Usability bootcamp 3 18-13 high edweb ne-final
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Transcript of Usability bootcamp 3 18-13 high edweb ne-final
Usability BootcampHow we transformed Admission sites by
adopting user-centered design
Val FoxBentley UniversityOffice of Digital Engagement
HighEdWeb New EnglandMarch 18, 2013
Business school in Waltham, MA• 4,000+ undergraduate students; 1,400 graduate students• 20 undergraduate majors; 10 masters programs
Digital Engagement Office• 7-person team• Supports ~80 sites
“It doesn’t matter what I think about your website”
Our Users
Photo source: webcoursesbangkok.com
I need to find info quickly
I don’t care about your org structure
Design for me NOT you!
If you don’t make this easy, I’ll leave
Don’t talk to me in language I don’t understand
Making a case for users begins with NOT talking about users.
Admissions
Did NOT want to talk about users or a new website.
Admissions
Don’t make us change our web process.
We love our site!
We don’t have time to focus on this
project.
Did NOT want to talk about users or a new website.
Admissions
So we offered them what they DO want:• Increased lead pool• More applicants• Increased yield rates
Wake Up Call
20% of prospective students said they would remove a school from consideration because of a poor web experience
Source: Noel Levitz2011 E-Expectations Report
Wake Up Call
Wake Up Call
Wake Up Call
Mobile traffic was doubling every 8-10 months
Source: Google Analytics
Admissions
We need a mobile site by Fall!
We can learn Drupal 7
This is one of our top priorities
Admissions
Design a new site!
Traditional Development
Requirements
Design
Development
QA
Launch
User-Centered Development
Analysis
Design
Development
QA
Launch
Prototype
Test
Requirements
But won’t all this take longer?!
100x more expensive to make a change post-release (for traditional software)
Nielson Norman Group
User-Centered Development Cycle
Analysis
Design
Development
QA
Launch
Prototype
Test
RequirementsFocus GroupsOnline SurveysPersonasAnalytics
Focus Groups
Photo source: cartoonstock.com
Focus GroupsBest for: Sourcing qualitative feedback
Who: • Prospective undergraduate students • Parents (undergraduate)• Prospective graduate students
Source: • Undergraduate Tours• Graduate Open House
Goal: Gain an understanding of• Priority content• College research process• General web usage • Influencers
Photo source: tamarabustos.com
Focus GroupsSet up: 1 hr sessions at our research lab
Groups of 5-6 students/parentsPaid $50 each + pizzaFacilitator and note taker
Cost: $2,500
Time: 4 weeks
Output: Summary of findings > shared w/team
Bring personas to life:“Don’t tweet me after I apply, that’s just weird!”
“My mom loves helping me with the research process, it’s her way of ‘bonding’ with me.”
Center for Marketing TechnologyBentley University
Online Surveys
Online Surveys
Best for: Quantitative feedback• Purpose of site visit• Able to complete purpose of visit• Why (or why not)
Who: 500+ site visitors to our Admissions sites
Online Surveys
Tool: iPerceptions “Plus” account • Data export• Unlimited data collection• Device-specific• Adjustable invitation rate • Multi-language
Cost: $20/mo
Approach: 4 standard + optional questions
Online Surveys
Standard Questions:
Rate your overall site experience (1-10)Primary purpose of visit (multi-choice)Were you able to complete purpose of your visit (yes/no)• If yes > what did you value most• If no > why not
How likely are you to recommend
Optional Questions:
Visit frequencySource (how you arrived at site)Demographics
Online Surveys
Output: Summary shared via PPT doc
Key Learnings:
Qualified visitors are most demanding
Content = meat + potatoes
“Information too vague”“Couldn’t find average SAT scores”“I want detailed information on the grad program curriculum”
Photo source: chefmom.sheknows.com
Personas
Source: Forrester ResearchAgency: Primacy
PersonasDefined as: Hypothetical user developed through interviews &
observations of real users
Use for: Create a common understanding of target audience
Must: • Sound like a real person• Include compelling narrative• Call out key attributes & high level goals• Enable design decisions• Include scenarios
Personas
Source: Forrester ResearchAgency: Primacy
Photos of Kelly’s items give a feeling for her lifestyle
Infographics convey Kelly’s device usage & tech proficiency
Personas Lend to ScenariosPersona Prospective graduate student
Goal: Find a part-time MBA program in Boston area
Scenario: • Searches for “Boston MBA programs”• Reaches Bentley.edu > Academics > Graduate
Programs• Sees MBA programs but labels aren’t clear• Visits each program page to learn more but gets
frustrated with time spent
Analytics
AnalyticsTools Google Analytics: Free
CrazyEgg: $228/year for “standard” account
Best for:
Revealing behavior – NOT intent
Google Analytics: comprehensive site analytics
CrazyEgg: ad-hoc reporting for specific pages
Google Analytics
Pre-launch: Tracking out-of-the-box stats:• Site visits & visitors• Pageviews• Pages/visit• Bounce rate• Top pages• Traffic by source
Results: No actionable insightsNo ownership
Google AnalyticsPost-launch: Set up Admission profiles w/dashboards
Tracking KPIs via automated reports• Conversion rates by form• Conversion rates by source• Cost per visit (search keywords)
Results Weekly review w/stakeholdersOwnership & accountability
Analytics Insights for AdmissionsOutput: Key user insights:
Google Analytics• High priority content• Top paths to content• Content gaps (top search terms)
CrazyEgg• Overall site experience• Task success/failure & rationale
User-Centered Development Cycle
Analysis
Design
Development
QA
Launch
Prototype
Test
RequirementsFocus GroupsOnline SurveysPersonasAnalytics
Design teamStakeholders
User-Centered Development Cycle
Analysis
Design
Development
QA
Launch
Prototype
Test
Requirements
User Testing
Usability Testing
Best for: Finding specific problems (prototype or live site)
Who: 8-10 students for each Admission site
Set-up: Facilitator + note-takerCamtasia Studio (screen capture)
Cost: $99/license – Camtasia$15 gift card - tester
Usability Testing
TasksTested:
Site navigation (find a major or program)Sign up for a tourFind application deadlinesFind link to applyFind info for accepted students
Output: Summary of findingsDesign modifications before handoff to dev
Total cost: $400
Launch of BOTH sites Nov-Dec 2012
bentley.edu/undergraduatebentley.edu/graduate
Results
Results: Year-over-year online leadsUndergrad: 6% increaseGrad: 11% increase
Year-over-year mobile traffic: 2.4x higher
Year-over-year mobile trafficBounce rate: Dropped by 10% to 42%Pages/visit: Slight increase
Total cost: $2,800
Stay in touch
• Twitter:@ValerieFox• www.slideshare.net/FoxAtBentley• www.bentley.edu/DE