the importance of goals in design

The importance of goals in designCarl MyhillHead of User ExperienceGE Network Reliability Products & Services (NRPS)

Usability Professionals Association Industry Event, Christchurch, New ZealandNovember 2004

Smallprint (added after the talk for the benefit of the reader)

This talk was given at the first ever UPA Industry Event in this area – usability is a new thing here. Our intention was to show industry leaders that usability has an impact on the bottom line.

Six of us presented for up to 10 minutes. In this slot, I used the ATM example (actually the cardboard box prototype itself, not the PowerPoint pictures of it herein) to illustrate how some usability people focus on goals, and how this relates to money and the bottom line. I made the presentation because I couldn’t face destroying the prototype without a few photos!

Then I wanted to show how this is directly related to local businesses, so I picked websites from 2 companies within a 5 mile radius of the talk and showed how one dealt with goals really well, and made lots of sales from it, and the other did not.

Finally, I was asked to talk about how GE values usability. So, I flashed on screen a couple of before and after screenshots and explained that we used goal-directed design to redesign this pretty major system. This part of the talk doesn’t stand well on it’s own after the event, the point was really to say, GE takes usability seriously and understands the positive bottom line impact.

Talk Agenda

• ATM examples showing how interaction design can impact the bottom line – reducing losses

• Web retail example showing how interaction design can impact the bottom line – sales

• Some examples from GE NRPS

Why goals are important? – ATM examples

There are 2 different interaction sequences that you may meet when using an ATM.

Remember, when using an ATM, your primary goal is normally to obtain cash.

Example 1 – the common ATM interaction sequence (pretty standard in the UK and New Zealand)

Step 1. Welcome screen – please insert card

Example 1 – the common ATM interaction sequence (pretty standard in the UK and New Zealand)

Step 2. Card Inserted

Example 1 – the common ATM interaction sequence (pretty standard in the UK and New Zealand)

Step 3. Enter PIN

Example 1 – the common ATM interaction sequence (pretty standard in the UK and New Zealand)

Step 4. Select how much money you want?

Example 1 – the common ATM interaction sequence (pretty standard in the UK and New Zealand)

Step 5. Before your cash is dispensed, do you want anything else?

(in this example, we say no)

Example 1 – the common ATM interaction sequence (pretty standard in the UK and New Zealand)

Step 6. Please take your card

Example 1 – the common ATM interaction sequence (pretty standard in the UK and New Zealand)

Step 7. Your cash is being counted, please wait

(this is a handy pause to allow you to put your card back in your wallet)

Thanks to Alan Clarke for pointing out the possible purpose of this delay!

Example 1 – the common ATM interaction sequence (pretty standard in the UK and New Zealand)

Step 8. Please take your cash!

(Goal successfully accomplished – you have the cash)

Example 2 – uncommon ATM interaction sequence (sometimes seen in the USA, Reno airport had one as of November 2004)

Step 1. Welcome screen – please insert card

Example 2 – uncommon ATM interaction sequence (sometimes seen in the USA, Reno airport had one as of November 2004)

Step 2. Card Inserted

Example 2 – uncommon ATM interaction sequence (sometimes seen in the USA, Reno airport had one as of November 2004)

Step 3. Enter PIN

Example 2 – uncommon ATM interaction sequence (sometimes seen in the USA, Reno airport had one as of November 2004)

Step 4. Select how much money you want?

Example 2 – uncommon ATM interaction sequence (sometimes seen in the USA, Reno airport had one as of November 2004)

Step 5. Please take your cash!

(Goal successfully accomplished – you have the cash)

Example 2 – uncommon ATM interaction sequence (sometimes seen in the USA, Reno airport had one as of November 2004)

Step 6. Goal satisfied, you leave

Example 2 – uncommon ATM interaction sequence (sometimes seen in the USA, Reno airport had one as of November 2004)

Step 7. Please take card (returns the card)

(recent modifications of this design have added a flashing error message to ask the user not to forget to take their card!)

(although, having satisfied your goal of getting some cash, you may well have left by now)

Bottom Line – Card loss is invited

In the ATM transaction, the bank has a goal too – to avoid card loss. It’s a bigger liability than lost cash.

The second poor design invites card loss by failing to recognise user goals.

Bottom Line - Losing cards is expensive business, consider:2.3 billion ATM Withdrawals made in UK in 2003*

2003 ATM Fraud costs UK £39m, “PINs kept with cards that are then lost or stolen accounts for a significant portion of these losses.”*

2003 Credit Card Fraud costs UK £402m (£106m from lost/stolen cards)*

US figures harder to find, but 1999 lost cards were 18.6% of total fraud loss in US ($179m)***

*Source APACS, http://www.cardwatch.org.uk/pdf_files/cardfraudfacts2004.pdf**Source http://www.vnunet.com/news/1157757***http://www.finfacts.com/intcard.htm

Usability and the bottom line are not unrelated!

