Understanding Your Users: A Practical Guide to User Requirements Methods, Tools, and Techniques

We all know of products (software, web sites, and web based applications) that are designed without input from the actual end-users. Thanks to a growing awareness of usability and market pressure, product teams now understand the importance of understanding their users and the consequences of poor usability. Now, many development teams incorporate usability into every stage of the product lifecycle-not just in usability testing. By collecting user requirements at the earliest stage of development, you immediately gain an understanding of what users need for their work, how they can improve their work with new systems, and their mental models of their domain. This information is invaluable when trying to create a superior product. User Requirements Gathering is an easy to read, easy to implement, how-to guide on usability in the real world.

Review :
"I wish I'd had this book ten years ago; it would have saved me an awful lot of time. It's the kind of eminently practical guide that I really appreciate, and the case studies are excellent. I highly recommend it! --Steve Krug, author of Don't Make Me Think! A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability "Courage and Baxter propel the reader to the beating heart of user-centered design with this comprehensive and practical compendium of process, methodology and cutting-edge thinking. The techniques they explain so clearly in this detailed and thorough book provide the power to expose the common myth, opinion, and misunderstanding and reveal the authentic nature of the true engine of wealth in the information age: Your users; the people who use your digital systems. --Alan Cooper, Founder & Chairman of the Board, Cooper "Here's a book that could easily become your best friend, whether you're just starting out or are a seasoned professional. Courage and Baxter cover it all, from hard science to ethics to the finest practical details. You'll find a wealth of case studies and instantly accessible answers to sudden questions--"My test subject just refused to be video taped. What do I do?"--along with many valuable techniques that will be new even to seasoned interaction designers and usability professionals, techniques that I began applying immediately in my own work. --Bruce "Tog" Tognazzini, Principal, Nielsen/Norman Group "Effectively gathering and applying user requirements is one of the most critical areas of focus in today's companies. This invaluable resource provides comprehensive and practical guidance on a variety of methods--including strategies, tactics, tips, and templates--enabling readers to more efficiently apply techniques in their own organizations. --Janice Rohn, Vice President, User Experience, World Savings Bank "Modestly presented as a 'how to' book, this work is much more. It helps to consolidate the new field of interaction design by focusing on a common sense approach to user research. This is an immensely practical book with enduring value for the interaction designer and the usability professional. With detailed discussions of seven key methods of study, clear examples, well-chosen supporting case studies, and an assessment of the proper use of each method, Courage and Baxter have provided an intelligent pathway for those new to the field and a reference work for experienced professionals. The added benefit--in effect, illustrating the very philosophy of user-centered design that they advance--is the way the authors have placed usability study in a wider context of what comes before and after one studies users. This is a thoroughly accessible and usable book. It may well become a classic of the field. --Richard Buchanan, Ph.D., Professor, Carnegie Mellon University and President, Design Research Society "In Understanding Users, "Catherine and Kathy give usability practitioners a thorough and practical handbook for conducting user research. They provide details necessary for planning, preparing, conducting, analyzing, and presenting the research for a variety of techniques. Their insights and advice on what to do when something unexpected occurs will be particularly invaluable for those just starting out their careers in user research or those interested in trying out an unfamiliar user research technique. Peppered with checklists, case studies, and practical advice offered in this book, you will immediately increase your ability to conduct user research that yields quality and reliable results. --Pawan Vora, Principal, Inov Information Designs