Boagworld: UX, Design Leadership, Marketing & Conversion Optimization

We're back with another episode of Boagworld, the longest-running web design podcast in the world. Well, maybe we took a bit of a holiday, but who's counting? In this week’s show we discuss the dangers of perfectionism, the pros and cons of AI platforms and why empathy is the key skill for UX professionals.

However, I kick off the show with a little adventure I had recently. I took a detour during a shopping trip to try out the new Apple Vision Pro. Now, I need to caveat my comments by setting some expectations:

1. It's not £3000 amazing (but when has that stopped us from buying Apple products before?)
2. It's a bit heavy and can leave you feeling hot and sweaty

Despite those caveats, it's absolutely mind-blowing technology. The immersion level is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. Watching movies? Better than the cinema. Working with multiple screens? It's like being surrounded by your own personal command center.

The demo experience itself was slick, albeit a bit too "American" for my British sensibilities. But the potential? Yep, its definitely there. I’m not saying I’ll buy it right away (there may or may not be a £5 bet riding on this), but version 2? I might just be tempted.

Now for the app recommendations I shared in this show. There are many AI tools available, so I want to share the ones I find most useful for my work and their specific applications:

1. ChatGPT: Still a solid choice, especially for analyzing data sets. Got a bunch of usability testing results? Feed them to ChatGPT and watch it work its magic.
2. Claude AI: This one's become my go-to for most tasks. Why? It's got a massive memory (I uploaded an entire book and it only used half its capacity!) and a feature called "projects" that lets you customize its knowledge base.
3. Perplexity: Perfect for those of us who love to make sweeping generalizations without any data. Just ask it for statistics to back up your random opinions, and it'll give you references you can actually check!

Remember, these tools are great for research, brainstorming, and getting a starting point. But always double-check the results - we're not quite ready to hand over the keys to Skynet just yet.

This week’s advice might be considered a bit of a hot take (as the kids say): perfectionism is overrated. Instead of constantly striving for the absolute best, we should aim for "good enough."

Why? Well, perfection is subjective and often impossible to achieve. Plus, it can lead to:

• Over-engineering
• Unnecessary costs
• Procrastination
• Inflexibility

The key is to balance quality with practicality. As long as it meets user needs and business goals effectively, it doesn't need to be any better than that. Remember, a product that's in the world is infinitely more valuable than a perfect idea that never sees the light of day.

Of course, this doesn't mean we should cut corners or produce shoddy work. It's about finding that sweet spot where the product is effective and efficient without getting bogged down in endless revisions.

I stumbled upon a great article about empathy in UX design, and it really struck a chord with me. Empathy isn't just a nice-to-have skill; it's absolutely essential in our field.

Whether you're a marketer, salesperson, designer, or even a developer, the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes is crucial. It helps you:

• Understand your users better
• Connect with colleagues and stakeholders
• Create more effective products and experiences

From a career perspective, focusing on empathy is a smart move. Unlike technical skills that can become outdated, empathy is always in demand. As you move up the ladder into management roles, those "soft skills" become even more important.

So how do you improve your empathy skills? It partly comes with age and experience, but you can also:

• Interact with a diverse range of people
• Listen more than you speak
• Practice putting yourself in others' positions

Remember, being empathetic isn't just good for your career - it makes you a better person overall. And in a world that sometimes seems to be lacking in empathy, that's more important than ever.

In our increasingly digital world, it's easy to forget the importance of human connection. Marcus’ has noticed a trend of "ghosting" in professional communications - people not responding to emails or messages, even when a response is expected.

This lack of basic courtesy isn't just rude; it's also short-sighted. You never know when that person you ignored might become a valuable contact in the future. A simple "thanks, but no thanks" can go a long way in maintaining professional relationships.

The same principle applies to user research. While remote testing tools are convenient, there's no substitute for face-to-face interaction with your users. It helps you build a deeper understanding and empathy for the people you're designing for.

We couldn't leave you without our traditional joke. So:

What did the drummer call his twin daughters?
Anna One and Anna Two!

Ba dum tss! (See what we did there?)

That's all for this episode. Until next time, keep designing, keep empathizing, and most importantly, keep laughing at Marcus’ terrible jokes!

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Guess who's back? That's right, the Boagworld Show has returned after a five-year hiatus! We're thrilled to be back in your earbuds, bringing you the longest-running podcast about digital services and all things web-related.

