“Measure twice, cut once.”

“Double check your answers before you submit the test.”

There are lots of adages, but the idea is that when all the chips are down, you should be deliberate.

This lesson arose on a recent client project. In an initial meeting, our client described the two audiences the product would serve. She had been hit with a bolt of inspiration about how to structure it, and she was eager to see us dive in. 

Our team interviewed key user groups, contemplated the needs, soaked in the vision, and took our best swing. Our client was thrilled with the work, and everything was rosy.

Until it was time for user research.

As we gathered user feedback on the designs, it quickly became clear that the vision and the design overlooked some user expectations.

So was this a failure? Not at all. In fact, we won–and our client did too. Or perhaps more accurately, the process won. The goal of user research isn’t to get everything right. The goal is to learn how to improve.

When we check our work with real users before we build it, we are measuring twice, and cutting once.

So today’s advice: When resources are limited, you may think that user research is a step you can cut. But when the budget has been spent, and the needs aren’t met, you’ll feel differently. Talk to users.