Summary
Susie recounts an experience from about seven years ago when she interviewed people setting up new smartphones. During one session with Rick, a government translator in his late 40s, she noticed his repeated sighs and frown. Expecting a usability issue, Susie asked why he was reacting that way. Rick shared that his sighs were due to recent personal losses, not any product problem. Susie highlights the critical lesson of not jumping to conclusions in research and allowing space for human emotion, illustrating how empathy and patience can preserve dignity and improve outcomes. She refers to Steve, who previously emphasized the importance of seeing users as humans, and recalls Yasmin Khan’s lesson on holding space for discomfort. Ultimately, by understanding users beyond their immediate actions, researchers can better identify real product issues and support users with empathy.
Key Insights
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User emotional expressions during research may not always signal product problems.
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Researchers must ask 'why' rather than assume the cause of observed behavior.
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Allowing space for participants to share feelings can improve research quality.
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Empathy during interviews helps maintain participant dignity and trust.
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Personal life events can influence user reactions in testing sessions.
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Recognizing human complexity is crucial for authentic UX research.
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Brief pauses in sessions to acknowledge users’ emotions enable smoother continuation.
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Unboxing and setup tasks can reveal both usability issues and user emotional states.
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Steve’s emphasis on humans as humans supports a people-centered research mindset.
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Yasmin Khan’s approach to holding space for discomfort is valuable in interviewing.
Notable Quotes
"I noticed you’re frowning a bit and you’ve sighed a couple of times. Can you tell me why?"
"Your brain is shouting, red alert, red alert, there’s some problem I need to find out."
"Rick just had this lingering sadness that crept up on him during quiet moments."
"It was not a signal of any defect or usability issue to solve. It was just this personal moment."
"We passed through this awkward moment. I felt I had rudely probed into this open wound."
"My job was to find out why. Why was he frowning? Why was he sighing?"
"By taking a moment to pause to just let people be people, share a bit of sympathy."
"Steve just talked about humans being humans in a world full of humans."
"The fundamental things apply as time goes by."
"As researchers never assume and always ask why."
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