War Stories LIVE! Susan Simon-Daniels
Summary
In her talk, Susie recounts a poignant experience from seven years ago when she interviewed Rick, a middle-aged government translator, during a smartphone unboxing study. Observing his sighs and frowns, she initially suspected usability problems. However, Rick revealed his emotional state stemming from recent personal losses, highlighting how external factors can influence user reactions. Susie discusses the necessity of holding space for discomfort, as Yasmin Khan described, allowing participants to share their feelings before resuming the task. The story reinforces the lesson Steve shared: to remember that humans are complex and that researchers must never assume the cause of observed behavior without asking why. Susie ties it to the classic song from Casablanca, 'A sigh is just a sigh,' underscoring fundamental truths in user research and the importance of empathy and presence. She then passes the stage to fellow researcher Randy Duke to share his own war story.
Key Insights
-
•
User frustration or emotion is not always caused by the product; external personal factors can influence reactions.
-
•
Researchers must avoid assumptions and instead ask why to truly understand participant behavior.
-
•
Allowing participants emotional space during user research can lead to more honest and productive sessions.
-
•
Small pauses in interviews to acknowledge participants as humans can improve rapport and data quality.
-
•
Sensitive moments in research require empathy, not rushing to fix perceived flaws.
-
•
Personal stories shared during usability testing can provide rich context for understanding user needs.
-
•
Unboxing a device is a valuable usability test that can reveal hidden issues or emotional reactions.
-
•
The metaphor from Casablanca—'A sigh is just a sigh'—reminds researchers to consider underlying causes beyond the obvious.
-
•
Operating from a mindset that users are humans first can change how researchers design and interpret studies.
-
•
Sharing empathy and patience can enable participants to regain focus and contribute meaningfully to research.
Notable Quotes
"As a researcher, your brain is shouting, red alert, red alert, there’s some problem I need to find out."
"His sigh was just a sigh. It was not a signal of any defect or usability issue to solve."
"We had passed through this awkward moment. I felt I had rudely probed into this open wound."
"My job was to find out why. Why was he frowning? Why was he sighing?"
"By taking a moment to pause to just let people be people, we could allow the interview to resume with some dignity and purpose."
"Steve just talked about humans being humans in a world full of humans."
"You must remember this. A kiss is just a kiss. A sigh is just a sigh."
"The fundamental things do apply as time goes by."
"Never assume and always ask why."
"I was ready to capture this fatal flaw that this fellow had discovered. It was so horrible it made him sigh. But it wasn’t."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Legacy interconnected systems mean improving one area can create problems in another, and we don't always know those constraints upfront."
Alexandra SchmidtEnterprise UX Playbook
December 1, 2022
"Embrace diversity and create belonging means everyone feels they truly belong, not just fit in."
Jen Crim Jess Quittner Saritha Kattekola Alex Karr Gurbani PahwaCulture, DIBS & Recruiting
June 11, 2021
"If you’re a product manager, you don’t do very much design work anymore; you care about it but step away from the Figma."
Christian CrumlishAMA with Christian Crumlish, author of Product Management for UX People
March 24, 2022
"If diversity is being asked to the party, inclusion is being asked to dance, and belonging is actually dancing with everyone else."
Libby MaurerTreating Diversity & Inclusion in Hiring as a Design Problem
December 5, 2019
"When we engage people in the planning process, they take ownership of their city."
Ali Jeffery Sheri ChudowHow DesignOps Helped Enable Wall Street to Work Remotely
October 22, 2020
"Daniel Day-Lewis went so far as to suffer three broken ribs immersing in his role for My Left Foot."
Daniel GloydDesigning From the Inside Out: How Method Acting Can Inspire Design Research
February 12, 2026
"Equipped with the right tools, we can truly meet students where they are."
Kristin SkinnerFive Years of DesignOps
September 29, 2021
"The product leadership really doesn’t see the value in research and they’re thinking about shutting the research team down."
Johanna KollmannInsights-Driven Product Strategy: Get your Research to Count
December 6, 2022
"Momentum in users is like energy in fluid—strong motivation drives fast, decisive movement."
David SternbergUncovering the hidden forces shaping user behavior
July 17, 2025
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
How can research teams balance the tradeoff between research pacing, speed, and quality?
How effective are AI-generated follow-up questions in usability testing compared to human moderators?
How can play help overcome the ‘messy middle’ between research insights and decision-making in organizations?