Rob Monacelli’s Post

(The posts I like) Series : 0279 . #Hazem_K_Madi #ProductDesign #UserExperienceDesign #UXUIDesign #ProductLedGrowth #ProductManagement #UserBehavior #UserInterfaceDesign

To insight or not… That is the question. Or perhaps, many questions. There’s not always a clear way to guide design decisions. Sometimes, research and testing aren’t necessary. Intuition can be enough. I’ve noticed that practitioners who focus solely on “research” (like user interviews) or “testing” (like usability testing) often have the strongest views on how design should be guided. As a designer, it's misguided to think in narrow lanes. I believe: → You don’t always need either. Not every design project requires user input. → Using asynchronous methods in high volume to evaluate and validate users provides more signals, often leading to deeper insights from continuous testing and iterative design. → You don’t have to talk to users. → Talking to users can create an emotional connection to the work. → Waiting for research insights can take too long for certain types of design that benefit more from intuition and quick iteration. → Insights lead to open-ended conversations and can inspire fresh ideas. → Signals push for action and create more concrete discussions with stakeholders who want to understand the business problem from the user’s perspective. → Getting user input humanizes the work. Integration within the work is even better. A product designer’s perspective leans toward taking action, but that’s not just creating artifacts. Many organizations aim to foster a "build and get it done" mindset, and when combined with informed design, creates the right mix for amazing products and services. Insights are great. Signals are informative. And getting stuff done brings them together. #productdesign #productdiscovery #userresearch #uxresearch

Design indecision delays projects, stops growth, and creates problems. We love Irina Damascan’s argument that avoiding decisions as a designer can have serious consequences, much like ignoring an injury. Indecision can stall projects, hinder growth, and create unnecessary complications. She emphasizes the importance of confronting challenges, making timely and informed decisions, and learning from the outcomes to improve as a designer and drive progress in your work. Check out her article: https://lnkd.in/g35QnyMJ Here are Irina’s big ideas: • Indecision slows progress and causes complications • Timely decisions keep projects on track • Confidence helps overcome hesitation • Clear communication makes findings actionable • Decision-making drives growth and improvement How to apply this to your project: Define expectations ↳ Communicate whether the project needs flexibility (design mindset) or structure (research mindset). Support decision-making ↳ Create an environment where decisions are encouraged and supported to avoid delays or missteps. Balance flexibility and structure ↳Combine the strengths of both mindsets to adapt to the project’s needs while maintaining clarity and focus. Helio provides fast, actionable insights from user research, enabling teams to make informed decisions quickly. It streamlines gathering and analyzing UX metrics, reducing indecision and keeping projects on track. #uxresearch #productdiscovery #marketresearch #productdesign

Use question based design to address internal business challenges. In the past, designs were based on intuition and incomplete business ideas. The goal was to help clarify business proposals. I still do some of this to help stakeholders understand ideas. While this can build trust, it often limits the design process. With Helio’s targeted audience access, we've changed this approach to focus on designing for questions. Rather than figuring out how the interface solves a business problem, design iterations now answer questions about user needs. This is a major shift, where designs are created to provoke strong responses and narrow down signals. "Testing" becomes more about exploring the problem’s boundaries, not just checking if the interface works well. Combining this with qualitative feedback from user actions lets you learn much more quickly. Taking this approach moves design work away from solving unclear stakeholder business problems and opens space for new ideas by pushing concepts to the edges of the problem space. Why is this shift significant? → Shifts design to user needs, not business assumptions → Enables quicker testing and improvement cycles → Keeps the design process open to new possibilities → Informs decisions based on clear signals from user feedback → Improves communication between teams and stakeholders → Pushes designs to explore creative solutions → Catches issues early, minimizing costly revisions Changing these discussions may take some time, but the aim is to shift from solving an idea, to finding the best way to align business goals with user needs. Be a partner. Informed questions are the best tool. #productdesign #productdiscovery #userresearch #uxresearch

Breaking Down Bias in Design: Real-Life Lessons Learned Bias: Favoring or having prejudice against something based on limited information Confirmation Bias: Occurs when you start looking for evidence to prove a hypothesis you have Design Research: Answers the question: How should we build it? False consensus bias: The assumption that others will think the same way as you do Foundational research: Answers the questions: What should we build? What are the user problems? How can we solve them? Implicit bias: The collection of attitudes and stereotypes you associate with people without your conscious knowledge Interviews: A research method used to collect in-depth information on people’s opinions, thoughts, experiences, and feelings Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Critical measures of progress toward an end goal Post-launch research: Answers the question: Did we succeed? Primacy bias: Remembering the first user more than others Primary research: Research you conduct yourself Qualitative research: Focuses observations on why and how things happen Quantitative research: Focuses on data that can be gathered by counting or measuring Recency bias: Most easily remembering the last thing you heard Secondary research: Research that uses information someone else has put together Sunk cost fallacy: The idea that the deeper we get into a project we’ve invested in, the harder it is to change course Surveys: An activity where many people are asked the same questions in order to understand what most people think about a product Usability study: A technique used to evaluate a product by testing it on users. #ResearchMethods #BiasInResearch #DesignThinking #UserResearch #DataAnalysis #UXDesign #BehavioralBias #QualitativeVsQuantitative #ProductDevelopment #UserExperience #MarketResearch #ResearchBias #DesignResearchMethods #UsabilityTesting #ResearchInsights #UI/UX Design

Highlighting my article on Friction in Design Process and how to overcome it. https://lnkd.in/gKXMAsBd #design #designthinking #designbuild #designstrategy #product #producctdesign #productmanagement #productstrategy #designprinciples #innovation #designers #digitaltransformation #ux #uxdesign #uiux #uidesign #designinnovation #application #software #softwaredesign #usability #userresearch #research #usercentereddesign #productleadership #uxwriting #designsystems #empathy #interfacedesign #usabilitytesting #userexperience #productdesign #accessibility #ui

