A couple of researchers walk into a bar. After a few drinks, they fess up their most embarrassing tales of research gone wrong. In this podcast, Steve Portigal talks about how that one night at the bar (and cat pee) sparked the idea for his book Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries. Learn why Steve believes in the value of failure stories, and how he convinced a skeptical Lou to publish the book. Follow Steve Portigal on Twitter: https://twitter.com/steveportigal Follow Rosenfeld Media: https://twitter.com/rosenfeldmedia

Most companies innovate backwards–focusing first on what features or products they can build. In reality, you're in the relationship business. Authors Nathan Shedroff and Steve Diller talk about new tools they’ve developed to help businesses innovate with customer relationships in mind. Buy the Book: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/blind-spot/ Follow Nathan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/nathanshedroff Follow Rosenfeld Media: https://twitter.com/rosenfeldmedia

Throwing money at technology won’t automatically make your company more innovative or productive. So how do you pick the right tools for your organization? In this episode, Real Story Group founder Tony Byrne talks about what digital leaders need to do to make tech buying decisions that drive success. Follow Tony on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tonybyrne Follow Rosenfeld Media: https://twitter.com/rosenfeldmedia Buy books by Real Story Group: http://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/#digital-reality-checks-books

Does your company struggle to find and use video, audio, and image assets after you’ve created them? Do they disappear into a dark netherworld on your server? In this episode, Theresa Regli, author of Digital and Marketing Asset Management, breaks down what to ask before buying kludgy and expensive software. And which vendors rank highest on her list of otherwise lackluster DAM vendors. Buy Theresa’s book: http://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/digital-and-marketing-asset-management/ Follow Theresa on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theresaregli Follow Rosenfeld Media: https://twitter.com/rosenfeldmedia

Too often, companies take a “research band-aid” approach to user research. Fixing things over here that causes problems over there. Julie Stanford, founder of Sliced Bread Design, and talks about how to avoid playing Whack-A-Mole when researching and designing products. Register for User Research for Everyone Conference: http://userresearchforeveryone.com Follow Julie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juliestanford Follow Rosenfeld Media on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosenfeldmedia

Usability testing helps you find bugs in your product. But it can’t tell you if customers love your product. In this episode, UX Team Of One author Leah Buley talks about the insights under your nose that you probably aren’t using. And offers a realistic approach to rapid research and product development. Follow Leah on Twitter: https://twitter.com/leahbuley Follow Rosenfeld Media: https://twitter.com/rosenfeldmedia

Every company wants to make useful products that people want–but few really do. In today’s episode, Steve Krug, author of Rocket Surgery Made Easy, chats with guest host Laura Klein. Steve shares tips for setting up a successful usability test–and what two questions you should never ask during the test. Ever. Sign up for the User Research for Everyone Conference: http://userresearchforeveryone.com Follow Steve on Twitter: https://twitter.com/skrug Follow Rosenfeld Media: https://twitter.com/rosenfeldmedia

You're sitting in front of a mound of user research data. How do you take that mound and make it into valuable bite-sized chunks? How do you make decisionmakers care? Abby Covert, author of How to Make Sense of Any Mess, shares her approach to packaging research in ways that get at what audiences need. Buy Abby’s book: https://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Sense-Any-Mess/dp/1500615994 Follow Abby on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Abby_the_IA Follow Rosenfeld Media: https://twitter.com/rosenfeldmedia

Cindy Alvarez knows how to go toe to toe with leaders who resist user research and still get it done. The author of Lean Customer Development shares tips from her experience for conducting research–even when you don't have formal authority or budget. Buy Cindy’s book: http://www.leancustomerdevelopment.com/ Follow Cindy on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cindyalvarez Follow Rosenfeld Media: https://twitter.com/rosenfeldmedia

Erika Hall wants us to get one thing straight: getting research right isn’t about the method you choose. It’s about gathering research to make the right design decisions for your business. Hear Erika’s ideas for how to bake research into the product design process. And why every organization needs a “team philosopher.” Buy Erika’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Enough-Research-Erika-Hall/dp/1937557103 Follow Erika on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mulegirl Follow Rosenfeld Media on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosenfeldmedia