Guerrilla Usability: Insight on a Shoestring
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Presented at Iowa Code Camp, May 2010: Iterative and Agile development mean shorter cycles and a desperate need for quick feedback. Luckily, improving the user experience of your software doesn’t require days in a lab. This session will present more than twenty-five tools and techniques for gaining insight into your users’ minds and actions.
Transcript of Guerrilla Usability: Insight on a Shoestring
Hi, I’m David.Product Manager, Geonetric
Information Architect / UX Designer
Certified Scrum Master
Usability
Exceptional productsrequire exceptional
UsabilityThe effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction
with which specified users achieve specified goals
in particular environments.
ISO 9241
UsabilityThe effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction
with which specified users achieve specified goals
in particular environments.
ISO 9241
Defining
UsabilityThe e!fectiveness, e!ficiency and satisfaction
with which specified users achieve specified goals
in particular environments.
ISO 9241
Measuring
Usabilityis not about what people
think they will do or will feel…
Usabilityis about what people actually do,
and their satisfaction with the result.
Usabilityis created and evaluated through
observation, conversation, & collaboration.
By minimizing process…
guerrilla usability embraces agility.
Be agileIndividuals & interactions
Working software
Customer collaboration
Responding to change
Be a guerrillaIndividuals & interactions
Working software
Customer collaboration
Responding to change
Principles over processes
Output must be input
Pull together
Keep it small, but aggregate
INTERVIEWS + ETHNOGRAPHY
ToolsTelephoneSkype / Video ChatWeb conferencing/screen sharing applicationsDigital photosBlogs, notebooks, diaries
understand + observe
What is it?An open-ended conversation with users about your area of interest.
Why do it?The best bang-for-your-buck as a first step in getting to know your users.
Allow these conversations to snowball using a!finity diagramming and mental models.
Pay attention to tasks and goals.
PARTICIPATORY DESIGN
ToolsPaper, scissors, glueYUI Design StencilsOther images
understand + observe
What is it?A tangible representation of a system
Why do it?Fun for everyone. Allows participants to express needs in a different format. We’re not interested in the actual
prototypes as much as the conversations about the reasons behind them.
PARTICIPATORY DESIGN
understand + observe
PARTICIPATORY DESIGN
understand + observe
CARD SORTING
ToolsIndex cards (!)UX SortOptimalSortUserZoomWebSort
understand + observe
What is it?Participants organize items into groups.
Why do it?Develop or test categorization and labeling; understand mental models.
Pay attention to the interesting di!ferences in how various people label and group items. What things are on the fringes?
CARD SORTING
understand + observe
An open card sort. Spencer, Donna. Card Sorting: Designing Usable Categories. 2009. New York: Rosenfeld Media. www.rosenfeldmedia.com/books/cardsorting/
CARD SORTING
understand + observe
MENTAL MODELS
ToolsPaperVisioExcelPowerPointOmnigraffleAdobe Illustrator
What is it?Represents a thorough understanding of user needs, activities, and mental states.
Why do it?Ensures alignment of product features with user needs.
understand + observe
MENTAL MODELS
understand + observe
Slot “Theaters Near Me” under “Choose Easy Theater” as its primary location.Young, Indi. 2008. Mental Models: Aligning Design Strategy with Human Behavior. New York: Rosenfeld Media. www.rosenfeldmedia.com/books/mental-models/
USER FLOWS
ToolsPaperVisioOmnigraffleAxure RP
What is it?A representation of the various paths a user may take through the system.
Why do it?Refining ideas, preparing for storyboarding, prototyping, or cognitive walkthroughs.
visualize
STORYBOARDS / COMICS
ToolsPaperdesigncomics.org
What is it?A scene-by-scene visual depiction of a user’s interaction with a system.
Why do it?Provides a useful artifact for user and stakeholder feedback. Faster and less complex than a full interactive prototype.
visualize
Many of the unmoderated testing tools mentioned could be used to share and gather limited feedback on storyboards.
