97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know

97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know

by Daniel Berlin
Released May 2021
Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
ISBN: 9781492085171

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Book description

Tap into the wisdom of experts to learn what every UX practitioner needs to know. With 97 short and extremely useful articles, you'll discover new approaches to old problems, pick up road-tested best practices, and hone your skills through sound advice.

Working in UX involves much more than just creating user interfaces. UX teams struggle with understanding what's important, which practices they should know deeply, and what approaches aren't helpful at all. With these 97 concise articles, editor Dan Berlin presents a wealth of advice and knowledge from experts who have practiced UX throughout their careers.

  • Bring Themes to Exploratory Research--Shanti Kanhai
  • Design for Content First--Marli Mesibov
  • Design for Universal Usability--Ann Chadwick-Dias
  • Be Wrong on Purpose--Skyler Ray Taylor
  • Diverse Participant Recruiting Is Critical to Authentic User Research--Megan Campos
  • Put On Your InfoSec Hat to Improve Your Designs--Julie Meridian
  • Boost Your Emotional Intelligence to Move from Good to Great UX--Priyama Barua

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Table of contents

  1. Preface
    1. Permissions
    2. O’Reilly Online Learning
    3. How to Contact Us
    4. Acknowledgments
  2. I. Career
  3. 1. Boost Your Emotional Intelligence to Move from Good to Great UX
    1. Priyama Barua
  4. 2. Your Worst Job May Be Your Best Learning Experience
    1. Taylor Kostal-Bergmann
      1. Start Small and Focus on Building Trust
      2. Diversify Your Skill Set
      3. Get Organized and Say No
  5. 3. You’re Never Done Learning
    1. Andrew Wirtanen
      1. Make Time
      2. Be Selective
      3. Refine Your Routine
      4. Share
  6. 4. So You Want to Be a UX Consultant
    1. Eva Kaniasty
  7. 5. Master the Art of Storytelling
    1. Reena Ganga
  8. 6. Understand and Speak the Language of Business
    1. Dwayne Hill
  9. 7. Expand Your Network Through Community Involvement
    1. Jen McGinn
  10. 8. Amplify Your Value by Finding Advocates Outside Your Team
    1. Catherine Dubut
  11. 9. Design Mentorship Is a Lifelong Commitment
    1. Kristian Delacruz
      1. Remember that Past Experience Is Valuable
      2. Be a Cheerleader
      3. Build a Lifelong Relationship
      4. Reach Out First
      5. Be Human
  12. 10. Create a Design Portfolio that Gets Results
    1. Shanae Chapman
  13. II. Strategy
  14. 11. User Experience Extends Beyond the Digital Realm
    1. Frances Close
  15. 12. Know the Difference Between Experience Mapping and Journey Mapping
    1. Darren Hood
      1. Let’s Level Set
      2. Alignment and Challenges
      3. Takeaways and Reminders
  16. 13. Design Customer Experiences, Not Features
    1. Gail Giacobbe
  17. 14. Create a Truly Visible UX Team
    1. Sonia V. Weaver
  18. 15. Thinking About the Future Is Important for Any Design Process
    1. Liz Possee Corthell
  19. 16. Implement Service Design in Your Practice
    1. Eduardo Ortiz
      1. Research
      2. Plan
      3. Apply
  20. III. Design
  21. 17. Don’t Forget About Information Architecture
    1. Joe Sokohl
  22. 18. When Prototyping, Consider Both Visual Fidelity and Functional Fidelity
    1. Chris Callaghan
  23. 19. See Beyond the “Average” User
    1. Hillary Carey
  24. 20. Work Together to Create Inclusive Products
    1. Al Lopez
  25. 21. Advocate for Accessibility
    1. Holly Schroeder
  26. 22. Design for Universal Usability
    1. Ann Chadwick-Dias
  27. 23. Inclusive Design Creates Products that Work for Everyone
    1. Christopher S. LaRoche
  28. 24. Define What Your Design Does Not Do
    1. Georgiy Chernyavsky
  29. 25. Use Design Goals to Make Design Decisions Explainable and Defendable
    1. Helmut Degen
  30. 26. Think Synthetically to Design Systematically
    1. Drew Condon
  31. 27. Best and Last Impressions Are Lasting Impressions
    1. Andrea Mancini
  32. 28. Follow These Principles of Gestalt for Better UX Designs
    1. Erin Malone
  33. 29. Use Visual Design to Create an Eye Track
    1. Kevin Lynn Brown
  34. 30. Use Object Mapping to Create Clear and Consistent Interfaces
    1. Tim Heiler
      1. References
  35. 31. Remember the Four Questions of Critique
    1. Adam Connor
