The Fuzzy Front End Gets Demystified in This Next-Generation User Research Guide

The first phase of the design thinking process is arguably the most crucial, as this is when human insights are leveraged to define value for customers. Yet this so-called "empathize" phase is often deemed optional or is executed poorly. This degrades the entire innovation process that follows by permitting preexisting biases and guesswork that make value creation a precarious bet.

In User Experience Research: Discover What Customers Really Want, a human factors psychologist and an industrial designer have devised a foolproof first phase that addresses the shortcomings of the design thinking process. Based on their forty years of generative research experience in multiple industries, this is the definitive guide to user experience research. This repeatable approach is grounded in six key principles that connects users' desired emotional states to an actionable articulation of an experience. It also provides guidance on creating ideal experience frameworks that communicate clearly with all stakeholders, from business leaders to design practitioners.

User Experience Research: Discover What Customers Really Want is an indispensable, fully illustrated, step-by-step manual for anyone seeking a more predictable pathway to the design of new or improved experiences that users truly desire and would find valuable.

MARTY GAGE & SPENCER MURRELL: Marty, a human factors psychologist and Spencer, an industrial designer, have partnered together over the last thirty years to develop a method to understand people's dreams for the future and translate those insights into actionable and inspirational design criteria. The Ideal Experience method has proven success with Fortune 500 clients in medical products, consumer packaged goods, automotive, consumer electronics, retail, financial services, and business products and services. This book is their legacy to the profession.