User Research (UR) is essential for building great digital productsyet many leaders like Henry Ford and Steve Jobs said its unnecessary. This article reexamines outdated beliefs while making the case for user research using the SocraticMethod.Illustration: JooCasacaUser Research (UR) should be something we all agree on that is critical to building the best digital products. But its not, and it seems to get more contentious every year. Ive had millions of arguments in my career about user research, and Ive actually argued for and againstit.But now that Im older and wiser, Im 100% aligned that user research is critical for product development.You should be performing User Research for all digital productsnew and existingespecially if those products are externally facing with clients, customers, or the general public. Research provides the critical data you need to make informed product decisions around features, usability, and the wants/needs of your target audience.Youre flying blind without doing any research.Lets start by dissecting some old arguments of brilliant innovators who were against doing User Research, and then Ill share my fool proof argument to help educate and prepare you for the inevitable conversation with leaders who will want to remove User Research to move faster and savemoney.Henry Fords argument against user research: revolutionary vs evolutionary productsHenry Ford, the CEO of the Ford Motor Company, guided the production of the Model T car back in 1908 to be the first affordable, easy to operate, and mass-produced car in America. It was an instant success, and Ford often spoke about developing the Model T without research, saying If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said fasterhorses.What he was saying is that most people cant see beyond the products they utilize day-to-day, except the issues they have with them. Customers would likely ask for improvements to existing technology if you ask them about it (i.e. a faster horse) instead of asking for revolutionary new products.Ford Model T and a horse. Generated using AmazonTitan.Fords argument kinda makes sense,right?The problem with Fords argument is that most of us dont work on revolutionary new products that ordinary people would have a hard time imagining, let alone understanding.Most product companies and teams are incrementally improving or evolving current digital products into something slightly better, but rarely working on anything that could be called revolutionary. Ford happened to live in an era where everything was revolutionary, so his argument made more sense when he said it in the early 1900s. There really wasnt any technology prior to that other than the telephone and steam engine, so every invention was considered revolutionary.source: IDEO Human Centered DesignHandbookEven for people who do have incredible jobs that are building extraordinary innovations, there is Design Thinking that will help guide this development with Human Centered Design. They obviously didnt have this back in the early 1900s, but it exists today. And it involves lots of user research.Steve Jobs argument against user research: consumers dont know what theywantThe other argument is the famous Steve Jobs quote that People dont know what they want until you show it to them. Thats why I never rely on market research. Our task is to read things that are not yet on thepage.This argument also seems pretty straightforward, and is pretty similar to the evolutionary vs revolutionary argument. But the difference here is that this one, is well, uh, utterlyidiotic.Of course people dont know what you want until you show it tothem!Thats exactly what Agile product development and User Research is for, to quickly show your target audience new product ideas that they hopefully want and need. But to ignore User Research and just launch things into the market blindly is essentially the old Waterfall development method, which left a vast graveyard of failed products in itswake.Most innovation happens within startups, and if you look at the success rate of startups then youll realize why innovation is almost impossible without User Research. The fact is 90% of all startups fail, and the #1 reason is because they fail to identify a market for their product and/orservice!source: CBInsightsThat is, startups dont do enough market or User Research prior to designing, developing, and deploying their product. They dive in, spend a lot of time and money creating a product without talking to users, and then launch it into the market only to watch it fail miserably.The only argument you need for user research: buying ahouseThe best way to win arguments about anything is to help people understand it at theirlevel.For example, its a lot easier to prove how extreme the spending is in Congress by simply comparing the federal budget to that of a typical household budget.source: Congressional BudgetOfficeThis tactic is really valuable, because most of the time youll be arguing with a SVP or VP, or maybe even a product manager (PM) who is trying to speed up the process or save money. So you already have an uphill battle trying to prove the value of research.The argument for User Research is simple, and it makes it even more powerful if you utilize the Socratic method, which is named after the Athenian philosopher Socrates who used simple questions to challenges ideas andbeliefs.Elon Musk (CEO of Tesla, SpaceX, X, Neuralink, and Boring Hole) often uses first principles thinkingwhich is a form of the Socratic methodby breaking problems down into fundamental truths and then reasoning up from there. This has helped to propel him to become one of the premier innovators of the 21st century in electric vehicles, space travel, andAI.Heres a simplified view of how to utilize the SocraticMethod:Wonder: Receive what the other person says, listen to their view orpremise.Reflect: Sum up the other persons view and clarify your understanding.Refine & Cross Examine: Ask the person to provide evidence that supports their view. Discover the thoughts, assumptions, and facts underlying their beliefs. Challenge these assumptions to test their validity.Restate: Note the new assumption resulting from yourinquiry.Repeat: Start back