AI-native software development lifecycles reduce UX to AI context. UX must discover user needs, shape what’s built, and evaluate it before and after launch.
Dogfooding, or using your own products internally, helps catch bugs, but it can't replace user research: your team knows too much to represent real users.
A digital twin is a genAI-based model of a particular individual that can be used to predict both individual and population-level preferences and behaviors.
Mobile-first web designs cause significant usability issues when viewed on desktop. Content becomes overly dispersed across long scrolling pages with expansive white space and enlarged images and fonts, making it difficult for users to consume and understand the information.
Confounding variables interfere with quantitative studies, leading to inaccurate results. Avoid introducing such variables by randomizing your study’s conditions and keeping your research questions focused.
Two new user behaviors are prevalent in interactions with text-based AI chatbots. User research shows the iterative and often complex ways users engage with AI tools for productivity.
Individuals often modify their behavior if they know they are being observed. That phenomenon became known as the Hawthorne effect or the observer bias. We can mitigate this effect by building rapport, designing natural tasks, and spending more time with study participants.
Use word of mouth to recruit research participants who rely on screen readers. Conduct the study in person to help participants feel comfortable, and plan to record the screen-reader output.
Delight can be experienced viscerally, behaviorally, and reflectively. A great design is supported by all three of these pillars and is best evaluated with specific research methods.
Well-designed questions related to age, gender, race, income and other demographic characteristics help UX researchers screen participants, recruit a diverse participant pool, and segment data. These questions are sensitive and should put research participants at ease.
Better designs should never come at the cost of another person’s wellbeing. Informed consent is a fundamental part of an ethical research program, which respects participants and protects them from harm.
Democratization of user research makes it possible for anyone to study users. Assessment, training, coaching, and helpful resources set people and teams up to succeed.