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Digital Marketing - Study Notes:
Received wisdom does not equate to fact
This quote from American writer, Emily Levine, summarizes where many organizations find themselves. Assumptions are counter to what UX or any research is attempting to achieve.
“When you’re surrounded by people who share the same set of assumptions as you, you start to think that’s reality.”
Generally speaking, assumptions represent the business view and should be acknowledged as incomplete knowledge and challenged by data from research. If anything, assumptions can be used to form a hypothesis, which research can either prove or disapprove. We all can tend to make assumptions about what people want or need. The very act of acknowledging what these are is a hugely important first step in establishing facts that we can work from and act on.
Establishing what facts are
Here are some simple definitions that may help when attempting to categorize the data you have before any research begins.
- Assumptions are made without supporting evidence.
- Presumptions can be based on evidence, but are unproven.
- Facts are supported directly by evidence or data.
What assumptions or presumptions does your business have about its customers?
Back to TopDigital Marketing Resources:
Rick Monro
Rick Monro is UX Director at Fathom. He has extensive experience in user research, interaction design, user-centered design, and design strategy with private and public sector organisations throughout the UK and Ireland.
![](<img alt="Rick Monro" src="https://mydmi.imgix.net/authors/rick-monro.png?corner-radius=160&fit=crop&h=160&ixlib=php-3.3.1&mask=corners&w=160&s=4248dbad33c5ce8e50db2e374af5ec28" data-lazy="https://mydmi.imgix.net/authors/rick-monro.png?corner-radius=160&fit=crop&h=160&ixlib=php-3.3.1&mask=corners&w=160&s=4248dbad33c5ce8e50db2e374af5ec28" srcset="https://mydmi.imgix.net/authors/rick-monro.png?corner-radius=160&dpr=1&fit=crop&h=160&ixlib=php-3.3.1&mask=corners&w=160&s=7e987f02dd75d8d06193878e10556cfc 1x,https://mydmi.imgix.net/authors/rick-monro.png?corner-radius=160&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=160&ixlib=php-3.3.1&mask=corners&w=160&s=a0e1d380eca39fac5def0f4718b54fa8 2x"/>)
Data protection regulations affect almost all aspects of digital marketing. Therefore, DMI has produced a short course on GDPR for all of our students. If you wish to learn more about GDPR, you can do so here:
If you are interested in learning about the principles of UX and the tools or techniques that you can use to develop and refine your user's experience, DMI has produced a short course on the subject for all of our students. You can access this content here:
DMI Short Course: UX Essentials
The following pieces of content from the Digital Marketing Institute's Membership Library have been chosen to offer additional material that you might find interesting or insightful.
You can find more information and content like this on the Digital Marketing Institute's Membership Library
- Walkthrough: Google Optimize for A/B Testing
- Practical Guide: UX Writing for eCommerce Sites
- Walkthrough: Google Analytics
You will not be assessed on this content in your final exam.