at the beginning with the new assumptions.Illustration: JoeSmileyTo help illustrate this, imagine your boss is asking you to remove User Research from a project to save time and money, where youll start by listening to their perspective and determining their assumptions as to why they would prefer to remove User Research.Once youre at Step 3 of the Socratic Method of Redefine and Cross-Examine, youll want to challenge their assumptions that User Research is a waste of time and money. Start by asking your boss if theyve ever lived in house before? Unless youre reading this from the Amazon rain forest, Im hoping that 99% of people youre going to argue with will sayyes.Next, ask them how many houses theyve lived in? Just an estimate is fine. Again, most people will say 23 houses ormore.Continue diving in further, where youll ask them have you ever bought a house before? Most people have bought at least one house, if not a few in their lifetime.source: BankrateThen ask them How did you buy the house? Did you walk up and buy the first house you saw, or did you do some research first on neighborhoods and then look at a lot of houses within a desired neighborhood? Did you use a realtor to help with this research or did you do it all by yourself?And once they admit to getting a realtor, this is where you really dig in Wait, you told me youve lived in houses your entire life and even bought a home before, which means youre a certifiable expert on houses, so why did you pay a lot of money to hire a realtor? Why not walk up to the first one you saw and just buy it? Seems like you wasted a lot of time and money on a realtor when you could have done it yourself, riiiiiight?Hopefully your boss is having an ahamoment.They should understand that while our product design and development team is highly experienced, we still need User Researchers to ensure our products meet customer needs while lowering our risk of developing ineffective and/or unusable features.source: VecteezyMy final key point in the home buying analogy is that many small and mid-sized companies spend the equivalent of a home purchase ($500,000$1,000,000) each sprint on product development salaries and overhead. Larger companies like Google invest billions annually in product development!You wouldnt risk your lifes savings when buying a house, and so why would companies blindly bet millions or billions every sprint on the chance that their product ideas are successful?Its clear that User Research is not up for debateits a foundational practice that ensures digital products are built with purpose, insight, and a clear understanding of your users needs. Dismissing it to save time or money is a short-sighted strategy that ultimately leads to wasted resources and failed products.Ive always loved the Socratic Method because it provides an invaluable tool in advocating for User Research. By guiding skeptics through their own reasoningusing relatable analogies like buying a houseyou can help them realize that research is not an impediment but a catalyst for building better products. Just as no one blindly purchases a home without research and/or a realtor, no company should blindly develop digital products without understanding their users. Always remember the Nielsen Norman formula, UXU = X, where X now means dont doit.source: Neilsen NormanGroupSo the next time someone challenges the need for User Research, dont just argueutilize the Socratic Method to ask questions, lead them to the logical conclusion, and let them see for themselves why research is not optional.Ultimately, the companies that invest in User Research are the ones that create products with real impact while saving time and money in the long run by avoiding unnecessary risks.User Research is not optional: arguing like Socrates will help you prove it was originally published in UX Collective on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.The Google Pixel 7 (5G, Unlocked) is down to $279.99 on Woot for the next three days, or until it sells out. Thats more than 50% off its original $599 price, making this a steal for anyone in need of a flagship phone at a mid-range cost. Google Pixel 7 (5G, Unlocked) $279.99 at Woot $599.00 Save $319.01 Get Deal Get Deal $279.99 at Woot $599.00 Save $319.01 The deal is available in the Snow color, and Prime members get free standard shippingeveryone else pays $6. Woot wont ship to Alaska, Hawaii, PO boxes, or APO addresses. Also, this is backed by a 90-day Woot Limited Warranty, not Googles standard coverage. But considering this phone was PCMags Best Android Phone of 2022, it still holds up well in 2024, especially at this price.The Pixel 7 is built for those who want a smooth, no-nonsense Android experience. It has a 6.3-inch OLED display (2,400 x 1,080 pixels) with a 90Hz refresh ratenot the 120Hz youll see on pricier models, but still much smoother than a standard 60Hz screen. The build is recycled aluminum, which is nice for the eco-conscious, and its covered in Gorilla Glass Victus on both sides, giving it solid durability. It also meets an IP68 rating, meaning it can handle dust and water without worry. Internally, the Tensor G2 chip and 8GB RAM make everyday tasks feel incredibly fluid. The 256GB storage is generous, though theres no microSD slot, so what you see is what you get. Battery life isnt top-tier, but its 4,355mAh battery should last about 12 hours with moderate to high usage. It supports 30W wired charging, Qi wireless charging, and even wireless battery sharing for accessories, notes this PCMag review.Where the Pixel 7 really shines is its camera setup. The 50MP main camera and 12MP ultra-wide lens deliver some of the best photos youll get on a phone at this price. It has optical and electrical image stabilization, making shots sharper even in low light. Googles software tricksMagic Eraser, Night Sight, Motion Mode, and Face Unblur (among others)make a noticeable difference, giving your photos a professional touch with minimal effort. The 10.8MP front camera is great for selfies and video calls. On the connectivity side, its packed with 5G connectivity, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and GPS, ensuring youre covered for fast speeds and seamless connections.

