Chapter 9

Chapter 9 describes the importance of knowing your user. Brooks explains that "experienced designers often      begin by writing down exactly what they know about the user...". He explains the importance of this concept even though few designers actually follow through with detailed descriptions of their product's demographic. Brooks describes how knowing your consumer can be conflicting when dealing with a team. One part of a group/team could have a completely different idea of what the consumer really wants/needs in the final product, thus making it hard to successfully complete a design. Brooks finishes this chapter by saying that if you don't know all of the facts about your design, when it comes to dealing with the consumer, then the best option is to guess. He states that guesses should be explicit rather than vague. Brooks argues that explicit guesses can be questioned and tweaked easier than vague ones.