Why governments need hack days by Amy Whitney.
Amy describes a hackathon at the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency) and it includes this jewel on user input:
First they went to talk to others into the DVLA to fully understand the problem. Then they went out onto the street to talk to real users about their needs. In some cases the results were eye-opening and unexpected. User research is a team sport, and users are a crucial part of that team. Guessing user needs doesn’t work. (emphasis in original)
I would emphasize: Guessing user needs doesn’t work.
Are you guessing user needs or do you have some other method to establish their needs?
I first saw this in a tweet by Mark Hurrell.
PS: Would “Guessing user needs doesn’t work.” also apply to FOL? 😉