by Luke | Sep 27, 2002 | Articles
Why it matters: If you want the users to understand the product, you must first understand the user Understanding about the users and their needs is central to any successful product In the effort of pleasing all your users you might have pleased none “Build it, they...
by Karen | Sep 13, 2002 | Articles
Why it matters: Personas are currently receiving a lot of attention; is the attention warranted? How can contextual data be used to create personas? How would personas fit with the Contextual Design process? Recently I participated in a conference panel discussing and...
by Luke | Aug 21, 2002 | Articles
Why it matters: A well-designed document invites your readers into your text. A poorly designed document pushes your audience away. Your readers are time-challenged. You can’t manage their schedule, but you can help them get your message quickly. Good layout can...
by Hugh | Aug 3, 2002 | Articles
Why it matters: Customer data will continue to drive design ideas long after the original project is completed. Building a full set of customer work models is an investment. You want to make it pay. You want to use your resources wisely. Don’t get data before...
by Shelley | Jul 19, 2002 | Articles
Why it matters: Facts are not the data that matters for design Interpreting facts with the customer during the interview reveals design needs Using a chain of reasoning with the customer brings you to a shared understanding of what the facts mean Offering a hypothesis...
by Hugh | Jun 7, 2002 | Articles
Why it matters: The work of Contextual Design is done by a team To be successful, team members must be in ongoing touch with customer data and have a shared understanding More and more companies are using distributed teams that can’t meet face-to-face We need...
by Luke | May 24, 2002 | Articles
Why it matters: The only way to understand the work you are supporting is to see it Learning to interview like an anthropologist leads to better customer data and better designs Looking at work artifacts like an archaeologist reveals important work practices By now,...
by Karen | May 13, 2002 | Articles
Why it matters: Meetings are suffering from an image problem You don’t want to waste valuable time with unproductive meetings You do want to lead productive meetings that yield real results When meeting invitations arrive, do you and your co-workers immediately...
by Hugh | Apr 12, 2002 | Articles
Why it matters: Learn how to recognize when a meeting is going off track and what to do about it Learn to set up your meetings for success Agree on ground rules in advance so participants let you control the meeting “What conversation are we in?” This is a...
by Luke | Mar 29, 2002 | Articles
Why it matters: Reinforce the website message with branding elements, graphics, and links Make scanning for key information easy Users goals are the primary focus Simply Stated Starting with the home page — get to the point It’s that simple. If there’s a...