There are times when eggs are non-negotiable in a recipelike egg drop soup or quichebut when eggs play a minor role, then why not use a replacement? Egg wash is a prime example. Using it adds color and shine to finished baked goods like dinner rolls and pies, but when eggs are selling at a premium price, its hard to justify using an egg wash at all.Finding a good egg wash alternative isnt only useful for saving a buck, but it can be a handy back-up even when eggs are plentiful. Theres always the occasion where you just ran out, or you have folks coming over that are on egg-free diets. After some browsing on the internet, butter, mayo, milk, heavy cream, maple syrup, and sour cream seem to be the common substitutes. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann I whipped up a batch of my favorite biscuits and painted them with different finishes so I could compare them after baking. You can see in the picture above that there are eight biscuits. In addition to the six alternatives I mentioned, I did one with actual egg wash so we can track what we're striving for, and one with absolutely nothing on it as a control.25 minutes later, the results were in and I was actually pretty surprised. Each topping produced a different result; some more obvious than others. When egg wash is used as a topping (as opposed to a binder), its primary function is to impart color, shine, and leave no trace of flavor, so that's what I was looking for. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann Here are the results from top left to right, and bottom left to right.Egg wash: Goal browning and shineSour cream: Best browning, high gloss (outshined the egg)Heavy cream: Light browning, a slight shineWhole milk: Well-browned, slight shineNo wash: Light browning, matteMaple syrup: Well-browned, no shineMayonnaise: Medium browning, medium shineButter: Light browning, no shineHands-down, the winner was sour cream. Dare I say it performed even better than the actual egg wash. (I tried to capture the blinding shine in the picture below.) The color of the baked sour cream coated biscuit was a beautiful dark brown, and the shine surpassed even the egg wash standard. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann Runners-up were mayonnaise and whole milk for their middle-of-the-road performance in both categories. For a vegan option, maple syrup imparted gorgeous brown coloring, but it had a decidedly un-shiny finish and it leaves behind a subtle sweet flavor (which might be good or bad depending on your preferences).Butter turned out the worst performance. I would be sad, but Ive been fooled by butter before so I was expecting the disappointment. On both counts, the finish paled in comparison to its competitors. Butter aside, at least you have some options for the next time you make a batch of biscuits, rolls, pastries, or pies. Save the eggs for when they matter most.

