Started
Avoiding the traps:
Biased Questions We’ve done everything to create an innovative experience. What are
your thoughts on this innovative experience?
Loaded Questions Have you stopped eating fatty foods?
Lengthy or
Confusing
Questions
Do you believe that the parking situation is problematic or difficult
because of the lack of spaces and the walking distances or do you
believe that the parking situation is ok?
Assumptions What do you like about this system?
Jargon,
Acronyms, etc.
How often do you use the BYZ?
Double Negatives Do you agree that you are not able to complete this task most of the
time?
Double Questions How useful is feature x and how is it better than feature y?
11. 11
Getting Started:
Write your script; follow it loosely
• What will you study?
• Who will you interview or observe?
What do you want to learn?
• What will help you understand what
to do?
15. 15
Interview Tips & Tricks
What?
Use Empathy to hear:
• No judgment, no assumptions
• Listen, then echo what you heard
16. 16
Interview Tips & Tricks
Silence!
Use silence (5 to 10 seconds) to gather more
data:
• If they say “I don’t know”
• At the end of an answer
• Echo!
• Repeat what they just said in your words,
for confirmation “What I hear you saying,”
17. 17
Interview Tips & Tricks
Speak their language, not yours
No Jargon
Never correct!
Do you know the language and culture?
• If not, find out or bring someone with
you.
18. 18
Interview Tips & Tricks
Go with the Flow
Keep the conversation flowing smoothly.
• Use a transition (Let’s talk about this
now...)
19. 19
Interview Tips & Tricks
Be a Pro
Taking Notes
• What’s the attitude?
• What amazing/interesting thing
did they say?
• How did their actions work together with
what they said – or not?
• Be present; observe well.
• Don’t go alone
20. 20
Interview Tips & Tricks
Ethical Considerations – you have
them.
• Tell them what you are doing and why
• What you will do with the data
• How their privacy will be maintained (and
mean it!)
21. 21
Interview Tips & Tricks
Ethical Considerations – you have
them.
• Tell them what you are doing and why
• What you will do with the data
• How their privacy will be maintained (and
mean it!)
23. 23
Done? Now What?
What do you do with all of that information?
1. Make notes
2. Sort them into logical groupings
3. Resort them into another grouping
4. Look for patterns
5. Roll up those patterns into personas with stories
25. 25
Personas
What cereal do you -- or someone you know -- eat? Blue
Why do you or they eat it? Green
When do you or they eat it? Purple
Where do you or they eat it? Yellow
27. 27
Resources:
Steve Portigal: Interviewing Users
Russ Unger, Dan Willis and Brad Nunnally,
Designing the Conversation
Kevin Brooks and Whitney Quesenbery,
Storytelling for User Experience
Experience designers use a wide variety of techniques to represent the interactions between individuals, organizations, and systems.
It all starts with research. There are two broad categories of research, and there are a limitless number of ideas you can use to conduct the research.
Generative research helps you learn new things about your users: it creates new data and helps you think in new ways.
Personas are the go-to tool to aggregate a target audience’s traits, intentions, needs, and behaviors; however, they often leave out one of the most critical elements of interaction design: time. As rich as these snapshots may be, people’s needs and even their traits may change over time, and personas start to burst at the seams when it comes to illustrating a full story of engagement.
Today, we’re going to focus on personas and next month’s TIG will get into Experience Mapping also called Journey Modeling.
Examples include observation research (The $1 million words: ethnography or contextual inquiry – just a fancy word for observation and detailed note taking) Think about Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey: they immersed herself studying primates and kept diligent notes…the principle is the same..
Jane Goodall Chimpanzees and Dian Fossey Gorillas
Examples include observation research (The $1 million words: ethnography or contextual inquiry – just a fancy word for observation and detailed note taking) Think about Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey: they immersed herself studying primates and kept diligent notes…the principle is the same..
