Dealing with Design A survival guide in three acts

When do you need a designer?

What are the flavors of designers?

Hiring & Vetting What are my product’s goals and challenges? What must users do/experience for us to win? What competency must the designer have? Where do I find them?

What are my product’s goals and challenges?

What must users do/experience for us to win?

What competency must the designer have?

Where do I find them?

The Interview Portfolio Watch out for “we” Design exercise Same exercise for everyone Short, and reveals thinking Not about making a good design Interview How did you solve a similar problem? What would you change about our product (if existing) or competitor What’s your ideal job?

Portfolio

Watch out for “we”

Design exercise

Same exercise for everyone

Short, and reveals thinking

Not about making a good design

Interview

How did you solve a similar problem?

What would you change about our product (if existing) or competitor

What’s your ideal job?

Working effectively with designers Bring them in EARLY Set clear priorities Get the flows (or IA) first Critique with goals, not solutions Push respectfully forward

Bring them in EARLY

Set clear priorities

Get the flows (or IA) first

Critique with goals, not solutions

Push respectfully forward

Ten reasons to kill your designer "I did the best I could - there's only so much you do with..." "Just tell me what you want and I'll make that." “ Oh, that can't be done.” “ Oh, but my idea is much better” "Well you never told me it was supposed to be REALLY good!" "Your database doesn't work with my design" or “Is all of this stuff really necessary?” "That solution would be non-standard" or “Users don’t scroll.” "I went to design school" "Because it looked better.“ “ Trust me" http://www.linkedin.com/answers/product-management/product-design/interface-design/PRM_PDS_INF/173714-1751812

"I did the best I could - there's only so much you do with..."

"Just tell me what you want and I'll make that."

“ Oh, that can't be done.”

“ Oh, but my idea is much better”

"Well you never told me it was supposed to be REALLY good!"

"Your database doesn't work with my design" or “Is all of this stuff really necessary?”

"That solution would be non-standard" or “Users don’t scroll.”

"I went to design school"

"Because it looked better.“

“ Trust me"

http://www.linkedin.com/answers/product-management/product-design/interface-design/PRM_PDS_INF/173714-1751812

When it’s you

Layers of design Base: User need/business need/tech options Information Architecture and/ or Interaction Design Interface Design Graphic Design

Base: User need/business need/tech options

Information Architecture and/ or Interaction Design

Interface Design

Graphic Design

Four Design Hacks

Participatory Card Sort

Running a successful card sort 50-75 pieces of content (not categories!) Provide as much information as possible while not overwhelming Lay all content out on a large table, shuffled thoroughly Provide blanks for category labels Encourage thinking-out-loud Be helpful, but do not suggest or advise. Play psychiatrist. Collate results and look for patterns.

50-75 pieces of content (not categories!)

Provide as much information as possible while not overwhelming

Lay all content out on a large table, shuffled thoroughly

Provide blanks for category labels

Encourage thinking-out-loud

Be helpful, but do not suggest or advise. Play psychiatrist.

Collate results and look for patterns.

Scenarios and Task Analysis

Example Persona Scenario

Task analysis Step by step breakdown of scenarios Helps define interface/interaction needs Flushes out potential opportunities for errors

Step by step breakdown of scenarios

Helps define interface/interaction needs

Flushes out potential opportunities for errors

Task analysis Purchasing a purse at nordstroms.com might include the tasks: 1. locate purse 2. add purse to shopping cart 3. check out f. Review order “ CHECK OUT” BECOMES g. Finalize checkout e. Input payment d. Input billing address c. Input shipping address b. Sign in/sign up a. Select checkout

Task analysis And so on… v. Input state (dropdown of standard abbreviations) f. Review order “ INPUT BILLING ADDRESS” BECOMES “ CHECK OUT” BECOMES vi. Input country g. Finalize checkout iv. Input street address e. Input payment iii. Input street address d. Input billing address ii. Input family name c. Input shipping address i. Input first name b. Sign in/sign up d. Input billing address (prepopulate all fields from c.) a. Select checkout

v. Input state (dropdown of standard abbreviations)

vi. Input country

iv. Input street address

iii. Input street address

ii. Input family name

i. Input first name

Page Zoning

Table setting?

