Cliff Anderson — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 00:43:13 GMT

I have noticed a change over time in the lab. It seems that fewer and fewer users are using site maps. I attribute that to the woeful state of navigation on early sites. Back then, many users didn’t want to be bothered figuring out the navigation scheme by browsing, and used site maps as a shortcut. As navigation has improved, users seem less and less likely to use site maps. The ones I get who use sitemaps today tend to be old hands at the Internet – perhaps remembering their past successes.

Cliff Anderson — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:32:42 GMT

You seem to be talking about two topics here, treating the user with respect and recruiting. I like the way you’ve combined them, but there’s more than one way to accomplish both goals. I, for example, like to work very closely with my recruiter. Sounds like I’ve probably had more luck doing that than most people. It does require work though. I guess I prefer that, though, as it typically doesn’t require as much work for each test.

As for treating the user with respect, my opinion is that if this isn’t 100% obvious to you and you’re not aware of this all the time, you’re in the wrong profession. I find every user that comes in the door absolutely fascinating. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a user who didn’t teach me things. To tell you the truth, I’m in it for the users. If anyone’s not, I’m not sure this is the right job for you.

Boxes and Arrows: Comments by Cliff Anderson