1

Human Factors in Innovation

September 2009

2

James Kalbach

User Experience Consultant LexisNexis

LIS Degree Rutgers University

3

Innovation is the new black

4

Invention Innovation

Concept

Thought

Vision

Physical

Proof of concept

“Hardware”

Social

Information

“Software”

Idea

5

Innovation is about social applications

of inventions, not about the inventions

themselves…

Engineeering-driven corporate cultures

fail…because they don’t address the

social needs of their customers…

“Are Engineers, Scientists And Mathematicians Enemies of Innovation?” Bruce Nussbaum, Business Week (June 16, 2009)www.businessweek.com/innovate/NussbaumOnDesign/archives/2009/06/are_engineers_s.html

Bruce Nussbaum

6

7

1.

2.

3.

Human Factors

Factors Affecting Adoption

Perceived attributes

Type of innovation decision

Adoption process

Communication channels

Amount & type of promotion

Nature of the social system

Type of adopter

Adoption of Innovation

8

1. Perceived Attributes

9

Perceived Attributes1. Relative Advantage

Is it better?

2. Compatibility

Is it appropriate?

3. Complexity

Is it understandable?

4. Trialability

Can it be tested?

5. Observability

What does it look like?

Examples of non-adoption

10

1. Relative Advantage

USP?

11

12

Strategy Canvas

13

2. Compatability

Is It Appropriate?

14

15

2. Compatability

16

3. Complexity

Learning Curve

17

“Good Enough” Design

18

4. Trialability

19

Persuasive IA

20

5. Observability

21

VisbilityBreadth vs Depth

“Information Scent“

22

Perceived Attributes Techniques

1. Relative Advantage Context, Strategy Canvas, IA Strategy

2. Compatibility Ethnography, Workflow, Mental Models

3. Complexity Usability, “Good Enough“ Design

4. Trialability Open Web, Persuasive IA

5. Observability Information Scent, Visbility, Breadth v Depth

23

2. Adoption Process

24

Knowledge Persuasion DecisionImplemen-

tationConfirma-

tion

Phases In Adoption

Uncertainty drives the process of adoption

1. Relative Advantage2. Compatabiltiy3. Complexity4. Trialability5. Observability

25

Phase Bing

Knowledge Aggressive marketing (“Retina burn“), Spam

Persuasion “Tour Bing“, Attractive design

Decision Relevant results, Compare to Google, Tools

Implementation “Make Bing my default“ switch

Confirmation Relevant results? Helpful tools?

26

27

28

3. Types of Adopters

29

Techies‘Let‘s

try it out‘

Visionaries‘Be first‘

Conservatives‘Prove it‘

Pragmatists‘Stick withthe crowd‘

Sceptics‘I doubt it‘

Uncertainty drives attitude toward adoption

30

It turns out our attitude

toward technology adoption

becomes significant…any time

we are introduced to products

that require us to change our

current mode of behavior...

31

Lawyer

“Competition is tough, so I strive to give clients sound legal advice.”

Company & Role Medium-size firm: 8 fee-earning lawyers, 3 secretaries Practicing law for 7 years Focus on traffic law and some family law, but takes cases

in other areas as needed Has about 30 active client matters at any time

Background & Skills 36 years old, divorced, 2 children Has email and internet for work, used regularly Novice database searcher, doesn’t invest time to improve Not very tech affine, doesn’t like to deal with tech

problems; Needs certainty new tools will improve work

Tools & Resources A few key books at his desk, shared documentation room Practice management software and paper client files Subscriptions limited to key journals Account with an online research service Firm is very conscious about spending on resources

Work Activities (110%) Go to court (45%) Prepare briefs, documents; Research (20%) Consult with clients face-to-face (15%) Admin work on files, time tracking (10%) Correspond with clients on a matter (10%) Keep up-to-date (5%) Manage business (personnel, supplies) (5%)

Typical Work Day 8:30 Check messages, deadlines, prioritize work 9:00 Go to court12:30 Return, correspond with clients13:00 Lunch break14:00 Reprioritize, correspondence, manage office15:00 Consult clients face-to-face in office18:00 Client file work, research, prepare next day19:00 Go home with law journal and client files

Opportunities • Due to personnel cuts, needs help

with basic administrative tasks• Doesn’t have time to learn new

programmes and technologies, but knows they can make things easier

• Concerned about data backups• Maintains both electronic and paper

client files and calendars

George

Sources: Interviews internally; Market segmentation documentation; Monster.com; Interviews with customers

Late Majority

32

1. Perceived Attributes

2. Adoption Process

3. Types of Adopters

33

What are innovations in

IA?

34

Faceted Classification

, personality ; matter-property : energy

. space

' time

1933: Colon ClassificationS. R. Ranganathan

35

36

Relative Advantage?Compatability?

Complexity?Triability?

Observability?

37

38

39

Conclusion

• IA and UX are fundamentally about innovation

• Tie innovation to human behavior– Address human factors of innovation – Conduct ethnographic research– Use existing frameworks to lower uncertainty

• Take advantage of the paradigm shift– Design innovation has never been so relevant– Reach out to managers looking to innovate– Focus on the risk of non-adoption– Leverage existing techniques

40

Thank You

James.Kalbach@gmail.com

www.experiencinginformation.com