Userfocus Usability Newsletter, January 2013

Welcome to 2013 and to the January edition of the Userfocus usability newsletter.

• Message from the Editor
• Feature article: "I want to speak to my users but they don't want to speak to me"
• What we're reading
• An exciting announcement
• Upcoming training courses
• User experience quotation of the month

Message from the Editor

I normally hit the ground running in the new year, but this year I've been a bit slower to leave Christmas behind. This is partly because I spent most of the holiday planning our new online training course (more information below) so I don't feel I've had much of a break. I hope that you're ahead of me and that you've made a resolution to get closer to your users. If you have, you should start with this month's article where I provide some suggestions for doing just this.

I hope you have a prosperous and enjoyable 2013.

— David Travis

Feature article: "I want to speak to my users but they don't want to speak to me"

Making user experience happen within an organisation requires development teams to start involving users. This can be a difficult prospect for teams who have not engaged with users in the past. Here are 10 suggestions to help you make that first all-important contact with users. Read the article in full: "I want to speak to my users but they don't want to speak to me".

What we’re reading

Some interesting usability-related articles that got our attention over the last month:

• 3 case studies showing how UX is the driving force behind many important (>$1bn) business decisions
• 6 videos on usability testing (mix of serious and fun).
• UX is not UI.
• Documentary exploring the future of Interaction Design and User Experience [18-min video].
• don't confuse engagement with user experience.
• If you design for mobile, Smashing Magazine's new mobile book looks unmissable.

Like these? Want more? Follow us on Twitter.

An exciting announcement

For some time now, people outside the UK have asked us if they can take our courses online. We've been reluctant to offer online training courses because — as you'll know if you've attended any of our courses — we teach practical skills. I used to think classroom-based courses were a more reliable way to achieve this than online training, but recently I've changed my mind. We now think we've discovered an online platform that will allow us to teach people the theory AND the practice of user experience. We expect to launch our first online training course this month. Follow the link if you'd like to hear about online UX User Experience training.

I'm confident that you'll love this course. Just in case, I offer a 30-day, no questions asked, money-back guarantee. So sign up today, it's risk free!

Usability Training: Now Booking

And don't forget about these in-person training courses…

Axure Essentials, Jan 28, London.

Learn how to use Axure to build wireframes and generate HTML prototypes. More information about this training course: Axure Essentials.

Advanced Prototyping with Axure, Jan 29, London.

Learn how to prototype rich internet applications (RIAs) and use the advanced features of Axure RP Pro. More information about this training course: Advanced Prototyping with Axure.

Prototyping mobile interfaces with Axure, Jan 30, London.

Learn how to prototype mobile applications with Axure RP Pro. More information about this training course: Prototyping mobile interfaces with Axure.

Web Usability: An Introduction to User Experience, Feb 11-12, London.

This web usability training course will give you hands-on practice in all the key areas of usability, from identifying your customers through to usability testing your web site with them. More information about this training course: Web Usability: An Introduction to User Experience.

User Experience quotation of the month

“Testing one user early in the project is better than testing 50 near the end.” — Steve Krug.

Hungry for more?

Read previous newsletters.