Transcript: Ask the UXperts: User requirements: What users say vs what they really need — with Joe Natoli

Today we hosted a fast moving session in our Slack channel with the amazing Joe Natoli of givegoodux.com. We talked about user requirements and how to get to the bottom of what your users actually want, especially if they don’t know themselves. The session was particularly valuable due to the high calibre of questions and above average audience input.

If you have further questions for Joe, make sure you hit him up over at our community forums.

If you’re interested in Joe’s book Think First, we have a deal for UX Mastery readers. Save 20% off the purchase price by using the discount code: THINKFIRST20

If you didn’t make it because you didn’t know about it, make sure you join our community to get updates of upcoming sessions. If you’re interested in seeing what we discussed, or you want to revisit your own questions, here is a full transcript of the chat.

Transcript:

hawk

2016-06-15 20:00

For anyone that hasn’t been part of these sessions before, this is how we roll. I’ll intro Joe, Joe will intro the topic, I’ll throw it open for questions and I’ll queue them if it gets busy.

hawk

2016-06-15 20:01

So I’ll kick off now with a very quick intro to the man that needs no intro – @joenatoli

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:01

@hawk: aw, shucks :relaxed:

 

hawk

2016-06-15 20:01

Joe is one of my favourites, simply because he’s so approachable and willing to help.

 

wendy

2016-06-15 20:02

I agree with you @hawk

 

hawk

2016-06-15 20:02

Joe Natoli is the author of Think First: My no-nonsense approach to creating successful products, memorable user experiences and happy customers.

His online UX courses serve over 46,000 students, and he has consulted with and trained Fortune 500 and 100 organisations for nearly three decades. His articles, tips and advice can be found at http://givegoodux.com.

You can also find him on Twitter @joenatoli

 

hawk

2016-06-15 20:02

That book is here: http://ift.tt/1VzLLfh

 

hawk

2016-06-15 20:02

And I *highly* recommend it

 

evonney

2016-06-15 20:03

has joined #ask-joe-natoli

 

dzasti87

2016-06-15 20:03

has joined #ask-joe-natoli

 

hawk

2016-06-15 20:03

Today we’re going to talk about user requirements and how we figure out what it is that people actually want.

 

hawk

2016-06-15 20:03

But I’ll throw over to @joenatoli for a proper intro to the topic.

 

hawk

2016-06-15 20:03

If anyone has questions about the way the session works, feel free to ask at any point

 

jeremyl

2016-06-15 20:04

has joined #ask-joe-natoli

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:04

Hello all! First, I am honored that all of you have taken time out of your lives to check this out. Means a great deal, not a second is taken for granted.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:05

Users matter, and not just because the word “user” is the first word in UX. They matter because they live at both ends of what I call the UX value loop:

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:05

if value goes out to them, they use something. When they do that, the business that created it gets residual value. That’s the gig.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:05

But we humans are…uh…messy.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:05

Unpredictable.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:05

Difficult to please sometimes :wink:

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:06

And just about everythign in our path influences our reactions, our goals, and what we’re willign to do.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:06

UX starts at the outset, with requirements, with figuring out what people want, needf and are willign to use

 

ashley

2016-06-15 20:07

has joined #ask-joe-natoli

 

jxslepton

2016-06-15 20:07

Hola

 

laurel

2016-06-15 20:07

has joined #ask-joe-natoli

 

hawk

2016-06-15 20:07

@jxslepton: Welcome Jason

 

jxslepton

2016-06-15 20:07

Joe I’m enrolled in your UX course on udemy!

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:07

So we start by trying to figure out who these folks are. But what we say isn’t always what we mean, and what we ask for isn’t always what’s best for us. My goal today is to help you get some clarity on figuring out what matters ? and what doesn’t.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:08

So I’d invite you to fire away ? I shall do my best to serve.

 

desertcoder

2016-06-15 20:08

As a Business Analyst now working in a User-Centered Design team, I see a struggle between UI/UX and Developers. How can the two co-habitat when there are unknown technical constraints?
I was taught that user requirements should not include specific UI details. How should requirements/user stories be written instead?

 

jrae17

2016-06-15 20:08

has joined #ask-joe-natoli

 

judi-p

2016-06-15 20:09

has joined #ask-joe-natoli

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:09

@desertcoder: UX and BAs have more in common than they know, btw…the issue between UX and Dev is usually because they’re not speaking each other’s language

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:10

UXers talk about UX principles, coders talk about what’s feasible. I tell teams that they need to understand each other’s concerns, because both solve parts of the UX equation – importance and feasibility. And UI shouldn’t be explicitly addressed, but functional elements that wind up there should be explored

 

scottg

2016-06-15 20:10

has joined #ask-joe-natoli

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:11

and technical constraints are everybody’s friendÑthey draw boundaries that allow everyone to FOCUS

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:11

Also – requirements are not FEATURES.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:11

Features are SOLUTIONS.