Well, to be honest, we missed hanging out with each other and chatting about the ever-evolving digital landscape. But more importantly, Marcus realized that his knowledge was getting a bit rusty without our regular podcast discussions. So, in a way, this is a selfish endeavor to keep ourselves sharp!

But don't worry, we haven't been twiddling our thumbs for the past five years. We've grown and evolved along with the industry. While we used to focus on simple web design topics back in 2010, we've now expanded the show to cover areas like:

• User experience design
• Conversion optimization
• Digital marketing
• Leading digital teams
• Running agencies and freelance businesses

So whether you're a UX specialist, marketer, content guru, team lead, or agency owner, we've got something for you!

In this episode, we dove deep into the world of usability testing. We've come a long way from the days of traditional in-person testing (remember those?). Now, we're all about embracing a variety of tools and techniques to get valuable user insights.

• Unfacilitated Testing: We're big fans of tools like Maze for this. It's great for getting quick insights on whether users can complete tasks, but remember – it won't tell you why they're struggling.
• Surveys: Perfect for diagnosing problems and understanding user perceptions. We like to mix these with usability tasks for a well-rounded view.
• Top Task Analysis: Essential for nailing your information architecture. Tools like UserReports are great for this.
• Card Sorting and Tree Testing: Ideal for refining your site structure. We've been loving UX Metrics for these tasks lately.
• First Click and Five Second Tests: Great for quick insights on navigation and first impressions. Lyssna is our go-to tool for these.
• Heat Maps and Session Recordings: Microsoft Clarity is a fantastic (and free!) tool for this. It's amazing for spotting issues like dead clicks and rage clicks on live sites.
• A/B Testing: While it's gotten pricier since Google Optimize bit the dust, there are still some affordable options out there.

• Lyssna: Perfect for quick tests on mockups. Great for settling debates about design effectiveness.
• UX Metrics: Our favorite for card sorting and tree testing. User-friendly and budget-friendly – what's not to love?
• Attention Insight: This AI-powered tool predicts where users will look on your designs. It's like a spell-check for designers!

We couldn't resist sharing some articles that have caught our eye recently:

• "Why I Can't Convince Executives to Invest in UX (And Neither Can You)" by Jared Spool: A classic that reminds us to speak the language of our stakeholders.
• An article on using AI to enhance user feedback analysis: Perfect for those drowning in card sorting data or survey responses.
• My very own article in Smashing Magazine about lightweight user research and testing: I break down how to fit user testing into any project, regardless of budget or timeline.

We've got a fantastic Slack community where we chat about all things digital (and occasionally just say good morning to each other). If you want to join the fun, head over to boagworld.com/slacking and sign up. Don't be shy – we promise we're a friendly bunch!

We couldn't possibly end the show without a classic dad joke. So, here goes:

Q: What's the stupidest animal in the jungle? 
A: The polar bear!

(We know, we know. We'll work on improving our joke game for the next episode.)

And there you have it, folks! We're back, we're (slightly) wiser, and we're ready to dive into all things digital with you every two weeks. If you enjoyed the show, spread the word and help us rebuild our audience. We've missed you all, and we can't wait to chat again in two weeks!

Until then, keep designing, optimizing, and making the web a better place!

Find The Latest Show Notes

You can find more information on the return of the show here.

Find The Latest Show Notes

You can find a complete transcript of this week's show, as well as all of the links mentioned, by going to: https://boagworld.com/season/lean-ux/episode/how-to-become-a-good-ux-designer/

Find The Latest Show Notes

You can find a complete transcript of this week's show, as well as all of the links mentioned, by going to: https://boagworld.com/season/lean-ux/episode/managing-ux-projects 

Find The Latest Show Notes

You can find a complete transcript of this week's show, as well as all of the links mentioned, by going to: https://boagworld.com/season/lean-ux/episode/post-launch

Find The Latest Show Notes

You can find a complete transcript of this week's show, as well as all of the links mentioned, by going to: https://boagworld.com/episode/test-during-a-website-redesign/

Find The Latest Show Notes

You can find a complete transcript of this week's show, as well as all of the links mentioned, by going to: https://boagworld.com/season/lean-ux/episode/design-approval/

Find The Latest Show Notes

You can find a complete transcript of this week's show, as well as all of the links mentioned, by going to: https://boagworld.com/season/lean-ux/episode/prototyping/

Find The Latest Show Notes

You can find a complete transcript of this week's show, as well as all of the links mentioned, by going to: https://boagworld.com/episode/create-wireframes/

Find The Latest Show Notes