Comments on: 6 degrees of separation in understanding user queries

By: Every user query is a puzzle | Polymath Programmer

Every user query is a puzzle | Polymath Programmer — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 09:02:35 +0000

[...] than a few seconds to think through. Sometimes, you have to really push for lots of hints, like clarifying the user’s query, ask for screenshots (even if sometimes they aren’t enough…), and dig through code [...]

By: When even screenshots fail | Polymath Programmer

When even screenshots fail | Polymath Programmer — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:06:05 +0000

[...] best weapon for handling user queries is the screenshot. User: Hey Vincent, I’ve got an error when doing X. Me: Send me a [...]

By: Cannot open an Adobe FDF file | Polymath Programmer

Cannot open an Adobe FDF file | Polymath Programmer — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 09:04:44 +0000

[...] said she couldn’t see the PDF file. She only said there’s an error. This was where my user querying skills came into play, and I finally convinced her to send me a screenshot of the error (it was fortunate [...]

By: How to prioritise your tasks | Polymath Programmer

How to prioritise your tasks | Polymath Programmer — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:03:16 +0000

[...] because the other 2 are more urgent. Now, you are already half way through the email query, finally understanding what the user was trying to ask in the first place. Then the data patching request comes [...]

By: Why you need linguistic skills - part 1 | Polymath Programmer

Why you need linguistic skills - part 1 | Polymath Programmer — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 11:01:16 +0000

[...] For example, in one of my user task requests, there was this requirement about entering random input. Based on the business context and the web form that was to support this feature, I deciphered it as being able to enter any range and any number of input in a specific format. I checked with the user, and it was indeed that way. Sometimes users lie, unwittingly perhaps, and in this case, using the wrong words to describe what he wanted. [...]