Observation Is a Skill You Can Train

Most people see but don't observe.

Sherlock Holmes's superpower wasn't intellect. It was attention. He noticed details others filtered out.

I watched this with users testing Vestcodes. Most developers rushed through the onboarding. One developer paused at a confusing button. Tried clicking it three different ways. Cursed.

I watched everyone else miss that moment. They were waiting for feedback. This developer's behavior was the feedback.

Observation is noticing what people do, not what they say.

This is trainable.

Start small:

• Watch one interaction without judgment
• Notice micro-expressions
• Notice hesitation
• Notice repeated attempts

Don't interpret yet. Just observe.

Daniel Kahneman talks about this: "When I listen to someone talking, I notice their confidence level, their eye contact, their word choice."

He's not reading minds. He's observing precisely.

For product builders, this is gold. Users will tell you they love your feature. Their behavior will tell you they don't understand it. Observation bridges the gap.

The simplest way to improve observation: sit with users while they use your product. Don't help. Don't explain. Watch. Notice what they do, not what they say.

You'll learn more in 30 minutes of observation than in months of surveys.

Observation is free. And it changes everything.