> This is one of the hardest problems in product design.
True, but it is also one of the easiest. We have known for decades that you can get much better products with little effort. E.g., by doing basic user testing with 5 users and then iterating. We did that at a consumer-facing startup in 2010 by getting 5 people off Craigslist every Tuesday, and we learned useful stuff every week. By the following Tuesday, we'd have new things to try out. It worked great. And all of this was old knowledge even in 2010.
Is it true that there are user problems and needs that can't be settled with a quick user test? Sure. There are all sorts of harder problems, with fancier research techniques to match. But given that so few places are even doing the basics, I say we should start there. Just build what (we think) the user needs, and then as soon as possible see if it worked.
True, but it is also one of the easiest. We have known for decades that you can get much better products with little effort. E.g., by doing basic user testing with 5 users and then iterating. We did that at a consumer-facing startup in 2010 by getting 5 people off Craigslist every Tuesday, and we learned useful stuff every week. By the following Tuesday, we'd have new things to try out. It worked great. And all of this was old knowledge even in 2010.
Is it true that there are user problems and needs that can't be settled with a quick user test? Sure. There are all sorts of harder problems, with fancier research techniques to match. But given that so few places are even doing the basics, I say we should start there. Just build what (we think) the user needs, and then as soon as possible see if it worked.