Integrating User Centered Design with Agile Development

SoftShake 2010IntegratingUser Centered Design with Agile Development Geneva, 18.10.2010

The Agile Manifesto
Beck et al,2001

This is what usability and
user experience are all about.

What does usability mean?

ISO 9241 – 11: Definition of Usability
The extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with
effectiveness, efficiencyand satisfaction
in a specified context of use.

ISO 9241-12 Recommendations on Presentation of information
information should be conveyed quickly and accurately
Clarity
information should be able to be distinguished accurately
Discriminability
provide only the information necessary to complete the task
Conciseness
present the same information in the same way throughout the application
Consistency
direct the user’s attention to the information required
Detectability
Legibility
information should be easy to read
Comprehensibility
the meaning should be clearly understandable

In short:

…but wait, there is more
USEREXPERIENCE

whatis User Experience?
desirable
valuable
User experience
efficient
credible
effective
Usability
useful
satisfactory
accessible

User experience is the perceived value.

Creating the User Experience
According to ISO 9241-210, a user-centred design process is characterized by:
The active involvement of users
A clear understanding of user and task requirements
An appropriate allocation of function between users and technology
The iteration of design solutions
Multi-disciplinary design

Creating the User Experience

Whatis a user experiencespecialist?
ispassionate about makingdifficultthingseasy
cares about the users
understands design and usabilityprinciples
Seeks to innovate and delight
makes the linkbetween business and development
understandspossibilities and limitations of different technologies
isexperiencedwithtesting techniques
visualizesprocesses and interfaces

When…
Developersdon’t care about the UI – and evenless about the users.
Designers justcomplicatethings, wewouldbebetter off withoutthem.
UX
meets
Agile

How to integrate User Experience into an Agile process
There is a need for initial user research to understand the users’ motivations, the context of use, and existing tools.
Do your homework first
An overall sitemap, hi-level wireframes, UI patterns and design templates are important to be defined up-front.
Build a hi-level concept
In order to test the paper prototypes, the UX team needs enough time to make modifications before handing over to development.
UX works one sprint ahead of development
Frequent shorter tests are more efficient and can be organised quite easily, especially for internal applications.
Agile usability testing
Development team should be included in the initial analysis phase. UX / Design should be involved during the development sprints.
Collaborate throughout

Do your homework first

Get the foundations right
Whenyoubuild a house, youget the foundationsright.
The sameappliesto a web site or an application.

Cost of change
Elaboration
Construction
Inception
Cost of change
Real product
Prototype
Paper prototype
Time

Gathering requirements

Persona and scenarios
Personas and scenarios help to communicateusers’ needs and contextual situations. They are the outcome of thourough user research.
Evokeempathy
Call out high-level goals
Includespecific habits or pet peeves

Build a hi-level concept

Concept is crucial
For StrategyiTunes was an entire concept, not an afterthought of the iPod.
For InnovationWe shouldn’t blindly copy what exists already.
For ConsistencyAvoid impulsive and ad-hoc design decisions
For the BrandBrand damage takes far longer to mend than it does to make.
For User and Stake-holder FeedbackEven hand-drawn sketches can be used to quickly gather reactions from users and stake-holders.

The concept flow

Sitemap

Task flows

Define patterns

Design concepts

Corporate road

Style guide

UX works one sprint ahead of Development

One sprint ahead
Hi-level Concept
Research & Analysis
Sprint 3
Sprint 2
Sprint 0
Sprint 1
Create Wireframes and Specs for Sprint 2
Test Wireframes for Sprint 3
Usability testing for Sprint 1
UX
Test Build from Sprint 1
Research for Sprint 3
Research next phase
Collaborate on Sprint 3 development
Collaborate on application concept
Develop Sprint 3
Technical Architecture
Develop Sprint 2
Develop Sprint 1
Test Sprint 2
Development setup
Fix issues from Sprint 2
Test Sprint 1
Development
Deliver, deploy Sprint 1
Implement changes to Sprint 1

One sprint ahead
Hi-level Concept
Research & Analysis
Sprint 3
Sprint 2
Sprint 0
Sprint 1
Usability testing for Sprint 1
UX
Research next phase
Brief team members on Concept
Develop Sprint 3
Technical Architecture
Develop Sprint 2
Develop Sprint 1
Development
Test Sprint 2
Development setup
Test Sprint 1
Implement changes to Sprint 1

Producewireframes

Test wireframes
By hand
Morae software

Specifications
Format may vary:
Annotated wireframes
Clickable prototype, e.g. with Axure
Word document
Wiki (e.g. Confluence)

Agile Usability testing

usabilitytesting
How effectively and efficiently were the users able to perform the tasks and how satisfied were they?

Why usability testing?
Get feedback directly from the users – not intermediaries
Provide data for design decisions – not opinions
Save development time by avoiding rework later in the development process
Increase user satisfaction and adoption

Agile usabilitytesting
Tests canbeconductedwith few users
Tests canbecarried out in an informal, low-keymanner, no specialusabilitylabisnecessary
Results and recommendationscanbe made quickly, in a collaborative way, no lengthyoffical reports are necessary
Tools:Morae software or simple excelspreadsheet
Small, frequent tests are betterthan few bigones

Usability testing during the product life cycle

Collaborate throughout

Challenges
Internal
Client
Availability of resources
Multi-disciplinary team
Constant pressure on the team
Working on several sprints at the same time for the UX team
Changing client demands
Consistent client involvement
Number of actors, communication, validation and escalation on the client side
Level of maturity for UX on the client side
Global
Timing pressure at each Sprint
Budget for fixed price projects
Constant change management
Rigorous project management
Clearly defined deliverables

thank youjulia.borkenhagen@b-i.com
jacques.desmazieres@b-i.com

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Integrating User Centered Design with Agile Development

by Julia Borkenhagen on Oct 21, 2010

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Integrating User Centered Design with Agile Development — Presentation Transcript