Why use extreme users?

A quick note on out of context user research to accelerate innovation

Be closer

All problem solving challenges should have a specific target group of users defined. Users to understand, get to know and ultimately build an empathy that lays the foundations of your design approach. But sometimes target groups become generic, answers become a collective and it becomes difficult to learn anything more, yet alone learn the ‘why’ behind your insights.

In 1808, Pellegrino Turri built the first typewriter, so that his blind lover, Countess Carolina Fantoni da Fivizzano, could write letters more legibly.

Extreme users are key. By taking a problem out of context and increasing the scope of exploration you are increasing the opportunity for innovation. The insight that is the first step to uncovering a meaningful solution could be anywhere, so why limit yourself to what you already know?

Reframing the problem

Extreme users needs are somewhat amplified. They need/want less or more of something to solve their problems. They often find workarounds to existing problems unlike average users. They can even act as early adopters without realizing it.

In 1872, Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone to support his work helping the deaf.

Often the problems we find in products or services don’t speak to our own limitations. They speak to the missed opportunities in the design, the thoughtlessness that surround them. Being a user with limited knowledge shouldn’t be a limitation. In Fact it is not a limitation, it’s a mismatch between our abilities and the world around us.

Use case

Take DIY as an example (Admittedly Bosch internship influenced). Cutting, fixing and removing are universal techniques in DIY. In each of them users are encouraged to use power tools to speed up their tasks. By taking the average user we will learn just this. Their need for time saving and ease of use is universal and not surprising. It’s when we start applying these use cases to the more extreme users we find more meaningful insights.

In 1972, Vint Cerf programmed the first email protocols for the nascent Internet. He believed fervently in the power of electronic letters. His proof was his own experience: Electronic messaging was the only seamless way to communicate with his wife, who was deaf, while he was at work.

It’s tempting to think of an extreme user as a professional, someone who uses their tool for work 10 hours a day and yes, perhaps some interesting insights may be aligned there but think more extreme. What about a rock climber who needs to drill holes for their next hook? The tool needs to be lightweight, portable, small enough to bring with them, easy and fast to access. Perhaps it needs to be used with one hand whilst they are holding onto something else. **These are quick thoughts with no research**

Now take these thoughts/insights back to the DIY user. How could a tool small enough to carry around and use with one hand benefit them? Do they even want to use their hands to complete parts of their projects? These questions are just scratching the surface of something much more meaningful.

Extreme users have the potential to influence some of the most innovative solutions so take your problem and reframe it. Apply it to extreme circumstances that are not often considered. Discover surprising use cases and learn more about your product or service.

Jack: week seven.