kclem's review against another edition
5.0
I wish I had found this book 5 years ago. Instead, I have spent 1/2 a decade learning to convert academic research experience into product/ux research. This is one of those books I will keep handy for the rest of my career as I mentor others in conducting product research. It is a short, to-the-point, pragmatic guide for anyone looking to bring the benefits of research into real-world contexts.
velenchew's review against another edition
3.0
A clear illustration on the importance of research before design and the difficulty in real work environment persuasion to convince the importance of research.
tamysfonti's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
4.5
Great book, the first one in 2023 (01/04). To any professional that wishes to pursue a career as a researcher, although, obviously, the book focuses on technological areas.
With the constant growth of the user experience field, this books is a must so that UX professionals know when they have reached an acceptable amount of data, while how to achieve them and which tools to use.
With the constant growth of the user experience field, this books is a must so that UX professionals know when they have reached an acceptable amount of data, while how to achieve them and which tools to use.
a_solitary_bear's review against another edition
For me it was a good introduction to research, but skewed too heavily on the domain of technological design. I should have known this, coming from A List Apart, but the vague details on their web site were enough for me to dive in. I'm glad I did, and I achieved what I wanted from this book, which was to understand research and how I might apply it to an upcoming presentation I am preparing.
meghanarnold's review against another edition
5.0
NOTE: the UX design folks at Goodreads should probably read this book and then ask their users about how to properly record which edition they read (I read the Second Edition...but now I think Goodreads has me reading this about 5 times).
I am not a "business book person", but Erika Hall writes for people who aren't. People like me that just want to do their jobs better and maybe bang their head against the wall a little less each day. As someone who works in more of a marketing role, but as a consumer appreciates nothing more than a functioning app or website, this book was an excellent read about how the sausage gets made and gives me some tools/language to understand what research is and isn't and how to support my colleagues trying be successful with the "is". Also, let me just say that if my stats class in college used centaur analogies, I would be a much different person today.
I am not a "business book person", but Erika Hall writes for people who aren't. People like me that just want to do their jobs better and maybe bang their head against the wall a little less each day. As someone who works in more of a marketing role, but as a consumer appreciates nothing more than a functioning app or website, this book was an excellent read about how the sausage gets made and gives me some tools/language to understand what research is and isn't and how to support my colleagues trying be successful with the "is". Also, let me just say that if my stats class in college used centaur analogies, I would be a much different person today.
mcleodtc's review against another edition
5.0
A surprisingly thorough if not often humorous overview of design research as a practice. Will definitely be referencing this on and off in the future. A perfect addition to any designer’s collection of resources.
tkadlec's review against another edition
5.0
In typical A Book Apart fashion, Just Enough Research is one you'll want to keep nearby so that you can go back to it frequently. Erika manages to pack a ton of information into a small package (154 pages!) without making it a chore to read.
This book should be on the shelf of anyone involved in building websites.
This book should be on the shelf of anyone involved in building websites.
puzumaki's review against another edition
4.0
It's detailed about the full process and the common methodologies used throughout the process of gathering user input for a project.
It didn't have what I thought it would based on discussions with colleagues (onboarding administration), but it has what one would expect it to have based on the title (research techniques).
And frankly, "just enough research" is a TON of research. I cannot say I've ever done this amount of research for a project, and I'm not sure if that's a reflection of my work or a reflection of how intense the suggested process in this book is. Perhaps the next substantial project will attempt to utilize all the tools Hall recommends. I have a feeling that onboarding my administrators to investing that many resources could result in an extensive chapter on said topic in a second edition of this book...
It didn't have what I thought it would based on discussions with colleagues (onboarding administration), but it has what one would expect it to have based on the title (research techniques).
And frankly, "just enough research" is a TON of research. I cannot say I've ever done this amount of research for a project, and I'm not sure if that's a reflection of my work or a reflection of how intense the suggested process in this book is. Perhaps the next substantial project will attempt to utilize all the tools Hall recommends. I have a feeling that onboarding my administrators to investing that many resources could result in an extensive chapter on said topic in a second edition of this book...