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Joe Natoli

What UX struggles would you love to end?

  • Do you want to stop the endless cycle of rework to satisfy stakeholders’ moving targets?

  • Would you like to play a role in creating requirements instead of having them handed to you like written law?

  • Are you tired of delivering products with UX defects you know could have been avoided?

  • Do you wish there was a way to get managers to agree to UX work at the start of the project, instead of tacking it on at the end, when it’s too late?

Read more

What UX struggles would you love to end?

  • Do you want to stop the endless cycle of rework to satisfy stakeholders’ moving targets?

  • Would you like to play a role in creating requirements instead of having them handed to you like written law?

  • Are you tired of delivering products with UX defects you know could have been avoided?

  • Do you wish there was a way to get managers to agree to UX work at the start of the project, instead of tacking it on at the end, when it’s too late?

If you answered YES to any of those questions, you’re in the right place. I created this course specifically to end the vicious cycle too many developers and product teams are trapped in: vague requirements they had no hand in creating, constant rework and a never-ending stream of new (and changing) requirements.

See, I’ve been there myself. In nearly 30 years of working with organizations of all sizes in nearly every industry, I know that cycle all too well. I know what it’s like to try and roll the “UX rock” up that hill only to have your stakeholders or managers or clients roll it back down.

No more debate about when UX work should happen.

I know the pain of fighting to get UX included at the start of a project all too well. And I also know that it’s entirely possible to put an end to it.

UX Requirements Made Simple will show you how to get a seat at the requirements table, open the minds and ears of your managers or clients, and see a massive change in both the quality of requirements and the success of the delivered product.

You’ll see how easy it is to quickly integrate strategic UX validation into an existing requirements process — without the need for additional time, money or resources. Here’s just some of what you’ll learn:

  • Poor methods for requirements that rely on a broken engineering process — and a better, simpler set of methods that get to clarity and value quickly.

  • Why what users say they need isn’t what they actually need (and how to tell the difference).

  • Poor requirements tools that address task completion instead of success — and a smarter set of tools that focus your work squarely on desired outcomes.

  • How to get managers or clients (or your team) to ask the right questions, instead of solution jumping.

  • How to create contextual use scenarios that tell the real story of the user’s journey from start to finish — and extract relevant functional needs and elements that make up valuable requirements.

It’s simple, it’s straightforward, and it works.

Not because I say it does — but because the Enterprise teams I’ve taught to use these methods have gotten the results I’m talking about. It works because more than 140,000 students (yes, that’s a real number) tell me that my courses have changed the work they do for the better.

Why? Because I deal in software development reality instead of UX fantasy. Perfect situations where we can do these well-funded deep dives into UX research don’t exist for a vast majority of development teams, and I’m really tired of hearing everyone pretend otherwise. So everything I deliver is based in reality, in the less-than perfect world most of us live in.

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What's inside

Syllabus

Introduction: Overview (and Why We're Here)
Course Overview: What You'll Learn
Why Traditional Requirements Produce Mediocre Products
Download the Requirements Workbook
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Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Focuses on practical methods for integrating UX into existing development processes, which is valuable for teams facing real-world constraints and limited resources
Emphasizes understanding user needs beyond stated desires, which is a critical skill for creating successful and user-centered products
Teaches how to create contextual use scenarios, which helps to translate user behavior and motivations into functional requirements
Requires learners to download a requirements workbook, which may require access to a printer or the ability to work with digital documents
Includes exercises that require active participation and critical thinking, which may not suit learners seeking passive consumption of information

