Author: Ben Rogers

Ben Rogers is a user experience strategist, information architect, whose background is in business analysis and classroom education. He evangelizes research and testing to inform user-centered design on projects that impact the journey of the customer. Data models, taxonomies, and usability testing make him weak in the knees. To discuss these topics, trends, or process find him @rogersblee on Twitter or visit his LinkedIn account.

User-Centered Design Is Everyone’s Responsibility: A Launch Checklist

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I cannot count how many large-scale projects my team has been a part of where we’re scrambling last-minute to take care of some seemingly small but integral task necessary for launch. I’ve talked to others in the web design and marketing industry; my team is not alone in this launch frenzy. But does that make this odd ritual okay or even acceptable?

The risk when things are missed prior to launch

The worst case scenario? Once live, a project stakeholder notices the missteps and calls out the project team, damaging trust, credibility, and ultimately the relationship.

Scratch that.

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Benchmark Your UX at All Costs

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In the user experience (UX) industry, benchmarking is a practice that measures the usability of a website. Benchmarking helps the UX researcher understand the current state of the site so the team can attack problem areas and improve them.

It is very difficult to fix or improve something when you don’t know what is wrong. Imagine taking your poorly-performing car to the mechanic and they ‘fix it’ without running any diagnostics or tests. They may change the spark plugs, rotate the tires, and add a few decals but will most likely miss identifying and addressing the root problem. This is similar to approaching a site redesign without first identifying its problems with real site users.

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