Thread by @PavelASamsonov

Differentiating "users want this" from "users might want this" is a vital product function.

Often, PMs mess this up because they turn to "user proxies" (client-facing colleagues: CS, Sales) rather than #UX researchers.

Thread:

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The proxies have a lot of experience with customers, but don't do the same job a researcher does. They don't construct personas, use cases, etc. They rarely document the things that product might need to know. All they can say is "yeah, clients do all kinds of stuff."

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So the product spec ends up trying to cover "all kinds of stuff." PMs drive developers and designers crazy with edge cases. Architectures and scenarios spin out of control.

Involving client-facing colleagues is a great idea, but it can't be where your research *ends.*

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I've had moderate success with training CS specialists to record customer calls in a breakdown report format: what the user wanted to do, what the right way is, what they actually did, how long it took, their expertise lvl, quotes, etc.

But FT researchers are irreplaceable.

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If your team is struggling with doing research, @mulegirl's Just Enough Research (and general research wisdom) are a great place to start. @jmspool and his @UIE also have a series of articles that'll get you rolling.

medium.com/mule-design/it…

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