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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in UX Requirements Made Simple with these activities:
Review UX Fundamentals
Refresh your understanding of core UX principles to better grasp how requirements tie into the overall user experience.
Show steps
  • Review Nielsen's 10 Usability Heuristics.
  • Study the basics of Information Architecture.
  • Familiarize yourself with common interaction design patterns.
Read 'The Design of Everyday Things'
Gain a deeper understanding of user-centered design principles to better appreciate the importance of well-defined UX requirements.
Show steps
  • Read the book, focusing on the principles of discoverability and feedback.
  • Take notes on examples of good and bad design.
  • Reflect on how these principles relate to gathering user requirements.
Document a Poor UX Experience
Solidify your understanding of poor UX by documenting a frustrating experience and identifying the unmet user needs.
Show steps
  • Identify a website or app with a frustrating user experience.
  • Document the steps you took and the problems you encountered.
  • Analyze the experience and identify the unmet user needs.
  • Suggest improvements based on UX principles.
Three other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all six activities
Read 'Just Enough Research'
Learn practical methods for conducting user research to inform UX requirements gathering.
Show steps
  • Read the book, focusing on lean research techniques.
  • Identify research methods that can be applied to your projects.
  • Practice applying these methods in small-scale experiments.
Redesign an Existing App's Onboarding Flow
Apply the course's principles by redesigning an onboarding flow, focusing on gathering and implementing user requirements.
Show steps
  • Choose an app with a poor onboarding experience.
  • Identify the key user goals for the onboarding process.
  • Create user scenarios and empathy maps to understand user needs.
  • Design a new onboarding flow based on these requirements.
  • Prototype the new flow and test it with potential users.
Create a Requirements Document Template
Develop a reusable template for documenting UX requirements, incorporating the principles learned in the course.
Show steps
  • Review the different types of UX requirements discussed in the course.
  • Design a template that includes sections for user stories, use cases, and acceptance criteria.
  • Incorporate visual elements to improve clarity and communication.
  • Test the template by using it to document requirements for a sample project.

