Observing the User Experience, 2nd Edition

Chapter 14

Others’ Hard WorkPublished Information and Consultants

Not all research must be done from scratch. You can find out about important aspects of your audience without resorting to doing research from first principles. The judicious use of published information and consultants can save time, energy, and (occasionally) money when trying to know your audience and understand how they experience your product. It’s even possible to get information that would not be feasible to collect on your own.

There are a number of reasons for going outside your company walls to acquire audience knowledge. Obviously, you can often save money and time by going to external sources if the information you’re interested in is readily available, but it’s not ...