04 Oct There’s No Express Auto Lube for UX

If you’re a car owner, taking your car in for an oil change is like a game of Russian roulette.

You think you’re getting the $25 special, but after the courtesy check, the mechanic comes over to you looking pensive, clipboard in hand. He sits down and gives you the tough news: your tires are bald and your brake pads are worn to the minimum thickness. All of a sudden your $25 trip has now become a very expensive trip.

You’re on the verge of crushing your latte cup after hearing the news, but you realize he’s not trying to ruin your weekend, he’s trying to keep you and your car safe on the road. Begrudgingly, you sign off on the repairs.

I imagine this feeling is similar when we bring up topics like research or user testing with clients.

“How much is this going to cost?”

“I think I know my MVP–why is this necessary?”

Simply answered, it’s not until we research and test that we can actually validate both the client and the designers’ assumptions. Prior to this, we don’t know if our “tires” or our “brakes” are any good.

There is no express test station for UX. We can’t hook your app or software up to a machine and give it a quick audit. We can’t print out a “pass” certificate in ten minutes.

The reason this is the case is because we are dealing with user emotions. We are dealing with people so it’s worth putting a prototype into human hands.

There is a familiar saying in the UX field: test early and test often.

So many times I go to Meetups and events, hearing from designers that their respective places of work don’t really do research or testing. I shed a tear into my complimentary beer for this common gripe and thank my lucky stars that’s not the case at our studio. I have heard from designers who have never had experience doing research and testing because of this.

Much like that car in the shop, testing and research will save the stakeholder from even more costly repairs down the road or worse: total failure.

Many apps fail. Many apps are downloaded and only opened once.

So, trust your UX mechanic, a thorough check up will save your wallet and your product in the long run.