Career center

Learners who complete UX Requirements Made Simple will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
UX Designer
As a UX designer, you strive to create user friendly and engaging digital interfaces. The 'UX Requirements Made Simple' course directly addresses key challenges a UX designer faces, like vague requirements, constant rework, and late stage UX integration. The course helps a UX designer get a seat at the requirements table and improve product success. The syllabus includes how to create contextual use scenarios that tell the real story of the user’s journey, which is immediately applicable to UX design. In particular, the course's lessons on extracting relevant functional needs and elements from user stories will help a UX designer to build a better product.
User Researcher
A user researcher focuses on understanding user behaviors, needs, and motivations through various research methods. This course, centered on simplifying UX requirements, would be highly beneficial for a user researcher. The course's discussion of what users say they need versus what they actually need directly informs effective research practices. Moreover, the syllabus covers empathy mapping and situational mapping. These lessons assist user researchers in extracting functional needs from use scenarios and in uncovering critical contextual information, leading to more insightful and actionable user research. The course teaches methods to integrate user validation into a project's requirements, which would be immediately useful to a user researcher.
Business Analyst
A business analyst identifies business needs and determines solutions to business problems. The 'UX Requirements Made Simple' course can enhance a business analyst's ability to gather and document accurate user requirements. The course's focus on uncovering what users actually need (versus what they say they need) is applicable to a business analyst's work. Particularly beneficial are the sections that cover empathy mapping and situational mapping. These can improve the analyst's approach to understanding user motivations and contexts of use. This leads to more comprehensive and effective requirements documentation.
Product Manager
A product manager is responsible for the strategy, roadmap, and feature definition of a product. This course can help a product manager ensure that the product being built aligns with user needs and business goals. The course directly speaks to the product manager's need to minimize rework and avoid UX defects. The insights into creating contextual use scenarios can ensure that the requirements capture the user’s journey from beginning to end. Learning how to get managers or clients to ask the right questions, instead of solution jumping, is an invaluable skill for any product manager.
Product Owner
A product owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and managing the product backlog. A product owner is concerned with clearly defined requirements. This course teaches how to avoid rework and deliver products that meet user needs. The course emphasizes understanding user needs. The ability to get stakeholders to agree on UX work early in the project lifecycle will be invaluable to a product owner. This focus can lead to better product outcomes.
Customer Experience Manager
A customer experience manager oversees the overall experience a customer has with a company. 'UX Requirements Made Simple' enables a customer experience manager to better understand and define user centric requirements. The course helps customer experience managers shape positive customer journeys. Learning how to translate user behaviors and situations into functional needs means that a customer experience manager can advocate for improvements that truly resonate with customers. Using the lessons on empathy and situational to inform decision making ensures a focus on the customer.
Interaction Designer
Interaction designers focus on how users interact with a product or service. The 'UX Requirements Made Simple' course may provide valuable insights into how to define requirements that lead to better user interactions. Lessons on contextual use scenarios provide ways to document the user's journey. Functional requirements can be extracted from these scenarios. The course also helps interaction designers understand the difference between what users say they need and what they actually need. This leads to a more user centered design. It ensures that the design is based on real user behavior and motivations.
User Interface Designer
A user interface designer focuses on the visual elements of a product and how users interact with them. 'UX Requirements Made Simple' can inform the decisions of a user interface designer. The course might help them understand not only what users say they need but what they actually need. Understanding this difference is important to create interfaces that are both visually appealing and functionally effective. The lessons on creating contextual use scenarios can lead to interfaces that follow a user's journey. This can provide a more intuitive flow.
Usability Analyst
A usability analyst evaluates the ease of use of a product or service. This course may assist a usability analyst in identifying and addressing usability issues. The course emphasizes understanding what users actually need, which is crucial for effective usability testing. The course helps one to identify and address usability issues proactively. The course teaches how to generate functional requirements from use scenarios. This might allow a usability analyst to make informed recommendations for improvements. These improvements will have a meaningful reflection on the user experience.
Information Architect
An information architect organizes and structures content in a way that is understandable and findable for users. The 'UX Requirements Made Simple' course can help an information architect understand how user needs and context should inform the structure of information. The course helps one understand what users really need, as opposed to what they say they need. The lessons on mapping user empathy and on mapping the user situation may be useful. These can help an information architect structure data in a way that anticipates user needs and behaviors. The course helps one to create effective and user centered navigation systems and content hierarchies.
Content Strategist
A content strategist plans, develops, and manages content to meet user needs and business goals. The 'UX Requirements Made Simple' course may influence how a content strategist approaches content creation. The course helps professionals understand user needs. The course teaches students to understand user motivations. This can help a content strategist create content that resonates with the target audience, improving engagement and achieving desired outcomes. This may lead to better content strategy.
Digital Strategist
A digital strategist develops and implements digital strategies to achieve business objectives. 'UX Requirements Made Simple' can help a digital strategist understand how to incorporate user experience into broader digital initiatives. The course teaches skills that can help get UX included early in projects. The focus on user needs and the ability to ask the right questions will assist a digital strategist to develop effective and user centered strategies. This course can also lead to increased engagement and conversion rates.
Marketing Analyst
A marketing analyst analyzes data to provide insights and recommendations for improving marketing campaigns. 'UX Requirements Made Simple' enables a marketing analyst to incorporate a deeper understanding of user behavior and motivations into their analysis. By understanding the principles taught in this course, a marketing analyst can make more informed recommendations for improving the user experience. These recommendations can enhance campaign effectiveness and drive better results. The marketing analyst also has an understanding of how to translate user behavior.
Technical Writer
A technical writer creates documentation and guides for technical products and services. The 'UX Requirements Made Simple' course may assist a technical writer in understanding user needs. The course focuses on empathy and understanding user situations. Understanding user empathy and situation may help a technical writer create clear and effective documentation. This documentation can better meet the needs of the user. In particular, understanding user needs can lead to writing more effective documentation.
Project Coordinator
A project coordinator supports project managers and teams by organizing tasks, resources, and information. The 'UX Requirements Made Simple' course enables a project coordinator to facilitate better communication and collaboration between UX teams and other stakeholders. The course may provide help with managing requirements. The course provides an overview of why traditional requirements produce mediocre products. The course teaches how to avoid rework. The project coordinator will be able to ensure that UX considerations are integrated into the project lifecycle.

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in UX Requirements Made Simple.
Provides a foundational understanding of user-centered design principles. It emphasizes the importance of understanding user needs and how design can either facilitate or hinder their goals. Reading this book will help you appreciate the importance of gathering accurate requirements and translating them into effective designs. It is considered a classic text in the field and is often used in introductory UX courses.
Provides practical guidance on conducting user research within the constraints of real-world projects. It emphasizes lean research methods that can be quickly and effectively integrated into the design process. Reading this book will help you understand how to gather valuable user insights without requiring extensive time or resources. It is particularly useful for teams that need to validate assumptions and make informed design decisions quickly.

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