3 minutes
Read "When and Why To Start a Hardware User Research Program" to learn how hardware user research can help you create an inclusive, commercially successful product that people use, love, and remember.
7 minutes
Chief Research Officer John Dirks explains why you should conduct hardware UX research early and often.
7 minutes
Blink is unique for applying our user research processes and approaches to both hardware and digital experiences. Some of the most complex and engaging digital experiences go hand in hand with specific hardware, and some of the most exciting hardware is useless without a visionary digital experience.
8 minutes
What do we mean by remote research? When is remote research the right choice? What are some tips for dealing with the challenges that come along with this approach?
2 minutes
We are increasingly using smartphones, tablets, and music players in our work and lives, and there are hundreds of thousands of applications currently available for download. At Blink, we regularly conduct mobile application usability testing for different clients who are optimizing their websites for mobile use or designing new apps.
4 minutes
Even people with considerable power — owners, CEOs, board chairs — are often reluctant to have the tough talks that are required for them to achieve the outcomes they desire.
5 minutes
The human brain is not wired to have an "on" and "off" switch for work and play—and operating as if it were will deplete one’s energy and creativity.
4 minutes
From chatbots to intelligent assistants, conversation interfaces are changing the way that people interact with their computers, and designers have a unique opportunity to shape this medium at the ground level. Like all emerging tech, best practices are still being developed, but here at Blink we’ve had the opportunity to design a few of our own and learned a lot along the way.
5 minutes
Working as a visual designer, I've learned to use moodboards to successfully pitch concepts to our internal team and clients. Moodboards are more than selecting images that specify type, color, texture, etc. At a higher level, a moodboard should express specific feelings and attributes.
3 minutes
Incorporating analytics into UX processes and research methods can add value in many ways. Project teams should use a combination of different data types to consistently measure data (in the wild) about usability and user behavior.
6 minutes
Thinking of working with a user experience (UX) design firm? You may not know where to start.
6 minutes
We often perform tests on digital devices such as mobile phones, tablets, and computers. However, there are times when we need to observe user behavior that extends beyond a screen – and this always excites us!
10 minutes
Smart homes. IoT. Connected devices. VR. What happens when buzzy, emerging technologies begin to infiltrate the everyday? Will consumers face a frustrating gunfight-style showdown with new products, or will they discover a frictionless setup process and experience a product that enhances their life? It all depends on how much effort you put into UX.
8 minutes
Here are five key UX opportunity areas healthcare systems are looking at for improving the patient/provider experience.
10 minutes
I decided to look at some of the big names in airlines to better understand how well they support users trying to book a flight through their mobile apps (full disclosure, Blink has done work for both Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines).
7 minutes
Here are three tips to embrace the constraints and keep UX research as a fundamental part of Agile.
3 minutes
You may wonder what situations are best suited for intercepts and how one would successfully accomplish this type of research. Well, look no further, we have put together an intercept field research guide covering the basics.
7 minutes
Here are some things we've learned during enterprise projects about navigating complexity, collaborating with stakeholders, and handing design off to development teams.
6 minutes
Here are five things we think about, discuss, and practice when we're working in the domain of hardware and natural user interfaces (NUI).
6 minutes
If you're looking for a new UX partner to help you move your product or business forward, here's where to start.
8 minutes
The number of products with a voice component grows daily – just look at the recent announcements of Google Home, the Amazon Echo Dot, and Samsung’s acquisition of Viv. Yet it’s hard to find examples of design tools and artifacts in the voice UX space.
4 minutes
The best UX professionals and teams have a diversity of skills in their arsenals that they use to research, design, and communicate effective design decisions.
7 minutes
We set design objectives for creating engaging products that will keep a user’s attention, encourage task completion, and be enjoyable to use. However, of those objectives, we find “enjoyable to use” the hardest to design for and measure. This is in large part because humans perceive experiences differently – what one person thinks is clever and clear, someone else may see as complex and opaque.
6 minutes
At Blink UX we perform qualitative research to inform the design of digital products. Focus groups are a familiar form of qualitative consumer research. But while the focus group has a place in our research methods toolkit, we rarely pull it out. Why is that?
