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I once was in a project-scoping meeting for a client who wanted to create next generation banking products and services. Since these were new ideas, they assumed that the customers didn’t exist yet. We were considering conducting contextual inquiries, and a colleague said, “You can’t research someone who doesn’t exist yet.”

Before beginning a user research study or usability test, one of the most important things you can do is to run a pilot test. What’s a pilot test?

You may have heard that to design a good user experience you first need to understand the users and their needs, but what exactly do you need to know? It comes down to five W and one H question – Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

Which is a better method of analyzing user research and usability testing data, typing up your notes in a spreadsheet or creating an affinity diagram?

As a user experience professional, I often take it for granted that everyone knows the difference between user research, usability testing, and expert reviews.