identifying best practices for social media work

Identifying Best Practices for Social Media Work

Kamaria Campbell, Usability Auditor, ForeSeeState of Michigan World Usability Day

November 10, 2011

Agenda

• Background• 3 Common Types of Social Media Work on

Websites • What To Ask Before Diving in to Social Media• Methods for Identifying Best Practices• Q and A

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Who am I?

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About Me

• Native Floridian (Tampa, FL)• Graduated from Duke University (2008) and U

of M’s School of Information (2010)• Started with ForeSee in May 2010 as a

Usability Auditor• Conduct heuristic evaluation on live sites and

prototypes from both public and private sector clients

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About Me

• Lead social media research and best practice development for usability team– Competitive research on Federal Department

social media work – First solely social media focused usability

evaluation

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Why analyze Social Media?

• Everyone uses it• Social media “matter” and will continue to

matter• Client demand for assistance• Expertise in online best practices research• Leadership and willingness to seize the

opportunity

Source: Jeff Mackie-Mason, “Do Social Media Matter?”, School of Information, October 28, 2011

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Presentation Goals

• Provide guidance that extends beyond today’s platforms

• Encourage usability professionals to lead in social media

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Why Now?

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Statistics for Context– More than 800 million active users– More than 50% log in every day– Average user has 130 friends– People interact with more than 900 million

objects (pages, groups, events, community pages)

– Average user is connected to 80 objects– 500 million people/month use Facebook

apps or experience platform on other sites

Source: Facebook.com, Nov. 2011

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Statistics for Context– More than 100 million active users – 50% log in daily– 40% of active accounts have not

tweeted in the last month (Sept 2011)

– Estimates between 5-30 million users– Profile pages for both individuals and

businesses

Sources: Twitter stats via HuffingtonPost.com, Sept. 2011

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Why Us?

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3 Common Types of Social

Media

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3 Common Types of Social Media

• Social Media Links• Social Media Widgets• Other API Integrations

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Social Media Links

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Social Media Widgets

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Social Media Widgets

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Other API Integrations

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Other API Integrations

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Other API Integrations

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Things to Consider Before

Diving In To Social Media

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Things to Consider

• Are your visitors social?• Which platforms do they prefer?• What are your goals in providing social media

links and functionalities?• Do you have the resources to support your

social media work?• How will you measure the success of these

initiatives?

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Identifying Best Practices

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Identifying Best Practices

• Resources• Trial and Error• UX Toolkit

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Resources

• Streams, Walls, Feeds (Nielsen Norman Group Report, October 2009)

• Designing Social Interfaces by Christian Crumlish and Erin Malone

• Twitter Tips, Tricks, and Tweets by Paul McFedries• Social Media Marketing by Liana Evans

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Trial and Error

• Read all documentation and policies• Know what options exist for the

platform(s) that interest(s) you• Use the tools and platforms so you

know how to minimize constraints and maximize strengths

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UX Toolkit: Competitive Research

• How are others in your space positioning social media on their sites?

• What do your direct competitors or others in your space share in their standard share messaging?

• What do other companies you admire share in their standard messaging?

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UX Toolkit: Competitive Research

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UX Toolkit: Competitive Research

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Product Name: YESSource: YESShortened URL: YESCall to Action: NOChars. Remaining: 43

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Product Name: NOSource: YESShortened URL: NOCall to Action: YESChars. Remaining: 15

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Other UX Tools and Methods

• Heuristic Evaluation• Web Analytics• Surveys• User Testing

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Heuristics: User Understanding and Control

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Heuristics: User Understanding and Control

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Heuristics: User Understanding and Control

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Analytics + Survey Questions

• Use Data from Functionality Analytics• Leverage Referral Sources in Web Analytics• Ask Consumers about Social Media Use– Which platforms do you use?– How often do you use them?– Have you shared our products on any of these

platforms?

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User Testing

• Watch users share on your site• Analyze any issues that you observe or they

report

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Questions?Email: kamariacampbell@gmail.com