 

laurel

2016-06-15 20:11

I am a graphic designer wanting to move into the UX/UI world more. I have taken several small online courses to get an understanding but want to know what you would suggest doing to start building my real world experience while still maintaining a full time job.

 

jxslepton

2016-06-15 20:12

I had a conversation with a family member who works in the tech field in a non ux related department. He asked how important it is to have a degree in the UX field because he doesn’t even consider applicants who do not have a degree

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:12

At the requirements phase, we should still be asking QUESTIONS. Assuming nothing, planning a path to get clarity. Admitting we dont know what we dont know

 

peterpedersen

2016-06-15 20:12

has joined #ask-joe-natoli

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:13

@laurel: what matters ijn a portfolio isn’t viosual evidenceÑits how you THINK

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:13

What problems has your work solved for clients? Tell those stories (show if possible). More on this: http://ift.tt/1XqvTAU

 

ziebell

2016-06-15 20:13

I have a 16 year background in QA. I’ve found that working with UX engineers EARLY?.before epics or user stories are even written cuts to the chase and directly impacts the team, the UX and benefits the customer with the most positive significance. I started this in one org, and have yet to see it elsewhere just yet.

 

wendy

2016-06-15 20:14

Joe, I see a big discrepancy between what UX experts see as the most important skills for UX work and job descriptions

 

rmwever

2016-06-15 20:14

has joined #ask-joe-natoli

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:14

@jxslepton: What you can DO is, to me, more important than the degree. But every employer is different.

 

wendy

2016-06-15 20:14

Most job ads want a combination of visual designer/ ux

 

vedanthk

2016-06-15 20:14

I think It’s important to know the why users say different than what they need. What type of situations or reasons create the disparity between what users say and what they want? Are there common patterns that exist that could help prepare us UXers to judge better?

 

anil

2016-06-15 20:14

@joenatoli: How would you approach problem/ feature/ for enterprise application Ñ where you don’t have direct contact with user. Requirements are generally from upvotes on salesforce . Lot of assumptions goes into PM specifications. Once sprint is done, it takes nearly 3 to 4 months to reach customers.

 

wendy

2016-06-15 20:14

Or a unicorn

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:15

@ziebell: RIGHT ON. Early and often. Everyone engaged. It’s the first thing I tell Enterprise teams.

 

hawk

2016-06-15 20:15

Note: I’ve started queueing questions for Joe so that no one misses out

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:15

@vedanthk: people don’t lie on purpose, first of all.

 

jxslepton

2016-06-15 20:15

This might explain my response or lack of response to jobs I’m applying for. I need to explain the process more than provide visual evidence in my portfolio. Thank you

 

ziebell

2016-06-15 20:16

@joenatoli: :slightly_smiling_face:

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:17

@vedanthk: what happens is a result of the way our brains are wired; what we imagine we do is influenced by ego, unconsciously. It’s also influenced by the kind of day we’re having or things we struggle with.

 

britannie

2016-06-15 20:17

has joined #ask-joe-natoli

 

judi-p

2016-06-15 20:17

I’ve been a UX designer for years before computers – figuring out what works for people from the place I live between the technical side and the user side. Forms design in the days of Gestetner machines required much the same approach. So if you have examples of how you solved a problem in the analogue world which has parallels in the digital world, that can be the starting point. The idea that one needs a degree in something that is just emerging on the scene is one of those ridiculous notions where employers get lazy and universities get right in front to ‘own’ the rights to credentialing what is already an organic process.

 

luvyours

2016-06-15 20:17

has joined #ask-joe-natoli

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:17

It’s very hard to imagine using somethign without actually using it, and all too often that’s what interviewers do; there is no substitute for actual use.

 

meriannin

2016-06-15 20:18

has joined #ask-joe-natoli

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:18

we all make very false predictions about futurte behavior: “if I just get this 9product) I’ll be happy, it’ll change my life” Ñ but that rarely happens.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:19

Observed behavior tells the truth, but I think this simply isn’t possible in a lot of situations, for a lot of teams. Has that been your experience? All?

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:20

Enterprise orgs especially are reluctant to devote time, budget and people. “We know what our customers want” or “we’ve never done that before.” or “we’ll table that as a nice-to-have.”

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:20

So the best way to determine what people want is to WATCH them work Ñ and look for workarounds.

 

evproductviking

2016-06-15 20:20

At my company we’ve recently started using Full Story to watch how our customers are navigating through our product and where they are stumbling. It’s been extremely useful but probably just short of being in the room and being able to ask questions.

 

ashley

2016-06-15 20:20

Some enterprise apps. High value and time restricted have prevented access to the core users. Major assumption and no user testing possible (live sutu testing that is). Any thoughts on processes to improve experience and provide greater value in these circumstances?

