Understanding User Needs

My colleague Ryan DeShazer was reviewing some User Mental Model Maps today with me. We were both remarking at how well they align user needs to the design process. You know typical digital geek talk. He asked me "how do you align and sort all the data from user interviews?"

You do it through hard work and detailed analysis of dialogues, observations and interviews. It comes down to doing enough research, aligning distinct needs, finding patterns of behavior that begin to drive that insight of what user's challenges are. The topic is vast and detailed and a passion for many of the professionals who do this for a living.

There is a fantastic book called "Mental Models" by  Indi Young on this topic! This is the definitive encyclopedia of creating user -driven maps to better align designs and digital experiences. Highly recommended.