Sometimes, we are successful not because of what we do – but in spite of what we do. I think of that often as I watch the user experience industry grow.

While user experience training programs are emerging, sound research methodology is not often emphasized. As an industry, we try to compensate by use of expensive recording equipment, artificial lab environments and complex software. Executive level stake holders are often excited by these technologies. But with few people with the skills to make sense of the data that is generated, we are often left with impressive recordings that mask worthless findings. There’s a saying that sums up this problem quite well.

‘You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.’

Unfortunately, sound science is often hard for executive level stake holders to assess – particularly when they don’t have much of a scientific background. There’s a Catch-22 in this business. You need to have knowledge and skills to be able to assess knowledge and skills in others. Without these, you can never really be confident about the quality of your resources and the findings that they report. Executive level stake holders often see the lipstick, but not the pig. They think…Hey, what a pretty lipstick color, so red, so sparkly. They don’t think…Hey, wait a minute guys, it’s a pig!

Far too often, businesses are much more willing to invest in costly material resources as opposed to high salary human resources. Perhaps material resources feel more permanent – a more sound investment. But there is a vast difference in what each investment can yield. Namely, material resources are useless without human resources who know how to properly utilize them.

What businesses really need is not expensive recording equipment, artificial lab environments and complex software. It’s resources who have sound scientific training – those who have a firm grasp of proper research methodologies and analyses. These people can find far more with a pencil and paper than many can find with the most expensive recording equipment in the world. In fact, these people would likely argue that expensive recording equipment often stands in the way of accurate findings – particularly when operated by amateur researchers.

When I left academia, I ‘took off my scientist hat’ to work here in the real world – but I’ve carried it in my hands. I’ve come to believe that this industry needs to reach a consensus on more than usability principles, goals and heuristics. This industry needs to build a methodological foundation on basic science and hold itself to higher scientific standards. High tech research methodologies are far too often smoke and mirrors, nothing more – they are a crutch.

There’s just no substitute for sound science.