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:21

Situations where they’re doing something outside the planned flow/system because they hate it, or it sucks, or someone else isn;t doing their part.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:21

@ashley: YES.

 

alexandra

2016-06-15 20:22

has joined #ask-joe-natoli

 

hawk

2016-06-15 20:22

Welcome @alexandra

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:22

If you can’t observe users, you can still get a handle on their behavior working with stakeholders, department heads, particularly in B2B situations

 

hawk

2016-06-15 20:22

FYI for anyone that is keen on getting Joe’s book, we have a deal for UXM readers. Save 20% off the purchase price by using the discount code: THINKFIRST20 http://ift.tt/1VzLLfh

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:23

I do this with contextual use scenarios, the visual version. Boxes and arrows. I sit in a room with stakeholders and I ask them to walk me through how people use the system. As we do, I ask them to point out places where things get bogged down or broken or……

 

ashley

2016-06-15 20:23

Yes. But I find they have their agenda and functionality requests and requirements but not always UX focused improvements. Value vs time issues and whose budget its pulling from.

 

diana_isaza_shelton

2016-06-15 20:23

has joined #ask-joe-natoli

 

joecodev

2016-06-15 20:24

@joecodev pinned a message to this channel.

 

desertcoder

2016-06-15 20:24

What about getting Feature requests from those same stakeholders, department heads, who have little hands-on experience with the old product or the new product being developed?

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:24

They point it out and I ask “why does that happen?” and they tell me a story. And I note it. And I’m oversimplifying here, but what I have found for the past 20+ years is that the very act of doing this causes everyone other than the storyteller to have what I call an OH SH*T moment.

 

ziebell

2016-06-15 20:24

@desertcoder: you mean feature creep?

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:25

There are at least 3 people in the room that didn’t know this was happening. That people were doing this or acting this way, whatever. That exposes the rabbit hole. If it’s an expensive rabbit hole it’s usually easy to convince them to do some shadowing to figure out what’s wrong and how to fix it

 

ashley

2016-06-15 20:26

Nice!! I love environment observations.

 

judi-p

2016-06-15 20:26

The best proof to a potential client or employer is to put your UX skills to work on that interface. That is, the client/employer is the end user who need to grok the value of your UX mastery, and your skill set and potential value to them is the product, your self-marketing efforts are the interface. It’s a much more empowering place to work from than trying to shape-shift to meet whatever you think they look for in a resume, or paying money to a school that promises credentials that will give you an advantage over the other unwashed masses of UX design unicorns. And oh, yes, it is an anthropological approach. Find an informant and work with them as your test user….

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:26

@desertcoder: There are several ways to validate those requests. What I see most are user stories, and what I suggest teams do is rewrite them by adding two qualifying statements connected to the VALUE of that feature Ñ and then asking the stakeholders to fill in the blanks. If they can’t, it makes them question the request :wink:

 

daniel_condurachi

2016-06-15 20:27

has joined #ask-joe-natoli

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:28

The two statements are “this will solve the problem of ____________________” and “it will result in (MEASURABLE VALUE) for the organization.”

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:28

If they can’t answer, they don’t know why they want it either.

 

ziebell

2016-06-15 20:29

@joenatoli: I also ask about business need and value, especially when it comes to budget

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:30

@ziebell: Absolutely. ANd if there are vague answers to either, you stress the fact that time over the target is finite. Ask them what’s actually worth doing? And if no one knows, we need to figure it out.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:30

Anyone whose question I missed?

 

hawk

2016-06-15 20:31

Did you get: @vedanthk I think It’s important to know the why users say different than what they need. What type of situations or reasons create the disparity between what users say and what they want? Are there common patterns that exist that could help prepare us UXers to judge better?

 

hawk

2016-06-15 20:31

you did. ignore me.

 

ashley

2016-06-15 20:32

@joenatoli: any tips for winning over management regarding UX when being overlooked in line if time crunch and financials and functionality deliverables?

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:32

@ashley: Yes – find a connection to money. Saved or made.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:32

If you can demonstrate the potential consequence or GAIn atatched to UX work, you’ve got their attention. Everything else (best practices) will be ignoredÑguaranteed.

 

ashley

2016-06-15 20:33

Yes. That’s my normal approach once in the room. And pooling from my archive of wins and value added. Thanks.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:33

If the potential gain is $1.2M, I ask doesn’t it make sense to spend $40K to see if we can grab it?

 

evonney

2016-06-15 20:34

How do you measure value if you work for a nonprofit? There’s no $$ amount.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:34

@evonney there has to be a cost of doing anything, right?

 

hawk

2016-06-15 20:34

@joenatoli: How heavily should business goals weigh into prioritising user needs and requirements?

