[IxDA Discuss] Do these companies do user research or utesting?

[Ashim]

I did some net research into the poster companies of web 2.0 some time back
and if they did any intital user studies or testing. Some facts were quite
revealing. Like flickr didnt do any initial usability studies or testing.


http://notelab.infogami.com/startupschool2006


Speaker: Caterina Fake (Flickr)

Q: "What did you do for usability testing?"

    * Almost none, got it out early as Paul also suggested (Paul Graham - he
also spoke at the conference)
    * Flickr Alpha was the usability testing- "put it out with its zits and
blemishes"
    * Heavy monitoring of/posting on their support forums
          - In response to a change in the product: "I had a really
difficult childhood, and this new change you've just made has pushed me over
the edge!"
    * "Users don't have a problem teling you that something really sucks..."



Q: "How did you first start getting some good press? PR firm? How did you
start getting users?"

    * Necessity (Being underfunded) is the mother of invention- blogging /
viral
    * 80% of initial users came due to blogs
    * Alpha-geek reporters started writing articles without talking to them
    * Eventually hired a PR firm- not to generate publicity, but to handle
it
    * The UI evolved organically.
    * Joining a community is like arriving at a party without knowing
anybody- someone should take your coat, serve you a drunk, and rub your feet
( y-combinator take notice :P )


I dont know if this non user testing approach can apply to each new startup
service. Flickr spent almost two years evolving from a game to
photo-sharing. And I think the "release early, release often" mantra loses a
lot of early userbase, who get frustrated by the non-user-friendliness of
the service.

Even del.icio.us didnt do any inital usability study or tests at first. They
hired creativegood <http://www.creativegood.com/> to redesign their
website<http://www.creativegood.com/casestudies/delicious.html>only
after the site became popular.

Do you think this is this a trend thats here to stay ?

Ashim