It's that time again - and no, I don't mean Peanut Butter Jelly Time. It's New Year's Resolution time! We know it's already the middle of January and many of you have probably already broken your resolutions. You've started eating sweets again or smoking again or binge-watching Mad Men again...Well, we're here to help you get back on track!
Read MoreBeing a user experience design and research shop means that sometimes we do one without the other. Sometimes we're just designing; sometimes we're just researching.
Read MoreHere at Design For Use, we take our TV seriously. Whether we’re binge-watching White Collar on Netflix or eagerly awaiting Mad Men every Sunday in the spring at its regularly scheduled time slot, we can’t get enough.
Read MoreWe've heard - and experienced - a lot of discussion about the technology hurdles of remote testing: picking the best testing tool, getting participants to download screensharing tools, dealing with proprietary software that participants don't have access to...Tech issues run the gamut.
But we hear considerably less about the interpersonal challenges of running a remote usability session. It’s not just about finding the right tool or getting your participant to download Webex; it’s about maintaining your participant’s motivation and engagement by showing (gasp!) empathy and compassion during a remote session.
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They say there's more than one way to skin a cat - and that's true of UX research as much as anything else. Especially if the "cat" is everything you need to know in order to design a uniquely user-centered experience.
Read MoreSurveys have been an indispensable research tool since the dawn of time – literally! The first known census was conducted sometime around 3800 BCE in Babylon, and as you know, the census is still around today, even though the questions have changed a bit – from "What's your household livestock count?" to "What's your household income?"
Read MoreEven on its best day, user testing can present a whole host of obstacles and hurdles. Moderators and observers have to be prepared for anything—from a faulty Internet connection to a participant who doesn’t know how to scroll.
And that’s just when we have as much control as possible over the test—the participants, the lab setting, the protocol structure, and all the other components that go into a successful user test.
Now imagine testing harried doctors and nurses in a frantic, fast-paced hospital. The hurdles skyrocket.
Here are some tips we’ve gathered from our experience testing medical professionals to ensure that you get the most valuable and relevant feedback possible.
Read MoreEarly last week, we had the opportunity to attend the third annual Healthcare Experience Design conference (HxD) in Boston, presented by experience design firm Mad*Pow. A merging of the healthcare and design industries, this conference showcases the importance of making patient care and patient management more efficient and effective through great design solutions, from education to games to social networking.
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