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:35

So anything you spend time on, you’re watching cost and trying to reach a desired, valuable outcome. The balance between the two determines what’s worth doing.

 

ashley

2016-06-15 20:35

Time is money. Productivity is saving and therefore is value. Just 2cents.

 

luvyours

2016-06-15 20:35

@evonney: what metrics are they measuring themselves against? if UX effort increases engagement and sponsorship/donations, or impact of the org, that would assist your argument, no?

 

geofferson

2016-06-15 20:35

has joined #ask-joe-natoli

 

yasmine

2016-06-15 20:36

What type of questions/keywords should you avoid asking in user research to ensure you’re not setting up your interviewee to respond with jumping to a solution instead of the problem?

 

evonney

2016-06-15 20:36

@luvyours: i’d say media mentions, how much info is spread on social media

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:36

@hawk: it’s half the equation. Business goals matter, because anything the organization can’t fund, can’t sustain, results in product failure. They have to see that the current and future investment in continuous UX improvement is worthwhile. Much of what we do is trying to help them get outta their own way.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:37

@yasmine: GREAT QUESTION. I want to answer this.

 

luvyours

2016-06-15 20:37

@evonney: yes, but what does x media mentions result in for their impact as an org? they’re only measuring part of the picture?

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:37

Valuable UX interviews result from asking OPEN-ENDED questions about how people do what they do. Leave the ‘what’ out of the equation. Here’s what I mean by that:

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:38

You don’t ever want to sayÑhow do you you use [ system or specific feature/ tool ] to accomplish task X??

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:38

Anyone know why?

 

pixelgem

2016-06-15 20:38

My guess: you’re leading them toward talking about a particular task/goal.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:38

Correct. The question is leading: it focuses their answer on the tool instead of why they’re using it and what they need or expect to happen. You want to know what they do Ñ with or without the software in question. If you provide too much detail in your question, if you give context, you won’t hear about all the things they do outside of the software to get the task done. Which, in my experience, are the things that present real opportunities for improvement.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:39

If you’re too specific, you won’t hear about the workarounds they’ve created that will suggest new features, new functionality or changes that need to be made to workflows.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:39

So instead you ask: “how do you accomplish Task X?”

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:39

No more than that.

 

vedanthk

2016-06-15 20:39

So rather than the tool, we focusing on the task would be a good approach

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:39

@vedanthk: beyond tasks Ñ you want to focus on OUTCOMES.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:40

Forget about the software or app or the site Ñ you want to find out what their motivations and expected outcomes are.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:40

Workarounds in particular are GOLD MINES. When you see the crazy things people do to avoid using something, it opens everyone’s eyes.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:42

And don’t be afraid of silence that follows the question: represss the urge to fill it with your own voice. Let that silence do the heavy lifting, allow space for the person to think through things.

 

yasmine

2016-06-15 20:42

Do you have recommendations on what type of user research methodologies to implement for trying to make a “process” more ease of use rather than a “product”? For example, how easy it the process your user goes through to discover and buy your product or the process of installing your software.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:43

Most requirements conversations focus on features and functions instead of outcomesÑso you wind up with a list that is all trees and no forest, if you get my drift.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:44

@yasmine: to me, it’s the same process. Observe users or diagram and question with stakeholders. How do they hear of us, how do they get here, what do they do next?

 

ziebell

2016-06-15 20:44

@joenatoli: forgive me if I missed this one: I wanted to ask about the gulf between UX tools and dev tools. For example, one dev team was complaining that they had to re-create, from scratch, the mock ups and prototypes that the UX team created. Lots of room for errors here. The dev team wanted the UX team to use the same delivery tool set ‘the IDE’ to avoid this mismatch. Your thoughts?

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:45

fpr product install/implementation issues, I want to talk to the techs, to the help desk, support folks. What consistent, recurring compaints occur/ Where to people get hung up repeatedly?

 

yasmine

2016-06-15 20:45

Ahhh! Makes sense. Thank you!

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:47

@ziebell: that’s one I don’t see often, actually. It’s a matter of collaboration, the two of them determining (1) what SHOULD be re-usable from UX work and (2) what trhe capabilities of the team are. I am not of the belief that all designers should be developers, or vice versa. Working knowledge is criticial, but the combination is actually more rare than anyone would have you believe.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:47

It also sounds like the two depts are siloed in some way, whcih is not good. They should be working together from word GO.

 

ashley

2016-06-15 20:47

Amen

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:48

Either agree that prototype work is throwaway, or get dev involved in building and UX/design providing artifcats or direction in a way that keeps things moving

 

ziebell

2016-06-15 20:48

@joenatoli: Thank you.

