Presented by Joyce Peralta at #PSEWEB 2019

1. Taking it to the next level
Strategies for making
good UX a team effort

2. About me
Joyce Peralta
Manager, Digital Communications
Communications and External Relations, McGill University
about.me/theotherlondon
@theotherlondon
Presentation slides
https://mcgill.ca/x/ZpZ

3. A look back…
1997 2004 2010 2012

4. 2019

5. Benefits
When taking part in UX exercises, participants provide
information about:
• Audience needs
• User interface concerns and requirements
• Preferences for look and feel

6. What else can we
gain?

7. Who participates in our user research exercises?
Audience members
• Students
• Faculty
• Staff
• Alumni
• External community members
Other roles
• Facilitators
• Note takers
• Observers
• Project team members

8. Benefits
When taking part in UX exercises, developers, support staff,
product owners and key stakeholders provide information
about:
• Possible technology enhancements
• Opportunities to share resources
• Ways to improve web processes
Increased understanding and trust between
audience members, key stakeholders, and staff.

9. Challenges

10. Types of UX exercises
• Focus group workshops
• User journey mapping
• Surveys
• Tree testing
• Usability testing
• A/B testing
• Review existing data

11. Example: Focus group exercise
Brainstorm and create a diagram of the information students look for when they arrive on the
Engineering homepage.
Questions to consider:
• When you visit the Engineering homepage, what information are you looking for?
• What actions are you hoping to take?
• What information did you look for as a new student?
Group diagram presentations (30 min)

13. Supporting resource: Information sessions

14. Example: Focus group exercise 2
Choose the most appropriate service category label for services presented on screen.
Services
• Websites
• Wiki services
• McGill Blogs (Blogs.mcgill.ca)
Category labels to consider
• Websites, wikis
• Websites and web tools
• Content and Collaboration

16. Supporting resource: Templates and guidelines

17. Example: User journey mapping exercise
Map students’ thoughts, feelings and actions through each stage of the university selection process.
Identify related opportunities.
Questions to consider:
• How did students discover McGill and their programs of study?
• What are students’ criteria and priorities when choosing a university?
• What are the biggest challenges?

19. Example: Tree testing exercise
Where would you click to find information on how to set up your McGill email on your computer?

20. Challenges & solutions

21. Strategies for team success
Have a plan
Clearly define…
• Goals and objectives
• Timeline and responsibilities
• Structure for team analysis

22. Strategies for team success
Helpful resources for team members
• UX toolkit, how-to documentation
• Training / information session
• Templates and guidelines
• Transcripts of interviews with audience members

23. Benefits
When taking part in UX exercises, developers, support staff,
product owners and key stakeholders provide information
about:
• Possible technology enhancements
• Opportunities to share resources
• Ways to improve web processes
Increased understanding and trust between
audience members, key stakeholders, and staff.

25. Some of my favourite UX resources
Websites
• Nielsen Norman Group
• UX Booth
Books
• Don’t Make Me Think
• Quantifying the User Experience: Practical Statistics for User Research
UX research tools
• Optimal Workshop
• Lookback
• Hotjar

26. About me
Joyce Peralta, Web Analyst
McGill University, IT Communications
about.me/theotherlondon
@theotherlondon
Presentation slides
https://mcgill.ca/x/ZpZ

27. Building UX Practices
Higher Education Summit roundtable discussion
• What is the level of understanding about UX design in your university department?
• How do you advocate for UX design and user research in your university?
• Do you have resources/practices in place for sharing UX research data among departments?
• Do you have any tips for recruiting participants for UX workshops and exercises? Specific tips
for recruiting students? Faculty? Staff?
• How do you conduct UX research with prospective students?
• What notable challenges have you experienced doing UX research at your university? What
solutions have you developed to address these challenges?
• What are some notable successes have you achieved (successful projects, discoveries, lessons
learned)?