userneeds! @anous

User Checks!involve users always and get to a better design fast

September 10, 2016"Workshop UXCAMP AMSTERDAM 2016 "Anouschka Scholten userneeds

userneeds! @anous

userneeds! @anous

person

needs

goal

Image: source http://thenextweb.com/dd/2014/05/27/context-design-seize-magic-moment/

userneeds! @anous

Check with users?!

userneeds! @anous

userneeds! @anous

userneeds! @anous

userneeds! @anous

UX insights!

userneeds! @anous

Quantitative methods

What happens Where How often

WHY How better ?

userneeds! @anous

userneeds! @anous

Make people’s lives better.

userneeds! @anous

You can’t possibly predict/find/be aware of all the issues

userneeds! @anous

Focus group Enquête

Verify test Remote

tracking

Usability testing

User driven

Marketing driven

userneeds! @anous

People do not always do what !you think !you tell them !they think !they say !they do!!!Observing and asking why makes you find out what people really !do and need!

userneeds! @anous

Usability testing is about

observing behaviour Watch the user do what comes naturally,while performing a task (thinking aloud).

Don't help.Not asking about opinion.

userneeds! @anous

empathy!a key function of usability testing

to really see, hear and find out what moves your users

the ability to see an experience through another person’s eyes

Getting to

userneeds! @anous

WHY??!!! It’s not about

how often something is said or done it’s no quantitative research, it’s not about significance

It’s about

why things happen or are said What’s behind the behavior? Did the user expect something else, what? Is there something in the context which is new and we have to consider? Is there something really important, much more than we thought, an opportunity? Or a painpoint we didn’t meet exactly?

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userneeds! @anous

Usability test to!Detect problems!Optimize!Innovate!Engage!Convice!Focus!!!!

userneeds! @anous

Usability ROI

•  Increased conversion rates

•  Increased productivity

•  Reduced need for help desk intervention

•  Reduced fall off rate at checkout

•  Reduce waste, focus on what’s needed

userneeds! @anous

Meeting user needs is keyUX – U = XUX without users is a no go

userneeds! @anous Picture credits: Johan Groenen http://www.jgroenen.nl/

NOT the waterfall way

userneeds! @anous Picture credits: Johan Groenen http://www.jgroenen.nl/

The agile way!

userneeds! @anous

Improve the UX ongoing

Validated learning loop for innovation, solving problems and optimization

The Lean Startup process, source: http://theleanstartup.com/principles

userneeds! @anous

user checks!& traditional usability testing!

userneeds! @anous

User Checks – agile usability testing

userneeds! @anous 26

userneeds! @anous

Usability Test traditional

1 round of testing"In a lab environment, eye tracking Moderator is a UX researcher Process based

userneeds! @anous

Traditional Usablity test drawbacks •  1 time, at end design process

•  An extensive report, little or no redesign

•  No retest

•  Not in user context

•  High costs: lab, eye tracking, special UX researcher

•  Product team indirectly involved

•  Schedule well in advance (at least 1 month)

userneeds! @anous http://uxpajournal.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/JUS_Romano_Bergstrom_November_2011.pdf

userneeds! @anous

Test and retest within 1-4 weeks Preferably in the users context, quick and easy set up Team member (Designer, PO,…) conducts the test, team directly involved Output is a better design/ better MVP" Value based

User Checks Agile Usability Test

userneeds! @anous

User Checks Agile Usability Testing

6. Evaluate Priortize

Improvements

2. User Checks round 1

3. Evaluate Priortize Improvements

5. User Checks round 2

1. Design / MVP

4. Improved Design / MVP

7. Improved Design /

MVP

Repeat or develop

Based on the RITE-model: https://uxmag.com/articles/the-rite-way-to-prototype

userneeds! @anous

“Elaborate tests are a waste of resources”

Source: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/why-you-only-need-to-test-with-5-users/

75% of the problems found with 3 or 4 user tests

userneeds! @anous

Outsourcing your user research work is like outsourcing your vacation.  It gets the job done, but probably won’t have the effects you were seeking. Jared Spoolhttp://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2011/08/02/outsourcing-your-user-research-is-like-outsourcing-your-vacation/

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userneeds! @anous

A better design fast!

userneeds! @anous

With User Checks •  Checking with users on a regular bases

Effective problem detection

•  Ensures that users can successfully reach their goals and shows where their satisfaction can be improvedBoosts optimalization

•  Offers insights about the proposition or concept weaknesses and unknown opportunities Enables innovation

•  Ensures the whole team understands how users use their product Empathy and commitment

•  Emphasizes where a design change is needed, reduces wasteBrings focus, avoids feature creep

userneeds! @anous

Let’s just do it!

userneeds! @anous

Live user check test session !additional participants in role ‘observer’!!

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userneeds! @anous

Collect en prioritize findings!learing by doing!

userneeds! @anous

Come up with solutions and prioritize!learing by doing!