 

ziebell

2016-06-15 20:48

@joenatoli: On the topic of supportÑthe hang up I had in one role that the latency between the release of the product updates (1st of the month) and the release of the support docs (30/31st of the month). My approach was to give voice to this rift, rally the team members, vet the documentation prior to product release. It look some timeÑbut I successfully reduced the support documentation from 30/31 days to 24 hours after product release.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:49

@ziebell: KUDOS to you Ñ that’s a monstrous gain!!

 

ziebell

2016-06-15 20:49

@joenatoli: indeed. It was by no means easy, but worth itÑbecause the customer was the winner. and that ought always be the goal.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:49

Questions Ñ hit me!

 

frankenvision

2016-06-15 20:50

How do you know when you have enough information to work with?

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:50

@frankenvision: clarify for me – to do what?

 

yasmine

2016-06-15 20:50

How can you identify that your documentation and support techniques are useful when you have a small pool of users? Is a little user feedback better than none?

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:51

@yasmine depends on how little feedback and in what form. If it’s survey, you need high volume to accurately identify real problems and weed out comp[laining.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:52

If you get 5 people you can watch do something, DO IT.

 

yasmine

2016-06-15 20:52

Thanks! :slightly_smiling_face:

 

kevin

2016-06-15 20:52

@ziebell: @joenatoli I’ve found adopting an atomic workflow process (or something similar) can help to uncover and communicate required features/aspects from the get-go & can make a huge impact for clear communication between stakeholders/dev/strategy/design

 

ziebell

2016-06-15 20:53

@kevin: thanks for the input.

 

hawk

2016-06-15 20:54

We’ve got a few more minutes left everyone, so if you’ve been sitting on a question, now is the time to ask!

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:54

@kevin: I’m hearing a lot about “atomic workflow” lately, and to be honest I’m unfamiliar. But of it’s getting results, USE IT! There is no one-size-fits-al solution for user research, requirements, design, dev, etc. I do have to say that the minute something is given an official term I’m suspect, though :slightly_smiling_face:

 

meriannin

2016-06-15 20:55

I have a client that wants to put a news feed on every page of the website. I can’t find any research to say that is a bad idea. What are your thoughts and can you cite any user studies on this?

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:55

People become attached to formality in our industry in a very unhealthy way.

 

yasmine

2016-06-15 20:55

How can you tell when you’ve reached the root/core of the problem in interviews?

 

kevin

2016-06-15 20:55

@joenatoli: hehe…agreed! process and what works ahead of labels every time

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:55

@meriannin: I’d want evidence that people actually care about it, and that it supports whatever else they are there to do. Otherwise, it’s distraction.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:56

Especially if it’s “industry news” or some such thing. People already have sources, channels they use for this stuff, and you’re not going to pull them from those channels to yours.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:56

That’s the old “stickiness’ argument, and it’s bullshit.

 

frankenvision

2016-06-15 20:57

How do often do you test your own assumptions? Or is everything based on user research?

 

ashley

2016-06-15 20:57

@meriannin: also. Check that the clutter and possible performance issue are balanced against the added value. If not its a no.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:57

@yasmine: it’s not always obvioous when you reach the stopping point, but when you start running out of questions it’s time to prototype.

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:58

@frankenvision: After almost 30 years of doing this, I do often lead with my assiumptions, but only if I see patterns that tell me I’ve seen this movie before.

 

jeremyl

2016-06-15 20:58

Going back to the start of your process “trying to figure out who these folks are”. Do you always create personas?

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:58

But even then, I want to test them, validate them. My thing is I always assume I could be wrong. I don’t like to guess, I want to know.

 

frankenvision

2016-06-15 20:59

Great answer, thanks

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 20:59

@jeremyl: I do, but not in the way personas are usually created. I get a rough sketch of a user and then run them through empathy mapping, situational mapping and contextual use scenarios. These get you much closer to reality much faster. One sec, I’ll give you a link:

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 21:00

http://ift.tt/1EN2Kr8

 

desertcoder

2016-06-15 21:00

Thank you!

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 21:01

@desertcoder: you’re welcome. the honor is mine.

 

jeremyl

2016-06-15 21:01

Thanks very much Joe

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 21:01

@jeremyl: thank you!

 

ashley

2016-06-15 21:02

Thanks Joe!! Good to meet you (virtually)

 

hawk

2016-06-15 21:02

That’s about it for our time. Thanks SO much Joe. You rocked it, as always.

 

hawk

2016-06-15 21:02

Reminder for anyone that is keen on getting Joe’s book, we have a deal for UXM readers. Save 20% off the purchase price by using the discount code: THINKFIRST20 http://ift.tt/1VzLLfh

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 21:02

Gratitude to all of you Ñ go forth and GIVE GOOD UX!

