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Early in my work life I had a job on the UI side of things. Watching people use your app behind a 2 way mirror was probably the most illuminating thing ever. U
by zer00eyz 3y ago
Early in my work life I had a job on the UI side of things.
Watching people use your app behind a 2 way mirror was probably the most illuminating thing ever. Users from outside the tech bubble have a very different take from most of the HN set. It influences how the look at, use and think about applications.
You can watch 7 people DO the right thing and then tell you, out loud, that it sucks for the same reason. Every app is filled with problems like this. If you aren't testing with "inexperienced" end users you are likely missing a LOT!!
- garrickvanburen 3y agoFully agree. Early in my career, I ran these sessions.
- Moru 3y agoThis was even covered in our school. Test your program on your classmates, and then the rest of the school. This was way before smartphones though, it had to be in the computer rooms.
- htrp 3y agoIf you're yelling that they're using it wrong, you're doing something wrong.
- progmetaldev 3y agoThis is exactly correct. The software should be adapted to the usage patterns of the users, not for developer ergonomics. If the two happen to align, that's great, but it's a rarity.
- chrisweekly 3y agoYes, this, exactly. Swizec recently wrote about "desire paths": https://swizec.com/blog/architecture-is-like-a-path-in-the-woods/ https://swizec.com/blog/architecture-is-like-a-path-in-the-w...
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- tremon 3y agoIf you aren't testing with "inexperienced" end users you are likely missing a LOT Conversely, if you're only testing with "inexperienced" end users, your app will never become the professional's choice: there's just too many guardrails needed for inexperienced users that get in the way of an expert's workflow.