Designing for Reality
The US presidential election turned out to be a win for Donald Trump, which has led to shock for nearly half of the democratic-leaning population in the US, and well beyond those shores too. Whatever your viewpoint, this surprise, I think, is a useful allegory for what many companies and producer owners go through when launching a product to their customers.
Over the course of the design of the service, product, or feature that you are looking to release, which is often measured in years, there is a busy mix of activity in the lead up to launch. Much like the presidential elections, there are proof of concepts, alpha, or beta releases (primaries and candidate elections) conversations with colleagues and peers, the seeking of feedback, and building a story around the value proposition (manifestos, policies). This is all designed to put the product in the best possible position and light to be a success (or win the election).
However, much like the presidential elections or even the Brexit referendum, this throng of activity can be fraught with traps. The risk of misinterpreting feedback and data, and placing overly positive value to it is high. The risk of ignoring or devaluing negative feedback is also incredibly easy and often tempting to do, through the process psychologists call confirmation bias.
The end result if you fail to account for these risks and traps? An unexpected election result, or failed product launch.
User researchers can’t typically forecast the outcome of an election, but they are here to help with products and services. They are trained to gather, analyze, and interpret data impartially, navigating bias and surfacing it to stakeholders where it does occur. Conducting user research isn’t a complete 100% guarantee of no ‘election shock’ but it puts you in a much better position to be prepared for reality and design to win.
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Image credit: https://www.istockphoto.com/portfolio/bizoo_n
Mark Brady
Snr Research Director
Sutherland Labs
Mark Brady
Snr Research Director
During Mark’s 12 years of industry experience, he’s worked at several leading research labs, collaborating with global brands in the media, telecoms, finance, entertainment and the public sector. He also heads up our UX Design team, who provide our prototyping, wireframing and UI design capabilities. With degrees in Cognitive Science and Human-Centred Computer Systems, and a doctorate in Sociology, he’s a vital cog in Sutherland’s collective brainpower – and a keen cyclist and bass guitarist in his spare time.