 

hawk

2016-06-15 21:02

And if you have follow up questions for Joe, here is the place for them http://ift.tt/1Uky71q

 

toyah.coolican

2016-06-15 21:02

Thanks for your time Joe – always so helpful! :blush:

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 21:03

@toyah.coolican: I deeply appreciate that!

 

hawk

2016-06-15 21:03

I’ll post a transcript of the session up on UXM later today, and you’re always welcome to revisit this channel in the future

 

hawk

2016-06-15 21:03

Thanks everyone for making the time to join us

 

ziebell

2016-06-15 21:03

@joenatoli: thank you!!

 

joenatoli

2016-06-15 21:04

You’re welcome @ziebell. Ciao!

 

frankenvision

2016-06-15 21:04

Thanks Joe and Hawk for putting this together

 

hawk

2016-06-15 21:04

@frankenvision: Pleasure

 

hawk

2016-06-15 21:05

Later all

 

The post Transcript: Ask the UXperts: User requirements: What users say vs what they really need — with Joe Natoli appeared first on UX Mastery.

by Sarah Hawk via UX Mastery

Instagram Marketing: Your Complete Guide to Instagram Success

Do you want to learn how to market yourself and your business on Instagram? Are you looking for a resource to guide your Instagram marketing efforts? Whether you’re marketing on Instagram as an individual or as a brand, these expert articles will show you how to establish a presence, use Instagram’s features, encourage follower engagement [...]

This post Instagram Marketing: Your Complete Guide to Instagram Success first appeared on .
- Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle

by Lisa D. Jenkins via

An Introduction to Elixir’s Ecto Library

Elixir is a modern, dynamic, functional programming language used to build highly distributed and fault-tolerant applications. Ecto is its main library for working with databases, providing us with tools to interact with databases under a common API, version the database alongside our application, and handle data processing within our application.

This article takes a quick look at the major aspects of the Ecto library. Basic knowledge of Elixir and Mix are assumed.

The Application

We'll be building a very simple application from scratch that will store and retrieve notes for us. By doing this, we'll look through each of Ecto's four main components: repos, schemas, changesets, and queries.

Creating a new application

Let's start by generating a new Mix application:

mix new notex --sup

The --sup flag generates some additional boilerplate code that's required for an OTP application. This application needs to have a supervision tree, because Ecto needs it (more on this in a minute).

Setting up the dependencies

Now, let's update our mix.exs file with some application dependencies. For this, we're going to want to specify Ecto and one of its adapters. I've chosen to use MySQL for this, so we'll need to specify the Mariaex library (Ecto supports a number of databases).

Update the application/0 function in the mix.exs file with the following:

def application do
  [applications: [:logger, :ecto, :mariaex],
   mod: {Notex, []}]
end

And update deps/0 with the following:

defp deps do
  [{:ecto, "~> 1.1.5"},
   {:mariaex, "~> 0.6.0"}]
end

Now fetch the dependencies with mix deps.get.

Next, we need to integrate these dependencies into our application. This will involve creating a new wrapper module for an Ecto repository, updating our application's supervision tree to start and supervise that new module, and configuring the adapter's connection information.

Let's firstly start by defining a Notex.Repo module at lib/notex/repo.ex with the following code:

defmodule Notex.Repo do
  use Ecto.Repo, otp_app: :notex
end

The location of this module (lib/app_name/repo.ex) is conventional. Any time we use a mix ecto command, it will default to looking for the defined repository at AppName.Repo. We can place it elsewhere, but it will be at the inconvenience of having to specify its location using the -r (or --repo) flag.

The above Notex.Repo module enables us to work with databases using Ecto. It does this by firstly injecting functions from Ecto's Repo module (that provide the database querying API) and by secondly naming our OTP application as :notex.

An Ecto repository provides us with a common interface to interact with an underlying database (which is decided upon by the adapter being used). As such, whilst Ecto uses the terminology repo, it does not follow the repository design pattern, since it's a wrapper around a database, not a table.

Now that we have defined the Notex.Repo module, we must now add this to our supervision tree in the Notex module (at lib/notex.ex). Update the start/2 function with the following:

def start(_type, _args) do
  import Supervisor.Spec, warn: false

  children = [
    supervisor(Notex.Repo, []),
  ]

  opts = [strategy: :one_for_one, name: Notex.Supervisor]
  Supervisor.start_link(children, opts)
end

We've added the Notex.Repo module as a child supervisor (since it is itself a supervising OTP app). This means that it will be supervised by our OTP application, and our application will be responsible for starting it upon application startup.

Each connection created with Ecto uses a separate process (where the process is pulled from a process pool using a library called Poolboy). This is done so that our queries can execute concurrently, as well as being resilient from failures (e.g. timeouts). Our application therefore requires OTP, because Ecto has its own processes that need supervising (including a supervision tree supervising a pool of database connections). This can be seen using Erlang's Observer library, which enables us to visualize the processes in an application.