Jane Goodall Chimpanzees and Dian Fossey Gorillas
What happens when you intersect science and empathy? You get magic, like this reimagining of the CT scanner. This is a look from a child’s point of view. Let’s be honest: medicine is scary, sterile, and hard on the patient. Why does it have to be that way? Look at this scanner from the child’s point of view. What’s next? An happy child who needs medication or intervention to get a proper scan. What if…you just tell them “Lay very still on the yellow submarine?” Ringo Starr would approve!
What is the difference between interviewing and observing?
What is the difference between interviewing and observing?
What is the difference between interviewing and observing?
What is the difference between interviewing and observing?
A Persona is a short biography of a fictional person - a fictional person based on research of real people.
The Persona is a user of your product. Personas are not vague, demographical descriptions; they are
descriptions of individuals that represent real people.
The purpose of a Persona is to know for whom to design. When you design a product, you want to meet the needs of your target users.
In order to do this you need to understand who they are and what their expectations are; you need to be able to anticipate their reactions to your design.
No product can be designed to meet the needs of everyone. A design that matches your target users and their needs is much more likely to be used and to be seen as a
success than one that just includes all the features on a list.
Personas are models of the patterns you see in the data. There are lots of techniques for looking at the data. Steve Portigal, a well know researcher, recommends that you sort your notes at least twice by two different dimensions. Now, look at the dimensions you’ve chosen. Chance are you’ll see goals, motivations and behaviors that fall into certain patterns. You’re ready to generate a persona.
Personas were an empathy tool developed to help make sure your product is on target. They usually have a few things in common:
Characteristics
NeedsGoals & Motivations
behaviors
Context (environment)
When you make your personas, you use them throughout your product’s lifecycle. Ask what would your user do at each step.
You can (as a team is ideal) walk your way through their whole journey in relationship to your product. You can tell stories or scenarios and create Agile user stories that reflect the true needs of the customer. You can use the personas to gut check your products: That’s called a cognitive walkthrough. As Health-Conscious Harriet, I want to buy the freshest apples….
With personas in hand you can model their way through a whole experience, leaving no stoned unturned. We will be conducting a workshop on this in the future.
Ok now let’s generate some “assumption” personas…these are based on what we think we already know. I’d like you to each take a set of stickies and sharpies and write down three things you know about people who eat cereal. Place them up here…
They are goal directed not task directed…that helps the designer think about things they might not see focusing on the task alone.
Personas are models of the patterns you see in the data. There are lots of techniques for looking at the data. Steve Portigal, a well know researcher, recommends that you sort your notes at least twice by two different dimensions. Now, look at the dimensions you’ve chosen. Chance are you’ll see goals, motivations and behaviors that fall into certain patterns. You’re ready to generate a persona.
Personas were an empathy tool developed to help make sure your product is on target. They usually have a few things in common:
Characteristics
NeedsGoals & Motivations
behaviors
Context (environment)
When you make your personas, you use them throughout your product’s lifecycle. Ask what would your user do at each step.
You can (as a team is ideal) walk your way through their whole journey in relationship to your product. You can tell stories or scenarios and create Agile user stories that reflect the true needs of the customer. You can use the personas to gut check your products: That’s called a cognitive walkthrough. As Health-Conscious Harriet, I want to buy the freshest apples….
With personas in hand you can model their way through a whole experience, leaving no stoned unturned. We will be conducting a workshop on this in the future.
Ok now let’s generate some “assumption” personas…these are based on what we think we already know. I’d like you to each take a set of stickies and sharpies and write down three things you know about people who eat cereal. Place them up here…
They are goal directed not task directed…that helps the designer think about things they might not see focusing on the task alone.
Personas are used for communication. The User Experience people use them to convey the results of their user research and also to guide their design decisions.
Business Analysts use them to understand their users and to guide their use case creation and other activities. Developers use them to keep in mind for whom they’re
building the product. Personas give the entire team a shared understanding and common way to refer to the target users of their product. QA people write scripts using personas – it helps them recognize the various steps they need to verify along the way.
1. Conduct user research via contextual interviews, surveys, etc.
2. Group users based on similarity and segment them on the various dimensions of
importance and concern to the project.
3. Create a persona from each segment.