Ep6. Thinking in an evidence-based way with Scott Fulton

The Web Usability Podcast

Summary

In this episode, Lucy Collins interviews Scott Fulton, Director of Digital Rebels, about the importance of evidence-based design in creating effective digital services. Scott shares his experience of becoming a digital leader and the pivotal moment when he realised the importance of user-centered design. They discuss the common mistakes organisations make in designing websites and intranets, such as being organisation-centric and not prioritising user needs. Scott emphasises the need for organisations to be open to being wrong and to prioritise customer empathy. He also shares his insights on coaching and training teams to thrive in the digital age.

Keywords

evidence-based design, user-centered design, website design, intranet design, customer empathy, coaching, training

Takeaways

• Designing digital services based on assumptions and without user evidence can lead to ineffective and unhelpful experiences for users.
• Organisations should prioritize customer empathy and be willing to admit when they don't know something, in order to gather evidence and design better digital services.
• Intranets often suffer from egocentric thinking and department-centric structures, which can result in content that is not user-driven.
• Investing in employees and providing them with the information they need to do their jobs better ultimately benefits the external customers.
• Cutting through the noise and prioritizing tasks that deliver value to customers is essential for teams to thrive in the digital age.

Titles

• Prioritising Customer Empathy and User Needs
• Common Mistakes in Website and Intranet Design

Sound Bites

• "Design your website in the boardroom is the worst thing you can do."
• "The lack of evidence combined with organisation-centric thinking is a common problem in digital services."
• "Being okay with being wrong or not knowing is fundamental to designing effective digital services."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Overview

02:04 Transitioning to User-Centered Design

05:25 Common Mistakes in Website and Intranet Design

13:03 Prioritizing Customer Empathy and User Needs

25:16 Coaching and Training Teams to Thrive in the Digital Age