  36. 32. Turn Poorly Constructed Criticism into Actionable Feedback
    1. Jesse Nichols
      1. The Big Bad Stakeholder
      2. A Simple Misunderstanding
      3. Tips for Success
  37. 33. Improve Communication and Encourage Collaboration Using Sketches
    1. Anna Iurchenko
  38. 34. Learn the Difference Between UX and UI from a Bicycle
    1. Joe Wilson
      1. UI: User Interface
      2. UX: User Experience
  39. 35. Sell Your Design Ideas with Trust and Insights
    1. Benson Chan
  40. 36. Align Your Team Around Customer Needs via Design Workshops
    1. Shipra Kayan
  41. 37. Embrace a Shared Cadence to Avoid Silos
    1. Christy Ennis-Kloote
  42. 38. Learn to Think like a Missionary, Not a Mercenary
    1. Scot Briscoe
      1. Pitfalls of Mercenary Work
      2. Becoming a Missionary
      3. Stay on the Path
  43. 39. Not All Interfaces Need to Be Simplified
    1. Morgane Peng
      1. Get Familiar with Enterprise Products
      2. Differentiate Business Expertise and Interface Expertise
      3. Find the Sweet Spot
  44. 40. If You Show Something Shiny, They’ll Assume It’s Done
    1. John Yesko
  45. 41. You Can’t Always Help Who You Want
    1. James McElroy
  46. 42. Make Learning a Part of Your Design Process
    1. Michelle Morgan
  47. 43. Design Meaningful International UX
    1. Yingdi Qi
  48. 44. Legacy Product? Imagine You’re Restoring an Old Farmhouse
    1. Christopher Coy
  49. 45. Be Your Own Project Manager
    1. Tripta Kumari
  50. 46. Design for Users, Not Usability Studies
    1. Aaron Parker
  51. 47. Frame the Opportunity Before Brainstorming the Solution
    1. Brian Sullivan
  52. 48. Be Wrong on Purpose
    1. Skyler Ray Taylor
      1. The Wrong Answer
      2. The Right Time to Be Wrong
      3. Don’t Stay Wrong for Long
  53. 49. Create a Lasting Design System
    1. Lara Tacito
      1. Make Your Design System Easy to Use
      2. Create a Process, Not a Project
  54. 50. Your First Idea Is Sometimes Your Worst Idea
    1. Audrey Bryson
  55. 51. Question Your Intuition and Design to Extremes
    1. Navin Iyengar
  56. 52. Design Thinking Workshops Will Change Your Process
    1. Theo Johnson
  57. 53. Visualize Requirements During a Workshop
    1. Kristina Hoeppner
      1. Leave the Spreadsheet Behind
      2. Prepare for and Run the Workshop
      3. Be Brave and Break Away from the Spreadsheet
  58. 54. Put On Your InfoSec Hat to Improve Your Designs
    1. Julie Meridian
  59. 55. On-Brand Whimsy Can Differentiate Your Mobile App
    1. Martha Valenta
  60. 56. Don’t Perform a Competitive Analysis Before Ideating
    1. William Ntim
  61. IV. Content
  62. 57. Design for Content First
    1. Marli Mesibov
      1. The Content-First Mindset
      2. Content-First as a Methodology
      3. Speak to Your Audience
  63. 58. Align Your Tone, Voice, and Audiences
    1. Marino Ivo Lopes Fernandes
  64. 59. Mind Your Error Messages
    1. Jennifer Aldrich
  65. 60. A Shared Vocabulary Can Increase Team Efficiency
    1. Matthias Feit
      1. Coming to Terms with Terminology
  66. 61. Break Your Lorem Ipsum Habit: Sketch with Words!
    1. Emily Roche
      1. Why Lorem Ipsum Doesn’t Help
      2. Here’s How to Sketch with Words
      3. Stronger Starts and Smoother Finishes
  67. V. Research
  68. 62. Always Go for the Why—the Immutable Basis of Great Design
    1. Andy Knight
  69. 63. The Participant’s Well-Being Is Your Responsibility
    1. Danielle Cooley
      1. Pay Attention to Physical Needs
      2. Mental and Emotional Factors Affect the Research, Too
      3. Don’t Be Afraid to Stop the Session If Necessary
      4. Caring for the Participant Is in Everyone’s Best Interest
  70. 64. Diverse Participant Recruiting Is Critical to Authentic User Research
    1. Megan Campos
  71. 65. Build a Culturally Reflexive Professional Framework
    1. Monet Burse Moutinho
  72. 66. Know These Warning Signs of Information Architecture Problems
    1. Kathi Kaiser
  73. 67. Bring Themes to Exploratory Research
    1. Shanti Kanhai
      1. Degrees of Control
      2. The Power of Themes
      3. Define Your Themes
  74. 68. Embrace Your Ignorance
    1. Jon Robinson
  75. 69. Get Past Fear with Users and Design Teams
    1. Julia Choi
  76. 70. Data Alone Does Not Create Empathy—Storytelling Is Key
    1. Kyle Soucy
      1. Like It or Not, You Must Get Comfortable with Public Speaking
      2. What’s the Secret to Being a Great Presenter and Storyteller?
      3. A Word of Caution