Let's take a quick look at this. Start up our application in Elixir's interactive shell and then start the observer:

iex -S mix

iex(1)> :observer.start
:ok

Navigating to the Application tab, we can see the application's processes, including which ones are the supervisors:

But that's as far down the rabbit hole we'll be going with respect to processes and OTP in this article. They will be covered in greater detail in later articles to come.

After having added the repo to our worker processes to be supervised, we need lastly to configure the adapter so that it can communicate with our database. Place the following code at the end of the config/config.exs file (updating the details as necessary):

config :notex, Notex.Repo,
  adapter: Ecto.Adapters.MySQL,
  database: "notex",
  username: "root",
  password: "root",
  hostname: "localhost"

Here, we specify the name of our OTP application (:notex) and the name of our freshly defined module (Notex.Repo) for enabling communication with the database. The other configure options should be pretty self-explanatory.

Ecto actually provides us with a shortcut for setting up the above Repo module as a mix task: mix ecto.gen.repo. This generates the repository module for us and updates the config.exs file with some basic configuration (the Repo module still needs to be manually added to the supervision tree though). I avoided using it here predominantly for didactic reasons of showing how to set up Ecto manually (that, and the fact that the repo generator assumes you're using Postgres, so we would have had to update the adapter in the config anyway).

Continue reading %An Introduction to Elixir’s Ecto Library%

by Thomas Punt via SitePoint

Build a Powerful Freelance Portfolio Website that Gets Results

As a freelancer, your portfolio is the “best self” you present to the world. It’s a combination of your unique approach and your best work. It’s the compelling reason you give to persuade clients to hire you. Learn how to plan, build, test, and use an effective freelance portfolio website, together with hints and tips to make it irresistible to your clients.

Why You Need a Freelance Portfolio Website

[author_more]

Freelancing is a competitive world, with millions of designers, writers, developers, marketers, and more bidding on jobs. A well-designed, compelling portfolio website will:

• Show your unique skills - You can demonstrate your strengths, skills, approach, and experience together with beautiful examples of what you make.
• Command a better price - Clients will pay more (sometimes a lot more) for high-quality work. When you showcase that, you demonstrate the value you provide, which translates into higher fees.
• Set you apart from your competitors - With the amount of competition out there, it’s vital to have a powerful, compelling portfolio that will grab your reader’s attention and lift you above your competitors.
• Gather everything in one place - Your portfolio website should gather together and present all of the vital information about you as a freelancer.
• Perfect for referring clients to when applying for jobs - A great portfolio often makes the difference to whether you get hired for a job. In your cover letter, you can reference your portfolio website and invite people to visit and browse your work.

Using an Established Portfolio Service

There are plenty of web services out there where you can host your portfolio. Sites like Contently, Coroflot, Pressfolio, Behance, and Clippings are all solid options to share and show your work. It’s a good idea to try out and use these websites, but see them as a supplement to, rather than a replacement for, your own portfolio website. There are several good reasons for this:

• You can tweak and refine the design and approach of your own website so it perfectly suits your needs.
• You’ll get much better analytics, stats, and SEO insights if you have your own website.
• You can add as many different types of pages as you need, including a blog and services / client pages.

Planning Your Portfolio Website

Like any good project, the best results come from good planning. Before you start building your freelance portfolio, it’s important to have a plan and outline of what you want to do.

What Platform or Technology Should You Use?

This should be driven by your comfort using various platforms, and the type of freelancer you are. For example, if you’re a freelance web designer, you’re probably going to hand-craft every aspect of your website to show off your skills. If you’re a designer, you’ll need technology that lets you demonstrate your creative eye. If you’re building a freelance writing portfolio, you’ll mainly want to focus on the words, not the technology.

You have a few options, from simplest to most complex:

Website Builders

There are a few good options for drag-and-drop website builders, some of which have great templates for portfolios. Popular ones include SquareSpace, Wix, and Weebly. These are best for freelancers who just want to get their work online and don’t need extensive design tweaking and options.

Wordpress - Standard and Premium Templates

WordPress has a huge variety of templates and customization options. If you’re comfortable uploading your own WordPress design and messing around in CSS code, it’s a very good choice. These are best for freelancers with a moderate level of technical expertise who don’t mind spending time tweaking and perfecting their website design.

Hand-built Website

If you’re a developer or designer, the best way to showcase your work might be to build your website from scratch. There are a variety of content management systems and technologies out there (Drupal, Joomla, HTML, etc.) that provide a good foundation for a website. These are best for freelancers with extensive technological expertise and plenty of time to work on their portfolios.

Including the Right Pages on Your Website

You’ll need to decide what pages you want to include on your website, besides the portfolio itself.

