User Observation Techniques
To gain insight into a user's behavior, it's important to avoid assuming they think like you do, a phenomenon known as false consensus bias. This is especially relevant for programmers who may struggle to understand how a user thinks since users have different levels of expertise and may approach tasks differently. To better understand a user's perspective, observe them completing a task using software similar to what you're developing, making sure it's a real task and asking them to talk through their progress without interruption. This can help you identify core user behaviors and design around them, while also avoiding confusion caused by assuming what users want rather than observing their actions. Users often get stuck, so make sure any help or instructions are located close to the problem areas. Additionally, users may find convoluted ways to complete a task, so it's important to provide one clear way of doing things. Finally, there may be a gap between what users say they want and what they actually do, making it more informative to spend an hour observing users than guessing their requirements for a day.
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