Why are goals important in web retail?

Consider 2 Kiwi Businesses: • Ground Effect• Mainland Outdoor Shop

Primary Goal: UK customer wants to buy a product from these New Zealand companies – is it viable? (i.e. does it work out cheaper than buying stuff in the UK as rumours indicate?)

1. Find the company on the internet.Typing ‘ground effect’ gets the first hit in google.com

Example 1: Ground Effect mountain bike clothing vendor

2. Intro page confirms I’m at the right place, I choose ‘Products’

Example 1: Ground Effect mountain bike clothing vendor

3. For this example, just pick the first product and click on the shopping basket.

Example 1: Ground Effect mountain bike clothing vendor

4. Selecting my delivery region instantly shows me the price in my currency, shipping details and costs – and the total purchase price

Ground Effect understands the goal of their UK customer and have met those goals well.

Example 1: Ground Effect mountain bike clothing vendor

1. Find the company on the internet.It’s a complete disaster trying to find Mainland Outdoor Shop in Goggle. Once you know it is called ‘Mainland OutdoorS’ you seem to find it, but it’s entitled ‘R&R Sports’ – is that really Mainland??

Example 2: Mainland Outdoor Shop (Christchurch) – also sells to the UK direct

Example 2: Mainland Outdoor Shop (Christchurch) – also sells to the UK direct

2. Just a webpage with some photos on it – you can click on it though!

Is this Mainland Outdoor Shop in Christchurch??

3. Well, these folks look Outdoor types but why is it called R&R Sports?Perhaps it is a holding company for Mainland. I’ll tour around to see if I can see any reference to Mainland Outdoor Shop

Example 2: Mainland Outdoor Shop (Christchurch) – also sells to the UK direct

4. About page doesn’t mention Mainland!

Example 2: Mainland Outdoor Shop (Christchurch) – also sells to the UK direct

5. Contacts page has an address for Mainland in Christchurch, so it seems I have found the right place at last.

Example 2: Mainland Outdoor Shop (Christchurch) – also sells to the UK direct

6. For this example, just pick the first product and click on it

Example 2: Mainland Outdoor Shop (Christchurch) – also sells to the UK direct

7. Slightly odd buttons seem to lead to the checkout...

Example 2: Mainland Outdoor Shop (Christchurch) – also sells to the UK direct

8. Price shown in NZ$.Can’t see how to investigate shipping and tax considerations.

Example 2: Mainland Outdoor Shop (Christchurch) – also sells to the UK direct

Example 2: Mainland Outdoor Shop (Christchurch) – also sells to the UK direct

9. Price shown in NZ$.‘Currencies’ box is available if you scroll down 3 pages but doesn’t offer £ as an option.

Example 2: Mainland Outdoor Shop (Christchurch) – also sells to the UK direct

10. Proceeding to the checkout to investigate shipping I must now sign in, or do something else as a new customer.

Example 2: Mainland Outdoor Shop (Christchurch) – also sells to the UK direct

11. As a new customer I now need to fill out a long form, even before I have got to the checkout. I still don’t know about shipping, tax or price in £.At this point I still don’t know if this whole purchase, from a country 17,000 miles away is viable. So I gave up after 11 steps.

Bottom Line – Designing for User Goals can increase your SalesEvidence*:

Packages per month

Ground Effect UK sales: 173 – 216 Mainland UK sales: 3 – 4 Note: 1. Ground Effect sold twice this amount to the UK prior to September 11th, after which time worldwide postage slowed down

Note 2. I believe that Mainland do not specifically target the UK market quite as actively as Ground Effect does, though they have a similarly attractive sales proposition to UK customers – cost competitive, unique products

*Source: Staff at Ground Effect and Mainland, info gathered November 2004

Usability and the bottom line are not unrelated!

GE Network Reliability Products and Services benefits from Goal-Directed Design

Software designed by GE NRPS also uses goal-focussed methods, though the complexity of the applications doesn’t make for neat examples.

The following slides give a visual indication of improvements we’ve made.

Smallworld Core Geographic Information System Product

Before Re-design

Smallworld Core After Redesign – Sales re-

invigorated!

Smallworld Core with Communications applications built on top. Again, Sales have been revitalised after goal-focussed design.

Conclusion

Designing the user experience, involving technique like goal-directed design, is not a “science project” – it adds value directly to the business bottom line in numerous ways, only 2 of which were covered in this short talk.