User Selection

Mainstream and Extreme User Segments

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When designing a solution we need to research extreme users on both ends of the spectrum, as well as those squarely in the middle of your target audience. An idea that suits an extreme user will nearly certainly work for the majority of users.

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Understanding what people on the far reaches of your solution/offering need in most instances provides insights on what would work for the majority users.

Talking to people at the extreme end of your product or service can spark your creativity by exposing you to interactions, workarounds, and design opportunities that you would never have imagined. We don’t have to necessarily develop solutions for those users, but the idea is to sieve out problems that mainstream users might have trouble voicing.

Ultimately a design needs to be relevant to its target users, or it will never be a success.

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Identify users who are extremely familiar and completely unfamiliar with the product or service.

Identify users who do not really care to use the product or service and those who have high demands from the product or service.

Identify users who choose not to use the product or service and those who extoll it’s virtues.

Identify users from a spectrum of physical, cognitive, social and cultural contexts.

✏️ Practice Identifying Extreme Users

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IDENTIFY EXTREME USERS TEMPLATE IN MURAL⁠

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[MURAL is a team collaboration tool; works best in Chrome; You can access the MURAL BOARD by signing in with a current MURAL account. If you don't have an account, you will be prompted to create a new one. Once you create your password, you will be able to access the mural/room or workspace you were invited to. It's that easy!]

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✏️ Practice Identifying Extreme Users

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