To me, the importance of the book is how it will support the people (you, me, managers, executives...) who need facts and data to make product decisions. I'd rather not let a user experience department grow up with the perception that design decisions are basically the "expert opinion" of its team members. Instead, I'd like to see designers, business stakeholders, and engineers all sitting around a table looking at a clearly illustrated set of data in diagram form. Conclusions drawn from that diagram are derived from data. Everyone at the table can check the context of the data and have discussions about the user's experience rather than whose opinion weighs the most.

Not everyone will be eager to adopt a new technique, however. I've run into situations where no amount of description or references will convince the group to pursue a different method. Having a solid book to hand to someone you need to persuade will be useful in this case.

As I progress, I will rely on your feedback and contributions to help me create a broad perspective. I want to include real problems-and-solutions rather than make them up. (...like they seem to do in help files, and you know how "helpful" those kinds of entries are.) I will ask for your opinion on things. I will post templates and scripts for making the creation of the diagram less daunting. I will also post sample chapters for your consumption and to pass along to others.

So welcome, and thanks for your help making this book the best it can be!