No time for users? No access to actual customers? No problem.

While your mileage may vary, my experience with organizations of all industries, shapes and sizes dictates there is usually little to no budget for true user research — meaning user interviewing, shadowing and/or direct observation of end-users.

Getting buy-in for these activities is time-consuming and difficult. And on a tight deadlines we quickly realize there’s no time to convince management of the value of user research.

But instead of a "Sprint 0" where we carve out time and personnel for heavy upfront user research, a different approach can yield equally positive results. And while what I'm about to tell you often pisses off my researcher peers, it's something that's been true over the last three decades of my career. 

A lack of direct user research does not have to mean inappropriate, irrelevant or unsuccessful solutions.

In this video, I'm going to walk you through the why and how of that.