User Testing To The Extreme
I find Joe, a 60-year-old hospital cafeteria employee, in the food court looking suitably bored out of his mind. Joe agrees to do a user test, so I begin by asking my standard demographics questions about his experience with the internet. Joe tells me he???a never used a computer, and my eyes light up. It???s very rare in San Francisco to meet a person who???s not used a computer even once, but such people are amazingly useful. It???s a unique opportunity to see what someone who hasn???t been biased by any prior usage reacts. I ask Joe if I could interview him more extensively, and he agrees.
I hate computers. Really.