Homepage

This is the first page your potential clients will see; use this to “wow” them. This means some combination of:

• A powerful introduction to what you do.
• Eye catching visual designs and examples.
• Providing an overview of your unique skills and services.
• Describing your background and experience.
• Using testimonials and social proof.
• A “call to action” (for example, a “Hire Me” button).

About Page

An opportunity to share your background, skills, and experience, your about page might have:

• Your qualifications and work experience.
• The unique approach and insight you bring to your projects.
• Some personal information.

Services / Skills / How I Work Page

A page that lists the range of services you offer, together with how you work with clients. It can include:

• A summary of the various services you provide, together with a short explanation of each. For example:
  • Designers - Logo creation, branding, marketing, ad design, brochures, flyers.
  • Writers - Blog article creation, white papers, ad copy, outbound emails, website copy.
  • Developers - Front and backend development, requirements gathering, prototyping, testing.
• Your key skills, including any areas you specialize in or where you have deep experience.
• Demonstrating how you work with clients and the process you follow.

You might want to separate some of this content into its own pages, or omit areas that aren’t relevant.

Portfolio Page

This is the heart of your freelance portfolio website. It’s your chance to showcase your best work and persuade clients to hire you. Here are some good principles for planning your portfolio page:

• Showcase your best work - Go through all of your work and pick out the samples that show you in the best possible light. Include these at the top of your portfolio.
• Share examples that show your range and versatility - Clients have many and varied needs. Provide a range of your work in different areas.
• Use beautiful thumbnails - You want your samples to catch attention. Create bold, beautiful thumbnails to encourage clients to click through.
• Provide more information on individual project pages - Sometimes you’ll want to link through directly to your work. If you can’t do that, create a project page for each sample highlighting what you did.

Clients Page

If you’ve got an impressive client list, it’s worth building a page around it. It’s best if you have recognizable client names and logos you can share. You can also include a brief explanation of the main work you did for each client.

Blog Page

A blog is a great way to show your expertise and authority in a field. It’s also very helpful for content marketing. Regularly posting unique, insightful articles to your blog can build up your SEO and establish you as a thought-leader in your freelance field. This all adds to your credibility and can help clients decide whether to hire you.

Contact Page

This often overlooked page is vital to your website. This page is your last chance to make a good impression on your client and get them to contact you for work. Focus this page on encouraging them to get in touch. It’s also really useful if you provide alternative means for contacting you, including web forms, email, phone, Skype, or whatever works for you.

Building Your Freelance Portfolio Website

Every freelancer will have a slightly different approach to building an effective website. Rather than providing one method and approach for building your website, here are some overall principles, hints, and tips that will make your website unique, relevant, and powerful.

Use the Right Technology and Tweak Your Plans

Test and Try Out Different Platforms

The technology and platform you build your website on will depend on how much time, technical expertise, and desire you have to create something unique. Try out various different platforms to see what works best for your specific needs.

Refine and Tweak Your Plan

You’ve already put together a plan for building your website. Go through it, refining and polishing each part until you’re happy with the outline and content of each page.

Create a Unique Approach that Shows Your Expertise

Go Niche

It’s easier to market and appeal to a smaller, niche audience, rather than the general client who might need your services. It demonstrates to your client you’ve got plenty of experience in the field, and gives them the confidence you’ll produce high-quality work. For example, if you’re an app developer who specializes in games, or a designer who focuses on branding startups, build your portfolio around that.

Highlight Your Approach and Strengths

Although your freelance portfolio provides concrete examples of what you’re good at, clients are also interested in your approach and skills. Think about what your key strengths are and build them into your website copy.

Create a Unique, Personal “Brand"

Clients aren’t just hiring a freelancer, they’re hiring you. It’s a great idea to create a personal brand that influences how you put yourself across, shows your personality, and provides some insight into your personal values. Combine this with your style and approach to give your clients more insight into your thought processes. It’s also a good idea to have a photograph of yourself on the website, so people know who they’re working with.

Let Your Clients Know What You Can Do for Them

Show a Clear Benefit for the Client

Spend some time thinking about what your potential client’s needs are and highlight how your services can meet (and exceed) those needs - these are your “Unique Selling Points.” For example, on my website (I’m a freelance writer) I highlight creating copy that builds trust and authenticity with my client’s audience.

Provide Testimonials and Social Proof

Clients don’t just want to rely on what you say on your website, they also want to know what previous clients thought of your freelance services. Source some testimonials from your previous clients and get permission to use them together with their name, position, and photo. Put the testimonials on your website as social proof of the quality of your services.

Don’t Have Too Many Pages

You don’t need to have more than about 6 - 10 pages on your portfolio website. Keeping your website streamlined will make it easier for clients to find what they’re looking for.

Continue reading %Build a Powerful Freelance Portfolio Website that Gets Results%

by Paul Maplesden via SitePoint