Turning Research into Insight and ActionUser Experience

#AngelHackDubai Spring 2014

#angelhackrulesJonathan Steingiesser | @stemaco

Welcome & Introduction• Jonathan Steingiesser

• User Experience Designer

Welcome• Introductions

• Your thoughts on UX?

We can use these lessons to better understand our users and how they work

in their daily lives.

Agenda• “User Experience Design” - what the heck does that

mean?

• Planning and Discovery Methods

• Guerilla User Research

• Collating and Presenting your Insights

• Interactive Activity

• What’s next?

What is User Experience?

What is User Experience?• User experience is often a difficult thing to describe.

There are many definitions which can be found but no single definition has triumphed as a favourite.

• This is probably because “user experience” is a general term that describes not only a professional practice, but also a resulting outcome.

What is UX?In a simple working definition:

“User experience is the overall effect created by the interactions and perceptions that someone has when using a product or service”.

What is User Experience?• In today’s world we spend much of our lives interacting

through technology, how easy or difficult it is to use is what really matters.

• That is what user experience or UX is all about!

The Psychology of UX

Needs of our UsersMaslow's Hierarchy of Needs

vs

“Usable = Edible”

Planning and Discovery Methods• In the project management or SDLC scheme of things,

where does “Collecting and digesting user feedback” fit in?

• From a UX perspective, the common activities that take place can be seen in the following UX Toolkit

Planning and Discovery Methods• As you can see a lot of these activities involve user

research which is why collecting and digesting user feedback is at the heart of User Experience and User Centred Design.

• I know what some of you are thinking…

Guerilla User Research• The aim of this activity is to understand your product

from a different perspective and look past what is familiar and known in order to see the product with fresh eyes.

• What concerns are on top of users’ minds? How do they really behave? How are people using your product today?

• You make it a priority to talk and learn from at least a few users first hand by whatever means necessary.

Guerilla User Research - Part 11. Think about your target users for a current project

• Who are they?

• What kinds of behaviors and interests might they have?

• Where do they live & work?

• For example, if your target audience are 20-35 year olds and they spend a lot of time in coffee shops you might want to spend an afternoon in a coffee shop, politely asking people you see working on their laptops if they would be interested in doing a short user study.

Guerilla User Research - Part 22. List your research questions

• Think about what you’re trying to learn from your users.

• Do a mind map to get your questions out of your head and onto paper or a whiteboard

• Tips: Ask open-ended questions, ask about past events e.g “tell me about the last time that you took a picture on your phone”

Guerilla User Research - Part 33. Go into the field

• Ideally meet with your users in his/her own environment: work/home or somewhere he/she spends a lot of time

• Ask your user to show you as much as they are comfortable sharing about how they use the product and what is relevant in that environment

• If he/she is ok with it, take picture, video, recordings to document what you see and hear and remind you of this person and the things you learned

• Make sure to cover all your research questions which you listed down.

Guerilla User Research - Part 4

4. Mine the data for insights

• After you have completed all your research interviews spend some time reviewing your notes and looking for the answers to the question you had listed in the beginning.

Collating and Presenting your Insights• From a project management sense, one common method of

collecting your requirements are through user stories.

Title (one line describing the story)

Narrative: As a [role], I want [feature], So that [benefit]

Acceptance Criteria: (presented as Scenarios)

Scenario 1: Title

Given [context] And [some more context]… When [event] Then [outcome] And [another outcome]...

Scenario 2: ...

Collating and Presenting your InsightsOther methods of presenting user research insights include the following:

• Insights Blogs

• Insights Boards

• Client Workshops

• User Journeys (example: comparing AS-IS to the TO-BE state)

• Personas or Proto Personas

• Heuristic Markup

• Task Flows

Personality

Personas help guide the design process, keeping the focus on user needs

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User%Journey%+%A%Day%in%the%life%of%an%Undergraduate%Student

Key

Services

Tasks

STEPS

It's.Sunday.Morning.in.Abu.Dhabi.and.I'm.woken.up.by.the.alarm.on.my.smartphone..I.missed.the.bus.I.was.intending.on.catching.so.I.check.GH.on.my.smartphone.for.the.next.departure.Cme.

ADer.dinner.I.have.a.look.at.the.syllabi.for.the.courses.I.am.going.to.study.in.New.York.

I.have.some.free.Cme.following.that.class.so.I.go.to.the.library.to.do.some.research.on.that.assignment.and.take.out.some.books..I.use.the.search.filters.to.narrow.down.my.results.

Towards.the.end.of.my.first.class.for.the.day.I.logon.my.laptop.to.check.the.lunch.menu..I.share.the.menu.with.my.friend.who.is.in.a.different.class.and.invite.her.to.join.me.for.lunch.

Close.to.the.end.of.my.lunch.period.I.double.check.where.and.when.my.next.class.is.on.my.smartphone.

At.my.next.class.I.am.given.a.new.assignment.due.in.4.weeks.Cme..I.want.to.add.this.to.my.calendar.with.a.number.of.reminders.

I.head.back.to.my.dorm.in.Sama.and.do.some.planning.for.studying.in.New.York.next.semester..I.start.this.by.creaCng.a.new.custom.view.of.New.York.and.add.content.that.interests.me.

Later.that.aDernoon.following.a.chat.with.my.friend.about.an.upcoming.SIG.event.we.are.planning,.I.go.back.to.GH.to.book.the.equipment,.room.and.refreshments.necessary.for.that.event.

During.dinner.I.am.alerted.of.a.noCficaCon.on.my.smartphone.of.an.upcoming.jogging.event.that.was.triggered.by.my.profile.interests..I.add.this.event.to.my.calendar.

Notes

Using.smartphone.connected.over.WIFI.whilst.in.the.dorm.room.