  77. 71. Personas with Emotions and Behaviors Are More Valuable
    1. Cindy Brummer
      1. Avoid Weak Personas
      2. Step 1: Start with Data
      3. Step 2: Provide Context
  78. 72. Educate Your Product Team for Successful User Research
    1. Rachel Young
      1. Educate on What Research Can and Cannot Answer
      2. Explain What Research Is and What It Is Not
      3. Encourage Observation with Specific Guidelines
  79. 73. Design Isn’t Just About the Happy Path
    1. Drew Lepp
      1. Why Does This Matter?
      2. Examples of Worst-Case Scenarios
      3. Practical Advice
  80. 74. Deliver Successful Products Through Common Success Metrics
    1. Martina Borkowsky
  81. 75. Bring Rapid User Research Methods to Agile Teams
    1. Bob Thomas
      1. Traditional UX Research Methods
      2. Lean UX Research Methods
  82. 76. Scale Research Through Stakeholder Advocacy
    1. Matt DiGirolamo
      1. Identify Current UX Maturity
      2. Foster Awareness
      3. Set Up Research Frameworks
      4. Push Maturity Forward with Team Ops and Quantification
      5. Research Democratization
  83. 77. Know When and How to Build a Usability Lab
    1. Rich Buttiglieri
      1. When Would I Need a Lab?
      2. How Expensive Is It to Build?
      3. Physical Space Considerations
  84. 78. Talk to Customer Support to See What’s Tripping Up Users
    1. Dave Connis
      1. Renaming a Feature
      2. Practical Application
  85. 79. Be Prepared When Practicing Ethnography
    1. Meena Kothandaraman
  86. 80. Always Do a Test of Your Test
    1. Jacqueline Ouifak
  87. 81. Observed Behavior Is the Gold Standard
    1. Kaaren Hanson
  88. 82. Assess Usefulness and Desirability Early in Product Development
    1. Michael Hawley
  89. 83. Know the Core Elements of Usability Research
    1. Amanda Mattson
  90. 84. Don’t Underestimate the Power of Coworkers as Usability Participants
    1. Daniel Diener
  91. 85. Include Nonusers in Your User Research
    1. Becca Kennedy
      1. Nonusers Can Help Uncover Gaps
      2. Nonusers Can Supplement User Research
      3. How to Include Nonusers
  92. 86. Plan User Research with the Customer Question Board
    1. Julia Cowing
  93. 87. If Designing Survey Questions Were Easy, There’d Be No Garbage Data
    1. Annie Persson
      1. Creating Questions
      2. Wording Questions
      3. Creating Response Options
  94. 88. The Right Screener Sets Up Your Recruit and Research for Success
    1. Katelyn Thompson
      1. Define and Outline Your Criteria
      2. Determine the Method for Asking Your Questions
      3. Write the Screener Questions
      4. Select Your Participants
  95. 89. Know Best Practices for Working with a Recruiter
    1. Ellen Finn
      1. Timeline Management and Recruiter/Client Communication
      2. Participant Confirmation
      3. On-Call Duties
      4. Study Aftermath
  96. 90. You Don’t Need a Lot of Money to Recruit Participants
    1. Thomas Yung
      1. Representative Users and Screeners
      2. Sample Size
      3. Incentives and Compensation
      4. Posting Ads and Screener
      5. Build a Panel Yourself
      6. Final Thoughts
  97. 91. You Need Good Planning for a Diary Study
    1. Mac Hasley
      1. Align Research Questions with a Diary’s Structure
      2. Set a Timeframe that Gathers Insights Before Participants Lose Interest
      3. Choose the Right Tool for Your Goals, Budget, and Timeline
      4. Be Strict in Your Recruit
      5. Decide How Participants Will Log
  98. 92. Improve Usability Testing with Task Cards
    1. Todd Zazelenchuk
  99. 93. Apply the Butterfly Approach to Interviews and Testing
    1. Stephen Denning
  100. 94. Don’t Ask Users to Predict the Future
    1. Ingrid Cruz
      1. Hypothetical Scenarios Produce Unreliable Feedback
      2. The Importance of a Good Research Question
  101. 95. Ask Participants to Tell You What You Don’t Know to Ask
    1. Amanda Rotondo
  102. 96. Leverage Your “Psychologist Voice” for Effective UX Research Moderation
    1. Dan Berlin
  103. 97. Tell the User’s Story via Effective Research Reports
    1. Susan Mercer
      1. Background
      2. Goals
      3. Executive Summary
      4. Methodology
      5. Detailed Findings
      6. Summary
      7. Recommendations
  104. Contributors
  105. Index
  106. About the Editor

Product information

  • Title: 97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know
  • Author(s): Daniel Berlin
  • Release date: May 2021
  • Publisher(s): O'Reilly Media, Inc.
  • ISBN: 9781492085171