Table setting?

Title Content Viral features metadata Related content

Graphic design hacks

Minimalist Design Only use one font. Preferably helvetica. Only use three, maybe four sizes, all very very different. Only use one color, with variations, and one “accent” color. Turn on the grid (if you are using photoshop, etc) Never align center. Never use stock photography. Have a hierachy

Only use one font. Preferably helvetica.

Only use three, maybe four sizes, all very very different.

Only use one color, with variations, and one “accent” color.

Turn on the grid (if you are using photoshop, etc)

Never align center.

Never use stock photography.

Have a hierachy

I am a serifed font I am sans-serif

I am Times New Roman Hey, I’m arial

niiiiiiice

Cheat Patterns Libraries Odesk Conference proceedings You can’t buy taste

Patterns

Libraries

Odesk

Conference proceedings

You can’t buy taste

Research Beyond usability

Who does it? Internal User Research Specialist Outside Consultant You

Internal User Research Specialist

Outside Consultant

You

Why do it? Know if the product meets user needs before you build it Cheap to change a sketch Affordable to change a Photoshop comp Expensive to change fully coded product Customer service expensive as well

Know if the product meets user needs before you build it

Cheap to change a sketch

Affordable to change a Photoshop comp

Expensive to change fully coded product

Customer service expensive as well

Why do it? Enable you to develop easy-to-use products Satisfy customers Decrease expenditures on technical support and training Advertise ease-of-use successes Improve brand perception Ultimately increase market share

Enable you to develop easy-to-use products

Satisfy customers

Decrease expenditures on technical support and training

Advertise ease-of-use successes

Improve brand perception

Ultimately increase market share

Who are the users of the system? Start by collecting pre-existing information Hunt down previous data (marketing demographics, surveys, past usability tests) Hold stakeholder interviews Conduct customer service interviews

Start by collecting pre-existing information

Hunt down previous data (marketing demographics, surveys, past usability tests)

Hold stakeholder interviews

Conduct customer service interviews

Finding the end user Recruiting Develop a portrait of the user (a la the persona) Develop a screener based on this Recruit typical end users Professional recruiter Do it yourself Offer a consideration: cash or a gift Watch for ringers Professional testers Inarticulate users

Recruiting

Develop a portrait of the user (a la the persona)

Develop a screener based on this

Recruit typical end users

Professional recruiter

Do it yourself

Offer a consideration: cash or a gift

Watch for ringers

Professional testers

Inarticulate users

Not the end user Employees Designers Programmers Market researchers You

Employees

Designers

Programmers

Market researchers

You

Three Research Hacks

Site visit

Site visit

Rules Ask them to use your product, and “think aloud” while doing so Take photos (with permission) Record quotes Note interruptions, accessory items, and social itneractions

Ask them to use your product, and “think aloud” while doing so

Take photos (with permission)

Record quotes

Note interruptions, accessory items, and social itneractions

Friends and Family Usability

OK, if They are just like your target users Unfamiliar (or typical familiarity) with product NO CHEATING!

They are just like your target users

Unfamiliar (or typical familiarity) with product

NO CHEATING!

Form of… usability test! Set of tasks Think aloud Time tasks, if relevant One more time– no hints, no leading questions

Set of tasks

Think aloud

Time tasks, if relevant

One more time– no hints, no leading questions

Paper Prototyping

Tools

Research Don’ts Ask leading questions Show people where things are Let them get frustrated Make them feel stupid Take your own notes Do focus groups

Ask leading questions

Show people where things are

Let them get frustrated

Make them feel stupid

Take your own notes

Do focus groups

Research dos Do it. Any way Do it

Do it.

Any way

Do it

Organizations Iainstitute.org Ixda.org Aiga.org These all hold excellent conferences. Ixda.org will be posting videos of last weekend’s conference shortly (including my talk on viral design).

Iainstitute.org

Ixda.org

Aiga.org

These all hold excellent conferences. Ixda.org will be posting videos of last weekend’s conference shortly (including my talk on viral design).