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userneeds! @anous

userneeds! @anous

userneeds! @anous

The 4 basics of a User Check

1.  Do a short interview upfrontAsk for experiences; how did they… the last time. Let the user formulate the goal they have, the situation, the task. Use that for the user check

2.  Let your user experience the prototype/MVP/site Observe don’t tell. Put your prototype/site in the user’s hands (or your user in the prototype) and give just the minimum context so they understand what to do. Give them the situation and task they formulated in the interview

userneeds! @anous

3.  Have them talk through their experience (talk aloud) & Observe activelyWatch how they use (and misuse) what you have given them. Never immediately “correct” what your user is doing.Only stimulate to talk aloud: “what are you thinking”

4.  Evaluate afterwords: follow up with questions This is important; often this is the most valuable part of testing. You mentioned… what did you mean with that? I saw you doing… why? What did you expect? How would you call it?Answer questions with questions (i.e “well, what do you think that button does”)

The 4 basics of a User Check

userneeds! @anous

I need 1 volunteer: the user

userneeds! @anous

Case uxcampams.com

•  The main goal(s) of the sitePromote the concept, get people interested to apply and be part of the event

•  Target usersUX experts and related expertises to join as attendees, speakers or volunteers

•  Main tasks, main questions of the usersFor Speakers: how does it work, what level of experience is expected, who attends/speaks, what can I expect, do I fit in?

•  Context of useRe-visiting the site after buying a ticket, considering to speak and find out if this is doable

userneeds! @anous

Observe the user’s behaviour

1 sticky per issue/observation

Note every occasion the user:

•  hesitates, worries, or is forced to think

•  misunderstands something

•  gets frustrated or annoyed

•  gives up

•  is surprised

userneeds! @anous

userneeds! @anous

The findings, issues

•  Collect Findings

•  Prioritize issues to be solved: prioritize from the business/user goals perspective, rate them

Do this with the whole team

userneeds! @anous

•  Collect all findings •  Re-arrange, categorize

them, label them •  Dot-vote (3 per person):

what is most important, what should we tackleThe problem dot-voted most: concentrate on that one for the solutions…

userneeds! @anous

Improvements •  Improvements on every level, note down

Labeling, content, categorization, visual assets, interaction, concept, flow, persuasion > but keep the business/user goals perspective in mind (focus)!

•  Prioritize by Impact & Effort (matrix) or dot-voteChoose improvement(s) to be re-tested

Do this with the whole team

userneeds! @anous

Impact & Effort matrix Impact: creates high/low value for users effort: high/low effort in terms of time, knowledge, tools, people…

Source: http://www.innovationgames.com/impact-effort-matrix/

Do this with the whole team

incl. decision makers!

userneeds! @anous

•  Implement the solutions that have the most positive impact/value for the user and take the least effort to realize

And re-test!

userneeds! @anous

A better design fast!!

userneeds! @anous

Lets make people’s lives better!!Just do it!!

userneeds! @anous

Thank you!

anouschka.scholten@userneeds.nl

www.userneeds.nl

Twitter: @anous

LinkedIn: https://nl.linkedin.com/in/anouschkascholten

userneeds! @anous

Extra’s

userneeds! @anous

User Checks set up •  Test script with real tasks

•  Real target users as participants

•  Ideally conducted in context user on their own device

•  Record audio and screen capture

•  1 test moderator, 1 observer (more observers are possible, but not too much and really on the background)

userneeds! @anous

Key: moderating the test If they… Say…

Are not talking “What are you thinking?”

Ask you a question (e.g. “Is that what I should do here?”)

Rephrase the question (e.g “ What do you think you should do?”)

Get a task right or wrong “Thank you , that is very helpful”“Thanks for the feedback”

Mess up “Remember, you can’t make any mistakes. You’re doing a great job.”

Are unsure if they have completed a task and ask you

“Is this what you would do if you were doing X at home?”

Criticize the design “Thanks for the feedback”

userneeds! @anous

Test script-agenda

1.  Introduction and questions up front

2.  Situation sketch + think aloud instruction

3.  Think aloud session

4.  Evaluate session, open questions

5.  End session - thank participant

userneeds! @anous

1. Example Introduction Thank you for participating, we really appreciate it!

I’m <name> and there is one person besides me <name> is also here. We’re helping a company to develop a new service / to optimize a website

This company cares about their customers and thinks it’s very important to involve potential customers when developing new services. They want the new service to be valuable for you.

That’s why we want to ask you some questions and along the way we’d like show you the service/site. You can walk through it.

 The interview takes about a 20 minutes. If you do not understand something, or you want to add something, do not hesitate to interrupt me!

 Do you mind if we record the session for future reference within our organisation? Everything we discuss and record is confidential; we will not share things without your permission!

Any questions?

userneeds! @anous

Task-think aloud instruction You are going to see: a draft proposal of the service, which has not yet been developed/ the site now.

<if a proptotype> The proposal is only images. It looks finished and you can click through it, but most of it is not working yet. It’s also not as fast as a normal app and you can’t do anything wrong.

<Situation sketch and task>

Please open the link on your mobile phone and walk through the app.Can you please say things aloud? Not to me, but for yourself? Everything you do or say is fine, eg. Also "what the hell is this ?! “.

You can start now by clicking the link

userneeds! @anous

Evaluation questions After the think aloud session, zoom in to what you observed, like:

•  You mentioned… what did you mean with that?

•  I saw you doing… why? What did you expect? How would you call it?

•  You didn’t go to … why not? What do you expect to find?

Also ask service, product or content specific questions, e.g.:

•  You read this text thoroughly, why?

•  You were going back and fourth between product X and Y, why?

•  You choose X and said something about .., what did you mean with that ?