Marie Silverstrim, User Experience (UX) Designer

Whether you are observing actions or directly asking, your customers and clients are telling you something. Understanding not only what that is but the why behind it... well, that's what gets you to the good stuff.

And, while it's always a good time to make sure your business goals are aligned with customer needs, Q1 of 2025 continues to remind us that the behaviors we use to understand these needs might not mean what we think they do, or what they once did. Just as possible, new and wonderful opportunities might emerge from this disruption.

As we consider ways to understand existing customers and reach new ones during periods of uncertainty, our guide is Marie Silverstrim, a UX designer who is a master at breaking down concepts and delivering practical advice that is immediately actionable.

Together with Joan Kanner's love of all things survey and Michelle Bond's contextualization of business in the current moment, we wrap up Proofing Stage's third season with an honest-to-goodness bonanza of tools and anecdotes to help you meet your moment.

E.g.:

Good design often goes unnoticed, making it feel invisible
Feedback from users is essential for improving products and services
Surveys and direct conversations can yield valuable insights
Stakeholder opinions can differ from user needs; balance is key
Iterative design allows for continuous improvement and adaptation
The real 'why' behind user feedback is essential for growth

Links

Classic UX 101 books:

Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug

The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman

Other books:

Set Boundaries, Find Peace: A Guide to Reclaiming Yourself by Nedra Glover Tawwab

Burnout by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski

Glossary:

The following UX terms may be found here:

Affordances
Minimum viable product (MVP)
Qualitative
Quantitative
Focus groups
Survey
agile UX
A/B testing

Credits:

Theme Music by Thorn Haze

Additional music by Come On Boy by MondayHopes

Podcast Cover Art by Lisa Orye

Produced by Joan Kanner and Michelle Bond

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