#WeekendRead Did you know that our communication manager, Susa Horvath, has a #uxdesigner certification too? Her next book to read is 100 Things Every Designer Needs To Know About People by Susan M. Weinschenk, Ph.D. Serving as a comprehensive reference guide, this book delves into the basics of how people #see, #think, #read, and what #motivates them. It provides valuable insights and tactics from cognitive, social, and perceptual #psychology #research for creating successful UX designs. Key Takeaway: The book teaches that effective design stems from understanding #human #behavior and #motivations. It applies psychology and #neuroscience research to user-centric design, offering practical advice on creating intuitive, accessible digital and physical products for varied audiences. You'll also find techniques to create compelling user experiences and achieve higher conversion rates. “To design a product or Web site that persuades people to take a certain action, you need to know the unconscious motivations of your target audience.” – Susan M. Weinschenk We believe this could be interesting for you too if you’re looking to deepen your understanding of user behavior and create more impactful designs to your product. How do you think understanding hashtag #human #psychology can transform the #design? Share your thoughts and let's discuss! #weekendread #uxdesign #humanbehavior #userexperience #visionhealthpioneersincubator #learning #growing #berlinstartup #healthtech #medtech #valuebasedcare #founderjourney

"Imagine a world where every product is designed with the user in mind..." *PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN THINKING* Here are the key principles of design thinking: 1. Empathy: Understanding the users' needs, experiences, and emotions. 2. Define: Clearly articulating the problem you are trying to solve. 3. Ideate: Generating a wide range of ideas and solutions through brainstorming. 4. Prototype: Creating tangible representations of ideas to explore solutions. 5. Test: Gathering feedback on prototypes to refine and improve the solutions. These principles work together to foster a user-centered approach in the design process, ensuring that products are both innovative and aligned with user needs. But I will say.....One key principle of design thinking is _empathy._ *Empathy* involves understanding the needs, experiences, and emotions of the end users. This principle is crucial in product development because it ensures that the products created are not only functional but also resonate with users on a personal level. When product developers start with empathy, they engage in user research to gather insights about the target audience. This can include interviews, surveys, and observations. By putting themselves in the users' shoes, designers can identify pain points and desires that may not be immediately obvious. This understanding allows them to create solutions that truly address users' needs, leading to more successful and user-friendly products. Incorporating empathy into product development also fosters innovation. By considering different perspectives and experiences, teams can brainstorm creative solutions that might not have been explored otherwise. Ultimately, this principle helps to create products that are not only effective but also meaningful, enhancing user satisfaction and loyalty. @Gloria Ojukwu DAY SEVEN #hertechtrail #hertechtrailacademy #womenintech #cohort11contentchalleng

#Snsinstitutions #snsdesignthinkers #snsdesignthinking The Empathy phase is the first stage of the Design Thinking process, where the goal is to gain a deep understanding of the users and their needs. This stage focuses on putting yourself in the users' shoes to experience their challenges, frustrations, and desires. 1. User-Centered: The empathy phase is all about understanding the end-users' experiences and motivations. This includes learning about their environment, behaviors, and how they interact with the problem at hand. 2. Research Methods: - *Observation*: Watch users in their natural environment to see how they engage with existing solutions or processes. - *Interviews*: Speak directly with users to uncover their thoughts, emotions, and pain points. - *Surveys & Questionnaires*: Collect data on user experiences, preferences, and feedback. - *Immersion*: Designers may even experience the problem first-hand by immersing themselves in the user's world. 3. Defining Pain Points: By empathizing with the user, designers can identify the real pain points that need to be addressed and develop solutions that are truly user-centered. 4. Avoiding Assumptions: Empathy requires designers to challenge their own biases and assumptions about what users need. The focus is on gathering direct insights from users. This phase sets the foundation for defining the problem accurately and generating relevant solutions later in the process.

The design thinking process is a human-centered, iterative approach to solving problems and developing innovative solutions. It focuses on understanding user needs and involves the following five stages: 1. Empathize 👉 Goal: Understand the users, their needs, and challenges. 👉 Activities: Conduct user interviews, surveys, and observations. Create empathy maps to visualize user behavior and emotions. Immerse yourself in the user's environment. 2. Define 👉 Goal: Clearly articulate the problem to solve. 👉 Activities: Analyze data gathered during the empathize phase Identify patterns and insights. Frame a problem statement (e.g., "How might we…?"). 3. Ideate 👉 Goal: Brainstorm and generate multiple creative solutions. 👉 Activities: Use brainstorming techniques (e.g. mind mapping, SCAMPER).Encourage wild ideas without judgment. Focus on quantity first, then refine later. 4. Prototype 👉 Goal: Create low-fidelity, inexpensive representations of the solution. 👉 Activities: Develop sketches, wireframes, models, or mockups. Focus on testing specific features or concepts quickly Allow for quick feedback and iterations. 5. Test 👉 Goal: Evaluate the solution’s effectiveness and usability. 👉 Activities: Gather user feedback through usability testing. Observe how users interact with the prototype. Iterate and refine the design based on feedback. 🚨 Key Principles of Design Thinking 🚨 ✒️ User-Centric Focus: Prioritizes user needs throughout the process. ✒️ Collaboration: Encourages teamwork and diverse perspectives. ✒️ Iterative Process: Allows continuous refinement and improvement. ✒️ Experimentation: Promotes creativity and trying new approaches. #aurolakshmanan #dementeeAcademy #UIUXDesign #UserExperience #LearningJourney #continuousimprovement #TeamGrowth