Joe Munko
Joe Munko
Aug 31, 2018 · 1 min read

Thanks Andy!

Yes, I think this is the trap/pitfall to stay away from. If you are just testing a pre-release product with end-users, prior to release, then one could argue you are just conducting UAT: user acceptance testing.

However, if “testing,” I try and think of it not in WHEN it is occurring (which is important) but HOW you are doing it. Flip the mindset to one of testing hypotheses, where the users are the subjects of study and the product is just a stimulus. Do it early and often: the goal is learning not optimizing the product. You’ll get the latter as a natural course, but you may still have your eye on the prize. Learning, by its definition, is timeless and can be re-used!

    Joe Munko

    Written by

    Joe Munko

    Design / User Research Director, Microsoft Research + Insight; Scaling Customer Obession. Views are my own