If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses. (Henry Ford)

 Ah, yes, innovation. Where does it come from? It never seems to result when you simply ask users what they want. They simply don’t know, or would never be able to articulate it if they did. 

Steve Jobs said something very similar: “A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them.” I’ve already covered this elsewhere, so I’d like to try and put this idea in a little different context this time, a context a little closer to a user researcher’s heart.

I often get clients coming to me asking for faster horses. And by that, I simply mean that they ask me for what they already know. Usually, this means a survey, an interview, or a focus group. Everybody’s heard of those, right? 

In this situation, it’s my job to ask questions, to get at what they’re really after, to ignore the how and focus on the what and why. As a result, I will typically be giving them something new and innovative, something that they may never have heard of before. And what I’ll be suggesting to them is a usability test. 

Now, a usability test may not be all that new and innovative – if you’re a user researcher, that is.  For them, though, it definitely can be.

And that brings another thought to mind. We already have so many tools in the toolbox. Why is it so important for researchers to be always coming up with some new method?

Yes, new tools do definitely come along. And it’s super-important to be aware of them, add them to your arsenal, and be able to apply and use them in the right context.

I really do think, though, that innovation in research tools is overemphasized. Why might that be? I guess it’s a combination of not-invented-here-syndrome, looking good at your performance appraisal, impressing the higher-ups, giving your small consultancy a differentiator, wanting to get a publishing credit, etc.

The toolbox, though, is pretty well jam-packed with a number of tried-and-true, absolutely brilliant methods that have already passed the test of time and usefulness across the industry – usability testing itself, remote testing, unmoderated testing, ethnography, card sorts … I think the real skill is in understanding all the available tools, educating your clients on those, picking the right one & doing a bang-up job applying it.

BTW, I find this quote particularly rich coming from Henry Ford. I mean, wasn’t he the same guy who said, “You can have them in any color you want, boys, as long as they're black”?

His real innovations came in the factory

Stop trying to help. You’re making it worse. (Jenny Lawson)

Remember pop ups? Remember the bad old time before pop-up blockers? Man, talk about something that totally shot the user experience.

Well, believe it or not, they’re still around. This time, though, they’re for the site you’re already on. Sign up for our email (which you already get)! Watch this dumb video (about the article you’re already halfway through)! Don’t leave us (though you already know I’ll be back tomorrow)!

They remind me of commercials for the TV channel you’re already watching. What’s the matter – couldn’t you sell any advertising time? Is the content so weak that you think I’ll never be back? Don’t I already watch this channel all the time anyway?

I mean, this sort of thing could be helpful for the user/viewer. Maybe I’m new, and need to know all that you have to offer. Maybe I do want to follow you on social media. Maybe there is related content that I might be interested in.

And, then again, maybe not. My guess is that all these distractions are more helpful for the business than the user. Indeed, it’s a fine line between helping the business and annoying the user.

Unfortunately, it seems this particular issue has also bled from simple marketing into actual functionality. There certainly are a lot of things popping up within software these days that would fit the bill. It seems I can't move my cursor around without a million little things invading my screen – coachmarks, tool tips, little messages, menus …

Take, for example, the MS task bar. If I move my cursor down that way, little pics shows me what’s currently in that particular application. Unfortunately, they stay on the screen until I click elsewhere. (And, whatever you do, don’t click the x in the corner of the pic – it’ll shut that app down.)

While bashing MS, let me also include the Design Ideas that pop up every time I start a PowerPoint presentation. I’ve never used these and doubt I ever will. Could they just not show them? At least let me say “don’t show it to me again” on the first time I see it, and not force me to do so on the second. But, then again, what do you expect from the folks who brought you Clippy?

Now, let’s take a look at some folks I really respect, and whose stuff I use all the time – UserTesting. Par exemple, when I go to the timeline at the bottom of a tape (to go to a certain spot, to make a clip, etc.), I have to move my cursor through something I think they call the “sentiment bar.” It includes what they think are positive or negative comments, shown by little green and red markers. Clever idea, but I don’t really use it, and every time I go down to the timeline, the actual good or bad comments pop up and get it in my way.

Now, this all might seem a little niggly, but for me at least, it’s typically death by a thousand cuts, if not the ol’ Chinese water torture. 

Once again, it seems we’ve got something that’s possibly useful, but really probably just distracting. In a way, it’s really just marketing for the software. I’m marketed to enough already. Please limit your invasions to a minimum in what I once thought was a safe space – the software I use to do my job.

Jenny Lawson turned mom blogging into a career as an author