STORYBOARDS / COMICS
visualize
STORYBOARDS / COMICS
visualize
Kevin Cheng, http://kevnull.com/creating-concepts-through-comics
STORYBOARDS / COMICS
visualize
http://www.google.com/googlebooks/chrome
PROTOTYPING
ToolsPaperHTML/CSS/JavaScriptVisioPowerPointOmnigraffleBalsamiq MockupsAxure RPMockflowMockingbirdMicrosoft SketchflowFlash
What is it?A tangible representation of a system
Why do it?Exploration, idea generation, and sharing. To create an artifact for use in other testing.
visualize
PROTOTYPING: SKETCHBOARDS
visualize
PROTOTYPING
visualize
Balsamiq Mockups
PROTOTYPING
visualize
Axure RP
HEURISTIC EVALUATION
evaluate
Metrics(Potential) Errors(Potential) Efficiency
What is it?Reviewing a system against a set of guidelines or usability principles.
Why do it?Quick results, no user recruitment necessary
http://usability.gov/guidelines/guidelines_book.pdf
COGNITIVE WALKTHROUGH
Tools
evaluate
Metrics(Potential) Errors(Potential) Efficiency
What is it?After a task analysis, a group of designers and developers step through the software asking questions at each step.
Why do it?Quick results, no user recruitment necessary, can do at virtually any phase.
ANALYTICS
ToolsGoogle AnalyticsOmnitureWebtrendsPinch Mediacustom data/reporting
What is it?Reporting on data collected about user’s actions in the system.
Why do it?Relatively easy way to identify possible issues for further investigation.
evaluate
MetricsCompletionErrors(Bounces, Abandonment, Exits, etc.)
ANALYTICS
evaluate
CLICK TRACKING + HEATMAPS
ToolsClickTaleClixpyCrazyEgg(smt) Simple Mouse Tracking
What is it?A visualization of the user’s actions in a system.
Why do it?Relatively easy way to identify possible issues for further investigation. Able to collect large number of actual users.
evaluate
MetricsCompletionErrors
CLICK TRACKING
evaluate
HEATMAPS
evaluate
HEATMAPS
evaluate
REMOTE EVALUATION
ToolsUservueSilverbackWebEx / GoToMeetingVyew / Dim Dim / etc.
What is it?A task-based usability test where the moderator and participant are not in the same room.
Why do it?Easier recruiting or scheduling, contextual or geographic reasons.
evaluate
MetricsCompletionTime on TaskErrorsSatisfaction
UNMODERATED EVALUATION
ToolsLoop 11OpenHallwayUserTesting.comFeedback ArmyChalkmark
What is it?A task-based usability test ‘moderated’ by an automated system with no participation by a human moderator.
Why do it?Easier scheduling, less time commitment.
evaluate
MetricsCompletionTime on TaskErrorsSatisfaction
SURVEYS
Tools4QSurveyMonkeyGoogle Forms/SpreadsheetsWufoo / Formstack / etc.HaveASec (iphone)
What is it?A tangible representation of a system
Why do it?Exploration, idea generation, sharing, artifact creation
evaluate
MetricsCompletionSatisfaction
SURVEYS
evaluate
Usabilityis not about what people
think they will do or will feel…
Usabilityis about what people actually do,
and their satisfaction with the result.
Usabilityis created and evaluated through
observation, conversation, & collaboration.
`
Recommended…
Photo Credits
Twitter 365 Project - Day 35 by rich115http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardgiles/3252590483
tv on the radio:halfway home by visualpanichttp://www.flickr.com/photos/visualpanic/3551386206
untitled by dev nullhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/devnull/3516167296
Da lang! by eriwsthttp://www.flickr.com/photos/eriwst/2516588547/
untitled by dev nullhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/devnull/3516200322/
coin laundry 1 by isaacbowenhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/isaacbowen/2830976681/
Cascade by vandelizerhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremy_vandel/208714007/
tool rack by L. Mariehttp://www.flickr.com/photos/lenore-m/2515800654/