Single.Sign.On.(SSO).through.Global.Home

User.Log.into.Global.Home.through.smartphone

IdenCfy.user.Profile.and.home.page.

seVngs

Note:%The.user.has.previously.indicated.that.they.want.dining.services.shown.as.part.of.their.core.services.through.their.home.page.

Technology%Familiarity

I.am.confident.with.technology,.but.I.get.nervous.when.there.is.a.lot.on.the.screen..

I.want.something.simple.and.straighWorward.

Goals

Complete.all.the.prerequisites.and.get.accepted.into.Medical.School..

Make.the.most.out.of.my.Cme.here.taking.part.in.coXcurricular.and.social.acCviCes.

Challenges

Difficulty.finding.what.I.need.because.it’s.in.so.many.different.places.

Lack.of.informaCon.for.planning.post.academic.studies.

Faceted.Search

User.uses.faceted.search.available.

through.Global.Home.to.search.against.library.resources

LocaCon.Based.Content.–.User.Specified

User.creates.an.addiConal.Global.Home.for.a.future.

locaCon

Determine.the.default.informaCon.for.the.

chosen.future.locaCon

Event.Management

User.accesses.the.Event.AdministraCon.

Service.

User.creates.event

Profile.Based.NoCficaCons

Determine.that.new.content.has.been.

created.that.relates.to.the.users.GH.

preferences.and.interests

Present.noCficaCon.to.the.user.through.their.

homepage

User.Controlled.content.X.available.services

The.user.navigates.to.the.available.services.through.the.addiConal.

locaCon.GH.page

Determine.services.available.to.the.user.for.addiConal.locaCon

UndergraduateSophomoreArts%&%HumaniEes

Luciana.Diaz

“Every.day.someone.tells.me.something.about.their.life.and.their.culture..I.would.like.to.make.the.most.of.this.experience.and.become.as.globally.openXminded.as.possible.both.socially.and.academically.”

Demographics

From.SpainSpeak.Spanish.(mother.tongue),.English.(advanced)Majoring.in.Human.Biology;.PreXmed.The.eldest.of.three.with.two.younger.brothersAbended.private.school.in.Madrid

LocaCon.Based.Content

Determine.user’s.locaCon

Present.locaCon.based.content.to.user

User.selects.dining.services.for.current.

locaCon

Present.user.with.dining.opCons

Social.Networking

User.shares.locaCon.based.content.with.

others

ARCHGH.FU.3.1.0.0

ARCHGH.FU.1.7.1.0

ARCHGH.FU.1.9.1.0

ARCHGH.FU.1.7.7.0

ARCHGH.FU.1.2.0.0

Calendars

Present.default.Calendar.view.through.

Global.home

User.select.to.view.Class.related.calendar

ARCHGH.FU.7.0.0.0

SchedulingARCHGH.FU.7.4.0.0

User.schedules.calendar.event.and.add.reminders

ARCHGH.FU.4.2.0.0 ARCHGH.FU.1.7.3.0

Note:%The.user.has.previously.created.interest.and.preferences.on.their.profile.and.these.are.carried.forward.onto.any.new.profile.they.create,.if.appropriate.

ARCHGH.FU.1.8.1.0

Determine.the.users.preferences.and.

seVngs.on.any.exisCng.profile

Apply.the.users.preferences.and.seVngs.to.future.locaCon.where.appropriate

ARCHGH.FU.1.8.0.0

Present.the.future.locaCon.Global.Home.in.addiCon.to.default.Global.Home.LocaCon

The.user.modify.the.future.locaCon.Global.Home.based.on.any.

addiConal.preferences.they.have.relevant.to.the.new.locaCon

ARCHGH.FU.1.9.0.0

ARCHGH.FU.6.2.0.0

Note:%Need.to.understand.from.Web.Services.Team.(Thomas.GarbeloV).what.they.are.doing.for.Event.Management..This.may.turn.out.to.be.a.service.provided.through.Global.Home..Any.Reminders,.Scheduling.and.possibly.response.gathering.however,.need.to.be.integrated.into.Global.Home.

ARCHGH.FU.6.0.0.0

Present.available.resources.to.the.user

ARCHGH.FU.1.11.0.0

The.user.adds.the.event.to.their.calendar.

automaCcallyARCHGH.FU.6.3.0.0

ARCHGH.FU.1.9.4.0

ARCHGH.FU.1.7.3.0

Present.Services.available.to.user.at.addiConal.locaCon.

based.on.roleARCHGH.FU.1.10.1.0

Note:%The.user.has.previously.created.the.Global.Home.page.for.another.locaCon.and.set.preferences.and.interests..The.system.understands.the.role.of.the.person.and.the.services.available.to.them.

Resource.availbility

User.checks.available.resources.required.to.facilitate.the.event

The.user.reserves.the..locaCon.and.any.

resources.that.should.be.available.within.the.

locaCon

ARCHGH.FU.1.14.1.0

ARCHGH.FU.1.14.1.0

ARCHGH.FU.1.14.4.0

MVP.Flag.MustShouldNice.to.Have.X.NTH

SERV

ICES%&%TASK

S

Activity1. Create a detailed persona based on your target

audience for your product

OR

2. Create a proto persona (short summary) of your target audience and a user journey based on a day or week in the life of this persona. Then add the user stories or requirements/features that you need for each step in that journey

What’s next?• Design - sketching, prototypes and wireframes.

• Applying everything you have learned to improve the user experience and eliminate pain points and frustrations.

• Final note: user research and feedback never stops. It is something that should be done throughout the project life cycle and continued after project completion. Usability studies for example should be scheduled periodically and along with analytics and other user feedback can be used to continuously improve the product.

The future: An Ecosystem approach to Design

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Think big even if you start small

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Questions?