Validating Product Ideas

"I love how this book structures each chapter around a key user research question and an ideal method to answer it. For example, there's a chapter to answer "How do people currently solve a problem?" which Sharon addresses by explaining how to set up and run an observation study.<br/><br/>The book is immediately applicable to practice; I found myself referencing earlier chapters in my daily work before I'd even finished reading. (Although I say "finished reading," and I *did* find it worthwhile to read cover-to-cover, the book's introduction says it's not intended to be read cover-to-cover; rather it's structured so that one chapter guides you through the steps of any particular research project.)<br/><br/>The breakdown in the "who are the users?" chapter of common categories of problems with the phrasing of user interview questions is the best guide I've yet encountered for crafting questions that lead to actionable insights. I'm in the process of using the chapters on "What do the users need?" and "What is the user's workflow?" to set up an experience sampling study and diary studies. The final chapter outlines a process for recruiting participants via social media; I'm looking forward to trying it out as a way of finding participants who aren't already familiar with my organization."