Work Different

Google’s Tomer Sharon

Einstein looked at a physics form and said “at was ok for then, but today answers are different.”

How do you get out of the building in an Agile environment.

Now, Usability testing needs to be about right now.

Keep it small. Should be small thing, not a big thing. How? Like clockwork, every week.

Recruit in advance.

Plan really fast. For instance he is deciding on Monday what testing Tuesday. See Smashing Maf article.

If usability test falls in woods and no one hears, it did not happen. Team needs to decide what, who, etc. Testing AND what you do with results.

NO reports. Using Google spreadsheet.

Takes 45 minutes between each session. What they are doing is focusing on what happened, NOT possible solutions. Do this live, so.

Meander took 3 minutes for Eric Ries’ name to pop up in conference. Sr eve Brandt calls getting out of building.

In Hong Kong, smart thing is they have a signon sidewalk reminding walkers to look right, because drive English style on left.

Three things to do to get out of building:

Not going to, but at least bring users along.

Coders can write code for years and never see user use coded product. So Google schedules call with user of product and Dev or prod owner to chat. Not and test, necessarily. Ask user to talk about themselves, ask basic questions, and he steps back and let’s engineers, etc., talk, even ask leading questions. If patterns repeat, may do a product change. But more to humaniz e user for engineers.

Do an outside event. Go and visit a client. No agenda, no goals. Just go, maybe to their home, with goal to let engineers to interact with actual people who use their product. Extremely useful.

Collaging is third technique. Thoughts or feelings around a topic. Why? Sometimes people don’t know what they need. This is based on science. What people think they want or need is pretty much not what they need. He does not ask future state questions. Asks about most recent past, and teases out actual recent past problems.

Ask people to create a collage for a product. From magazines. Like a talking dumpster.

Tips for getting buy-in for user research. You become One Team who worksnon creating something.

Achieve Failure and Success Theater. In his mind, work on research in a way people care about it, by involving them. Collect research questions. Finding out stuff interesting but not helpful.

To get buy-in listen to what people say, identify assumptions and hypothesis and prioritize with everybody on team.

Dealing with introverts. Shows making a morning route talking with everyone on your team. About relationship of being in same company and caring about same things.

Book title: It’s Our Research (itsourresear.ch) out in two weeks. Videos on site.

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