Following years of development, Amazon's next-generation digital assistant is ready for public use. Panos Panay, Amazon's senior vice president of devices and services, demoed Alexa+ at the company's 2025 devices event.The model powering Alexa+ can detect tone and mood and respond accordingly, with a completely new voice one that sounds more natural. Moreover, it's only necessary to say "Alexa" once to wake the assistant. It will then follow the conversation. Panay said Alexa+ has contextual awareness, with the ability to "remember" earlier parts of a conversation. "There's no more Alexa speak" with Alexa+, Panay said. "You can have almost any conversation that intimidation factor of AI is gone."In one of the more impressive demos Amazon showed off, Panay asked Alexa+ to play a song without actually naming it properly. "What's the song Bradley Cooper sings.. it's like a duet?" Alexa+ correctly answered "Shallow," said he sang it with Lady Gaga in A Star is Born.Panay then asked Alexa to "move" the music to the "right side of the room," and the assistant properly identified the correct speaker and played the music there. According to Panay, it will even understand requests like "play the music everywhere but don't wake the baby." In that case, Alexa+ will be able to reason that it shouldn't cast the music to the nursery.Developing...This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/alexa-is-a-smarter-more-conversational-ai-version-of-amazons-digital-assistant-154349563.html?src=rss

The UKs Climate Change Committee (CCC) has advised the government to ensure half of all homes in the UK have heat pumps electric replacements for gas boilers by 2040 as part of its Seventh Carbon Budget to reach net zero by 2050. It also recommended making four out of five cars electric.The UKs carbon budgets are intended to help it achieve a balance between the greenhouse gasses it produces and how much is taken out of the atmosphere. Besides switching to electric cars and heat pumps and moving away from fossil fuels, the CCC added that reducing consumption of meat and dairy would also help. Although the UK government isnt bound to accept the CCCs guidance, doing so makes the carbon target legally binding. The government can decide how it wants to hit the goal.The UK has been pushing for heat pumps since 2021, especially ones powered by hydrogen. Engadget senior editor Dan Cooper also broke down how difficult it was for him to completely eschew natural gas in 2022, citing how expensive it was to install a heat pump even with government discounts. While technology is rapidly becoming more efficient, the CCCs plans arent guaranteed to work.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/half-of-uk-homes-will-need-heat-pumps-by-2040-to-hit-climate-goals-151406654.html?src=rss

Auto-color granted its operators full access to compromised endpoints, allowing them to run malware remotely, and more.

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Amazon has been working for years to overhaul Alexa with generative AI features as it faced rising competition from OpenAI's ChatGPT and other chatbots.

Super Micro also filed results for the first two quarters of the fiscal 2025 year and said it has "regained compliance" with Nasdaq requirements.

For transgender students involved in a very special project at a culinary school in Pakistan, there is more to a class than just learning the art of cooking.Neha Malik used to dance at parties and weddings for a living and was, occasionally, a sex worker. Since January, she has been enrolled in a new course for the trans community at the Culinary & Hotel Institute of Pakistan.The free six-month program in the city of Lahore, Pakistans cultural capital, welcomed its first group of 25 trans students in January; the second group of 25 began training on February 1.Now, Malik, 31, dreams of working as a chef in Dubai, the futuristic, skyscraper-studded city in the United Arab Emirates.She never misses a class. I am so absorbed in learning that I dont have time to dance anymore, she added.Many Pakistanis have entrenched beliefs on gender and sexuality, and trans people are often considered outcasts in the conservative Muslim-majority country. Some are forced into begging, dancing, and even prostitution to earn money. They also live in fear of attacks.The U.N. development agency said last year that the majority of trans people in Pakistan reported experiencing violence or abuse and that most reported being denied employment opportunities because of their gender identity. Just 7% were employed in formal sectors, the UNDP added.Trans women in public office and the media have raised awareness about a marginalized and misunderstood community, and overall, the community has seen some progress in the protection of their rights.Supreme Court rulings allow them to self-identify as a third gender, neither male nor female, and have underscored they have the same rights as all Pakistani citizens.Last year, Lahore got its first ride-sharing service for trans people and women in an effort to protect them from discrimination and harassment, and in 2022 Pakistan launched a hotline for trans people.Society usually looks down on us, said Malik. We have to change this mindset. Now, people come up to me and ask what I do when they see me in a chefs coat and hat.Since classes started, students file into the Lahore culinary school with backpacks and beaming smiles, swapping their colorful clothes for white uniforms.However, its a struggle. They each get a monthly stipend of 8,000 rupees, around $26nowhere near enough to live on as a student.How can we survive on that when my rent is 15,000 rupees? said 26-year-old Zoya Khan. Her utility bills swallow up most of it, she said.So she performs at a few events a month.I used to earn a decent amount (from dancing), I wont lie, she added. But there was no respect in it.Why do we come here? Its because we see hope, said Khan, who wants to start her own business after graduatinga roadside cafe.Nadia Shehzad, the institutes chief executive, said the project will help the trans community, a rejected and ignored sector of society get equal recognition.The school is trying to get government officials to help the aspiring chefs with visas to go abroad for work, Shehzad said. There are also talks with local hotels and restaurants about jobs once the students graduatewith wages of up to 30,000 rupees, or about $107.Still, its not easy for for trans people to leave behind dancing, begging and sex work for the culinary program, said Shabnam Chaudry, a trans community leader.Many wonder if society would give them workor if people at restaurants would eat food cooked by trans chefs.In the past, Chaudry said she had seen many trans people taking makeup and sewing courses, only to fail to find jobs afterward and be forced to return to begging and dancing to survive.She is also concerned about their prospects of finding a job: Pakistan has hundreds of thousands of young people with skills and degrees who cannot find work.In the face of this tough competition, who will give jobs to trans people, Chaudry asked. People are not ready to shake hands with us.Babar Dogar, Associated Press