Comments on: Harness Your Curiosity About What Makes People Tick http://johnnyholland.org/2012/04/harness-your-curiosity-about-what-makes-people-tick/ It's all about interaction Fri, 26 Apr 2013 13:38:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Eddie James http://johnnyholland.org/2012/04/harness-your-curiosity-about-what-makes-people-tick/#comment-118614 Eddie James Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:59:02 +0000 http://johnnyholland.org/?p=16354#comment-118614 This is so true. I have watched many usability sessions and have conducted 100s of my own. I'm often surprised how researchers don't engage with the participant, but treat them in a clinical manner. I take a different approach. To me, it's just a conversation and it's all about them. I want to know what their life is like. What makes them happy. What's on their minds. What are their fears. Will the product I'm testing really solve their problems? I want them to be honest with me. To do that they have to trust me. I'm honestly curious about them and I think that makes participants feel more comfortable. I've had participants voluntarily show me pictures of their kids, pull up blogs devoted to their dogs, even reveal very personal texts that were sent to them. They did this because they wanted to share something that wasn't necessarily in the "script" but related to what we were talking about and they had a real world example that they thought I could use. Being curious about participants definitely gives better insights. This is so true. I have watched many usability sessions and have conducted 100s of my own. I’m often surprised how researchers don’t engage with the participant, but treat them in a clinical manner.

I take a different approach. To me, it’s just a conversation and it’s all about them. I want to know what their life is like. What makes them happy. What’s on their minds. What are their fears. Will the product I’m testing really solve their problems?

I want them to be honest with me. To do that they have to trust me. I’m honestly curious about them and I think that makes participants feel more comfortable.

I’ve had participants voluntarily show me pictures of their kids, pull up blogs devoted to their dogs, even reveal very personal texts that were sent to them. They did this because they wanted to share something that wasn’t necessarily in the “script” but related to what we were talking about and they had a real world example that they thought I could use.

Being curious about participants definitely gives better insights.

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