Finding Fire from Smoke — Advocating for UX in Post-Launch Activities

When a building is engulfed in smoke, it is not always apparent where the fire’s source is. When there are no visible flames, where do firefighters start the battle? How do they know where to place the engines, the pumpers, and the hoses? 

Developers and site owners often have a similar issue. They can see the smoke — low engagement metrics, abandoned and incomplete workflows, console and stack trace errors — but they can’t always locate the fire. User Experience (UX) research can find its source, determining the scale and source of a problem by its symptoms. When analytics and error logs can’t help, teams should turn to UX tools like heuristic audits, user journeys, heatmaps, surveys, and interviews. 

This session will help developers and marketers identify situations where UX skills can effectively pinpoint the root of a problem. We will use examples from the real world, take questions from the audience, and give you the skills to advocate for UX when the customer’s problems are raising smoke with no clear indication of fire.