Everyday UX Archives – Sarah Doody
Accelerate Failure & Get More Insights In To Your Work
By: Sarah Doody // Get my weekly UX newsletter
On 28, Nov 2017 | One Comment | In Design, Everyday UX | By Sarah Doody
Accelerate failure. It’s a bit opposite from what we’re used to.
Normally, we like to run from failure. We like to do everything we can do to avoid it.
As designers, researchers, product managers, etc. we like to think through everything. We like to take our time, explore our options, and tinker with our ideas.
But what if instead you … accelerated failure?
Is Trying To Perfect The Tech Stopping You From Launching Your Product?
By: Sarah Doody // Get my weekly UX newsletter
On 06, Nov 2017 | One Comment | In Career, Design, Everyday UX, Product Development | By Sarah Doody
I did another experiment last week…
I launched something that wasn’t perfect. But I knew I needed to launch it so I could gather feedback. It was a series of emails. Because I wanted to give the user control, I had a link that people could click if they didn’t want to get those emails any more.
The Sooner You Launch, The Sooner You’ll Have Feedback
By: Sarah Doody // Get my weekly UX newsletter
On 30, Oct 2017 | No Comments | In Business, Everyday UX, Product Development, User Experience | By Sarah Doody
Here’s a quote I love …
Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn once said, “if you’re not embarrassed by your first release, then you launched too late.”
I heard this saying years ago and always share it with my consulting clients. But as with most “sayings” it’s much easier to say than it is to apply.
Why You Should Consider A Radical Transformation
By: Sarah Doody // Get my weekly UX newsletter
On 10, Oct 2017 | No Comments | In Business, Everyday UX | By Sarah Doody
At the beginning of September, I made an important decision …
September would be about one thing: radical transformation.
I normally try and set a goal or intention for each month and kind of forgot all summer. So September was a good time to reset.
The art of compromise in product development
By: Sarah Doody // Get my weekly UX newsletter
On 02, Oct 2017 | No Comments | In Design, Everyday UX | By Sarah Doody
In any project, it’s inevitable that you’ll need to compromise.
You may need to compromise on your timeline, scope of work, or what you do versus what you delegate to others.
But … compromise is really hard! Why? Because we often have a grand vision of what we want something to be. And the longer we’re working on it, the more vivid that vision becomes. Keep Reading >
Launch Your Own Product: My Lessons Learned
By: Sarah Doody // Get my weekly UX newsletter
On 18, Sep 2017 | No Comments | In Business, Design, Everyday UX, Product Development | By Sarah Doody
Want to put your design skills to the test? I highly recommend that you launch your own product. It’s a great way to put to practice things like project management, feature prioritization, identifying and validating a problem, market research, marketing, and more.
I promise, it will be the hardest thing you do. But you will also have a lot of fun, because it’s yours.
The re-design of my product, The UX Notebook website is going well. And yes, I’m trying to practice what I preach and not be my own worst client!
One thing that’s been helpful is that I have a few people working with me on the project, so I’m avoiding the situation of designing this in a silo.
Designing With Lenses: See ideas through a different design lens
By: Sarah Doody // Get my weekly UX newsletter
On 11, Sep 2017 | No Comments | In Business, Everyday UX, Research | By Sarah Doody
What is a design lens? Why is designing with lenses so important in user experience and product development?
As we know, it’s easy to get tunnel vision, to get stuck on your perspective, to design in a silo. Design lenses help us see our product and vet product ideas through different perspectives.
Recently, I’ve been doing this in one project of my own, a re-imagination of the website for The UX Notebook.
When I start any project, I allow myself time to go into research mode. I ask a ton of questions, talk to people, and explore similar products. But I create a deadline for research. Why?
4 Things You Must Do Before You Ask Someone A Question Or Advice
By: Sarah Doody // Get my weekly UX newsletter
On 16, Aug 2017 | No Comments | In Business, Everyday UX | By Sarah Doody
One of my friends, Tami, is a really great communicator. She doesn’t waste time and she gets to the point. A lot of people could think it’s abrasive or cold to receive an email reply from her that’s only a short sentence. But the truth is, she’s simply being smart with her time and not adding clutter to our already busy lives!
Why you must validate your product idea & not build too fast
By: Sarah Doody // Get my weekly UX newsletter
On 31, Jul 2017 | No Comments | In Design, Everyday UX, User Experience | By Sarah Doody
How do you validate your idea? What happens when you don’t validate your idea?
A friend of mine works in sales and has been watching me slowly venture into the world of online courses. While at lunch a few days ago he said that he wants to start doing online courses as well. I immediately blurted out, “you have no idea how much work it is”.
There Are No Shortcuts In UX. But Things Do Get Easier.
By: Sarah Doody // Get my weekly UX newsletter
On 26, Jul 2017 | No Comments | In Design, Everyday UX, Getting Started In UX, User Experience | By Sarah Doody
Newsflash … nothing is an overnight success.
A lot of people ask me for shortcuts in UX. People want to know tricks and the paint by number way to do something. One thing I know for sure is that there are no shortcuts.
I'm Sarah, user experience designer & product strategist. I'm based in NYC but work with clients worldwide.