“Because” is not an answer
By Naomi Cherne In a courageous parenting move, my parents not only encouraged the question “why?” but also taught that an unaccompanied “because” (as in “Because I said so!”) was not an acceptable answer. We children embraced this cognitive tool, much to the chagrin of babysitters. There was much to learn, and each answer raised new questions. Why do I have to wear mittens? Why is it cold outside? Why is it winter? Years later, not much has changed: people are still paid to undergo my “why” barrage. However, these people are no longer overwhelmed babysitters; they are participants in usability studies and their answers help improve product designs. Generally speaking, a typical goal of a usability study is to get people to try to use a product or system (let’s say a new mitten design), and to understand why they took any unintended actions (let’s say wore it inside-out). Researchers ask questions to uncover root causes (for example, that the outer fabri...