Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries: User Research War Stories

Description

User research war stories are personal accounts of the challenges researchers encounter out in the field, where mishaps are inevitable, yet incredibly instructive. Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries is a diverse compilation of war stories that range from comically bizarre to astonishingly tragic, tied together with valuable lessons from expert user researcher Steve Portigal. Dedication How to Use This Book Frequently Asked Questions Contents Foreword Introduction 1 The Best Laid Plans Julia Thompson: For Want of a Shoe Alicia Dornadic: Don’t Hate on a Tinkler Dan Szuc: Shanghai Surprise Sean Ryan: Pockets Full of Cash Mary Ann Sprague: Be Prepared George Ressler: Skyfall (or a View to a Kill) Tamara Christensen: What the Hell? Don’t You Knock? Jenn Downs: Burns, Bandages, and BBQ Takeaways 2 Those Exasperating Participants Gerry Gaffney: Right to Be Wrong Leo Frishberg: No, We Really Meant the User Doug Cooke: Knock-Knock! Who’s There? Daria Loi: Researcher Thresholds Patricia Colley: The Hidden Persuader Cordy Swope: A Crisis of Credibility Takeaways 3 Control Is an Illusion Diane Loviglio: Interrupted Interview Elaine Ann: I Thought My Client Was Going to Die Ryan DeGorter: Enthusiasticus Interruptus Nicolas Nova: Do You Want Me to Act? Vanessa Pfafflin: DDoSed in Vegas Elaine Fukuda: They Call Me Mister Takeaways 4 Cracking the Code Gregory Cabrera: Taking Notes, Getting Detained (Sort of) Jon Innes: Beware of Trapdoors David Hoard: Footloose Francoise Brun-Cottan: Black Glances Cast Our Way Francoise Brun-Cottan: Black Glances Cast Our Way Ari Nave: Chicken Run Chauncey Wilson: Secrets, Security, and Contextual Inquiry Erik Moses: (Don’t) Go Toward the Light Takeaways 5 Gross, Yet Strangely Compelling Carla Borsoi: A Dirty Diaper Sitting in the Mud Prasad Kantamneni: Skin in the Game Dennis Nordstrom: Negotiating Between Sympathy and Empathy Brandon Satanek: CATastrophe Gregory Cabrera: Biting Off More Than I Can Chew Takeaways 6 Not Safe for Work Rachel Wong: Subject Matter May Be Inappropriate Debbie Mrazek: Sometimes Ignorance Is Bliss Kelly Braun: Pictures Are Language Independent Carol Rossi: Driving Force Takeaways 7 To Live Outside the Law, You Must Be Honest Lena Blackstock: The Researcher and the Banana Thief Andrew Muir Wood: Victims of the Killer Insight Susan Wilhite: The Trust Dance Raffaele Boiano: The Enemy Employee Nick Bowmast: Diary Studies at Motorway Speed Takeaways 8 The Perils of Fieldwork Jon McNeill: Of Speed and Strip Clubs Jen Iudice: Trust Your Gut, It Can Save Your Life! Lindsay Moore: Sexism in the City Gavin Johnston: It’s 4:00 a.m. Do You Know Where Your Ethnographer Is? Lisa Aronson Fitch: When Rapport Goes Too Far Tom Williams: Go with the Flow Jen Van Riet: Jennie’s Got a Gun Michael B. Griffiths: All About Face (Sichuan Adventures) Takeaways 9 People Taking Care of People Sharon Cartwright: Broken Windows Theory Nancy Frishberg: Look Sharp Ilona Posner: First Stop the Bleeding! Dan Soltzberg: Focus, No Matter What! Rachel Shadoan: Research, in Sickness and in Health Fumiko Ichikawa: Good-bye, Cruel World Apala Lahiri Chavan: Whose Side Is the Researcher On? Takeaways 10 Can’t Stop the Feeling Susan Simon Daniels: A Sigh Is Just a Sigh Whitney Hess: Stories of War Kavita Appachu: Managing Money, Oh Joy! Jen Ignacz: Bad News Turns to Couples Therapy Takeaways 11 The Myth of Objectivity Gregory Cabrera: Culture Shock Raffaella Roviglioni: Learning to Deal with Expectations Marta Guy: On Confronting Judgment Priya Sohoni: Taking Empathy to a Whole New Level Takeaways Conclusion Steve Sato: Finding Mojo in the Moment Index Discussion Guide Contributors Acknowledgments About the Author