INVOLVE USERS IN YOUR EXPERIENCE DESIGN PROCESS

UXD minor 0809Q4 theme ‘user research’

Theme program ‘user research’

June 8: Assignment kick-offJune 15: Theme introduction (Hans) and

assignment progressJune 22: Presentation and discussion of

assignment progressJune 29: Final presentations and workshop with

Ferry den Dopper (TamTam)

Theme in the scheme of things

User research can be used to validate any aspect of the user experience

Traditionally, research has focused on usability research

Analysis, exploration and co-creation

Usability research (‘user testing’) is addressing usability flaws in an interface

Its aim is to provide a thorough analysis to pinpoint the problem

Analysis, exploration and co-creation

Designers are focused on creating solutions

For a designer, the aim of (user) research is to explore these solutions, see how even better solutions can be created (iterate)

In a way, involving users in this creation process is co-creation, also referred to as participatory design

Analysis, exploration and co-creation

User involvement in the creation process will bring you (as a designer):

More empathy for users Make you more aware of the context of use Knowing the unexpected Inspiration for solutions

Analysis, exploration and co-creation

Crucial for its value: designers need to be directly involved in user research, preferably conducting the research

Here’s a fundamental difference with analysis: bias gives you tainted results

However, curiosity and openness are core competencies for designers

Prototyping

Every designer needs to communicate its design in every phase of the design process

Prototyping

The sole purpose of a prototype is to explore the solution, with or without the involvement of users

The fidelity of a prototype is determined by the purpose of the exploration

Cost and effect of design changes

Vordering van het ontwerp-/ontwikkelproces

Kosten van veranderingen aan het ontwerp

Impact van veranderingen aan het ontwerp

Toolkit

Repository for user research and design methodology

http://project.cmd.hro.nl/cmi/hci/toolkit/index.php

Testing during the design process (Steve Krug)

From: ‘Don’t Make Me Think’, Steve Krug (2006)

Usability heuristics

General principles for user interface designVisibility of system statusMatch between system and the real worldUser control and freedomConsistency and standardsError preventionRecognition rather than recallFlexibility and efficiency of useAesthetic and minimalist designHelp users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errorsHelp and documentation

Heuristic evaluation

Type of expert review using usability heuristics as criteria for inspection

Pros: easy to conduct, little effort/low costCons: no context of use, no rich data

http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_evaluation.html

In-lab research

Research by inviting respondents to laboratory setting

Thinking aloud Co-discovery

Pros: controlled environment, low-fi prototype is no problem, high quality data capture

Cons: no context of use, time consuming/expensive

http://www.digital-web.com/articles/practical_usability_testing/

Remote research

Qualitative research using remote technology to capture data and interact with respondents

Pros: relatively cheap, in context of use Cons: hi-fi prototype required, limited data

capture

http://boltpeters.com/services/index.html

Assignment

Conduct an expert review based on Nielsen’s heuristic evaluation

Conduct a usability test using either: In-lab research Remote research

Compare the two, looking at quality of results and effort

Team presentation and individual blog post with team report plus individual reflection