Author: Kristine Remer

Kristine Remer is a CX insights leader, UX researcher, and strategist in Minneapolis. She helps organizations drive significant business outcomes by finding and solving customer problems. She never misses the Minnesota State Fair and loves dark chocolate mochas, kayaking, escape rooms, and planning elaborate treasure hunts for her children.

What’s the Difference Between Usability, UX, CX, and Product?

In the world of experience design and research, the lines are easily blurred between usability and user experience as well as user experience and customer experience. But then where does product fit? And brand? I’ve seen others describe these relationships in concentric circles or Venn diagrams. I see them as a hierarchy.

Conduct Product Research for the Best Results

If you’re reading this, you likely already believe high quality, rigorous customer research is the most direct path to product success and business outcomes. Below are several research methods—beyond usability testing—product teams can use to build better, more successful products.

How Product Management & UX Work Together

Not all business problems are customer problems. (Customers couldn’t care less that you aren’t generating enough sales leads.) Not all customer problems are business problems. (A tech company probably doesn’t care that their app doesn’t work on a PalmPilot.) So, how do companies find the right problems to solve? They leverage product management and UX … Continue reading “How Product Management & UX Work Together”

12 Less Obvious Usability Issues to Look For

I often compare usability testing to juggling in the middle of a 3-ring circus—there’s a lot happening all at once and it’s easy to miss (or misinterpret) what you’re seeing. During a recent usability study, I noticed that a few participants stopped scrolling about halfway down the page. At first, I assumed it was because … Continue reading “12 Less Obvious Usability Issues to Look For”

Case Study: UX Research & Strategy Proposal to Drive Revenue Growth

Each year, the QRCA (Qualitative Research Consultants Association) holds a contest for its members to respond to a fictional RFP. I joined the QRCA in late 2018 and was unaware of the contest until the finalists presented their proposals at the January 2019 QRCA conference (which were all excellent!). At the conference, I met several … Continue reading “Case Study: UX Research & Strategy Proposal to Drive Revenue Growth”

4 Tips for Measuring Customer Problems

Customer problems erode your bottomline. Chip away at them using a human-centered approach to design solutions, and then continually measure performance using CES (customer effort score). If you’re not sure where or how to begin measuring the impact of design, I recommend starting with CES.

Can Design Be Measured? Design Metrics for Data-Driven Organizations

Sales. Orders. Average Order Value. Churn. What do all of these things have in common? They are all examples of metrics that companies obsessively measure. What’s a critical metric that more than half of companies aren’t tracking? Design.

28 Reasons to Invest in UX Research

A common misconception about UX research is that it only involves usability testing websites and apps. In reality, testing websites and products to ensure they’re easy to use is a very small part of the user research discipline. Instead, think of UX researchers as business strategists. They live at the intersection of customer needs and … Continue reading “28 Reasons to Invest in UX Research”

How to Uncover Customers’ Problems

When optimizing your website, product, email program, or retail experience—think beyond A/B testing by continuously seeking new customer problems to solve. Gartner has proven that eliminating or reducing customer effort is the best way to improve customer loyalty.

How to Differentiate Your Brand Using UX Research

Tired of getting beat by competitors on price, promotional offers, or product mix? Fight back with a differentiated experience that solves customers’ unmet needs. Customer-obsessed companies are winning.