Userfocus Usability Newsletter, February 2015

Welcome to the February edition of the Userfocus usability and user experience newsletter!

Message from the Editor

I once read a quotation from Mike Tyson where he said, "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." Although I think Mike Tyson was probably channeling his inner Robbie Burns ("The best-laid plans of mice and men…") I do prefer Tyson's version of this concept, and it often comes to mind when I'm doing a site visit and things begin to unravel. I know this is especially true for people new to site visits who arrive at the location and then freeze in terror. So this month I've written an article answering common questions I hear about field visits and user interviews.

We also have a book review where Ritch Macefield reviews the "Axure RP Prototyping Cookbook" by John Henry Krahenbuhl. Book reviews are a new feature for us, so please let me know if you find it useful.

David Travis

Field visits and user interviews: 7 frequently asked questions

When I run training courses in user research, I get a host of questions that span the range from "What's the difference between a field visit and a usability test?" through to "How do you analyse the data?" Here are my answers to 7 of the most common questions. Read the article in full: Field visits and user interviews: 7 frequently asked questions.

Book review: Axure RP Prototyping Cookbook

Ritch Macefield reviews the "Axure RP Prototyping Cookbook" by John Henry Krahenbuhl. Read the review in full: Book review: Axure RP Prototyping Cookbook.

What we’re reading

Some interesting usability-related articles that got our attention over the last month:

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Online training in user experience

We have three online training courses in user experience. Save money when you purchase them as a bundle.

Axure training

Ritch Macefield is running a 3-day Axure RP course covering Axure Essentials, Advanced Axure and a mobile & responsive web design course on Feb 23-25 in London. He's also running a Masterclass in Axure in Oslo on 13 Feb. You'll find more details on the AX Stream web site.

User Experience quotation of the month

“Your first design may seem like a solution, but it is usually just an early definition of the problem you are trying to solve.” — Luke Wroblewski

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