Hello again!
Whether in my work as a consultant, through the courses I run or the free content I publish, I get asked many questions on a wide variety of subjects. Questions such as:
- How many people do I need to test with?
- Which technology stack is the best?
- How do I rank better on search engines?
- How long should I run A/B testing for?
- What should I include in my user survey?
The list is endless. However, despite the huge number and diversity of all the questions I get, if I am honest, the answer should probably always be the same… it depends.
It Depends
It became a bit of a standing joke over the years on the Boagworld Podcast that we could answer almost any question with “it depends”. We ended up banning it as a response, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is true.
There are many factors that will influence the answer to almost any question. Factors such as:
- The users you are trying to reach.
- The project you are running.
- The personalities of stakeholders.
- Organisational culture.
- Previous work that has been undertaken.
Heck, if I am honest, even my own mood or the mood of the person I am speaking to can influence my answer.
What we do is complicated, and there are no clear cut answers in most situations. Even the most black and white statement isn’t always true:
- “Our websites should be accessible” — Well, that depends on what you mean by accessible? Making it accessible for one audience might make it inaccessible for another.
- “You should always test with users” — What if you don’t have the budget? What about when it will make you miss the deadline? What if you cannot find the right kinds of users?
- “The client is always right” — I am not going to even touch this one!
My point is that when people give you definitive answers to questions, you need to recognise that they are not, in fact, definitive. If you read one of my blog posts where I suggest an approach, you should see it as exactly that, “a suggestion.”
Trust Your Own Judgement
Unfortunately, that is not what most people want to hear. They want to be told what to do because they lack confidence in their judgement. They want to be given an approach with proven results, but even if an approach worked for somebody else doesn’t mean it will work for you.
If you are the kind of person always seeking advice or reading up on best practice, I applaud you, as we should always be trying to learn and improve. However, it might be a sign that you are not valuing your own judgement.
I would argue that you almost certainly know more than you think and can make a well-educated decision independently. The reason I can say that with such confidence is that you have already been asking the right questions and seeking out possible solutions.
So when it comes to answering a question and making a decision, by all means, ask others. But then have the confidence to pick and choose what you listen to and decide on your own course of action.
It Doesn’t Matter
But I know what you are thinking — “what if I screw up?”
The answer to that particular question is that more often than not, nothing will happen. We do not work in a life or death field. In fact, we work in a field that is very forgiving of mistakes because it is easy to change things if we go down the wrong path.
The bigger danger is deliberating too much and losing momentum. In most cases, it is better to decide because whatever decision you make, it really doesn’t matter that much! Nobody will die, you won’t lose your job, and we will still deliver the project.
Be Brave
Yes, it is easier for me to say this because I have been doing this job for a long time, but I would encourage you to trust your gut and be brave.
Stop always presuming you’re mistaken and start presuming you are right. Sure, listen to others. Take their opinions on board, but then make your own decision. Because ultimately, there are always going to be hidden factors at play, and neither yourself nor anybody else is going to have the whole picture, so you might as well go for it!
