Lean Usability

LEAN USABIILTY @ PRESENTED AT NYC LEAN STARTUP MEETUP FEB 9, 2010 ANDRES GLUSMAN @glusman ANNA DEYOUNG

OVERVIEW OF USABILITY TESTING AT MEETUP

340 TESTS IN LAST 18 MONTHS TEST 2-3 DAYS A WEEK EVERYTHING USER-FACING GETS TESTED ON PACE TO DO 400+ SESSIONS THIS YEAR SUPPORTING 6-8 PROJECT TEAMS WILL COST ABOUT AS MUCH AS DOING 4 OUTSOURCED USABILITY PROJECTS

WHY USABILITY TESTING MATTERS

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT IS AN ART THAT INVOLVES MANY PEOPLE & SUFFERS FROM THE MALKOVICH BIAS

MALKOVICH BIAS THE TENDENCY TO BELIEVE THAT EVERYONE USES THE WEB LIKE YOU DO

WATCHING PEOPLE USE THE STUFF YOU BUILD IS THE BEST WAY TO CONFRONT THE MALKOVICH BIAS

HOW WE GOT HERE….

~ FIRST ITERATION ~ DIY TESTING

DIY EXPERIMENT •  RECRUITED OFF OF CRAIGSLIST •  1 PRODUCT PERSON ENGAGED USERS IN A FEW DIRECTED TASKS THEN SYNTHESIZED FINDINGS INTO A PRESENTATION VERDICT •  LOW COST •  LEARNED INTERESTING FINDINGS •  HARD TO REALLY CONVEY USER BEHAVIOR TO REST OF TEAM •  WE DID NOT MAKE INTO ONGOING ROUTINE

~ SECOND ITERATION ~ PROPOSALS FROM OUTSIDE FIRMS

LOOKED AT FORMAL USABILITY TESTS •  RECEIVED PROPOSALS FROM SEVERAL USABILITY TESTING FIRMS •  $32K - $53K FOR 2 DAYS (16 TESTS) •  INVOLVED USE OF TESTING FACILITY •  PROPOSED DELIVERABLE WAS A REPORT/RECOMMENDATION VERDICT •  HELD OFF

~ THIRD ITERATION ~ ACCIDENTALLY DISCOVERED LEAN USABILITY

“I’LL LET YOU INTO THE BETA PROGRAM IF YOU AGREE TO LET MY TEAM WATCH YOU SET IT UP” ‐ CHANCE CONVERSATION THAT SET FOUNDATION FOR CURRENT PROGRAM 

Projected user’s screen onto wall  devel computer  oper  user  CONFERENCE ROOM  AT MEETUP  Table  HEADQUARTERS  devel oper  mode rator  devel oper 

“THAT WAS HUMBLING” - A DEVELOPER AFTER THE SESSION

SHIFTED THE CONVERSATION FROM HOW I WOULD USE THE WEBSITE TO HOW THIS USER USES THE WEBSITE

ACCIDENTAL EXPERIMENT •  USER GOT TO JUMP TO FRONT OF LINE IN BETA PROGRAM IN RETURN FOR PARTICIPATION •  HELD TEST IN CONFERENCE ROOM WITH PROJECT TEAM IN THE ROOM •  PROJECTED USER’S SCREEN ON WALL •  INFORMALLY MODERATED USER TO VERBALIZE THOUGHT PROCESS •  TEAM DISCUSSION AFTER THE SESSION VERDICT •  LOW COST •  USABILITY ISSUES WERE OBVIOUS TO ENTIRE TEAM •  REALIZED THIS APPROACH COULD BE POWERFUL

~ FOUTH ITERATION ~ FIGURE OUT A REPLICABLE ROUTINE

HIRED SOMEONE TO TEACH US TO FISH BUT… FOCUSED ON MINIMUM VIABLE SOLUTION & STRIPPED OUT AS MUCH COST AS POSSIBLE

HELD SESSION AT MEETUP’S CONFERENCE ROOM AND HAD TEAM SIT BEHIND THE TESTER

Projected user’s screen onto wall  devel oper  devel oper  computer  devel user  oper  CONFERENCE ROOM  devel AT MEETUP  Table  mode oper  HEADQUARTERS  rator  devel oper  devel oper  devel oper 

FREAKED OUT TESTERS, BUT WORKED WELL ENOUGH

~ FIFTH ITERATION ~ COMMITTED TO USABILITY TESTING & MADE IT ROUTINE

•  CTO MANDATED THAT ALL USER-FACING PRODUCT BE TESTED AS PART OF DEVELOPMENT PROCESS •  PURCHASED SOFTWARE TO HELP SHARE/RECORD SESSIONS •  TEAMS VIEWED ALL SESSIONS LIVE •  IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED UP WITH A DISCUSSION •  NO REPORTS •  DID OUR OWN RECRUITING OUT OF THE COMMUNITY TO TEST MEMBER EXPERIENCE •  USED OUTSIDE RECRUITERS TO TEST EXPERIENCE FOR PEOPLE UNFAMILIAR WITH MEETUP

PURCHASED SOFTWARE TO HELP •  USE MORAE ($1500) •  PC BASED •  ALLOWED US TO BROADCAST PICTURE IN PICTURE •  ALLOWED FOR SESSIONS TO BE RECORDED AND LIVE BROADCASTED TO OTHER ROOM •  ALLOWED US TO MAKE HIGHLIGHT VIDEOS •  LOTS OF FUNCTIONALITY (BUT WE ONLY USE A FRACTION OF IT)

Projected user’s screen on wall  DESK  computer  MOD  USER  deve loper  deve loper  deve Table  deve SMALL CONFERENCE  loper  loper  ROOM  deve deve loper  loper  MAIN CONFERENCE  ROOM 

~ 6TH THRU NTH ITERATIONS ~ KEEP EXPERIMENTING WITH RECRUITING, MODERATING, & SHARING

EXPERIMENT WITH COMMANDO TESTING •  TAKE A LAPTOP WITH SILVERBACK SOFTWARE TO A COFFEE SHOP •  GET PERMISSION FROM THE MANAGER •  OFFER FANCY CUP OF COFFEE FOR A TEN MINUTE TEST VERDICT •  CHEAP •  DO NOT NEED TO PLAN AHEAD •  FEEL LIKE A BAD ASS …UNTIL YOU GET TO THE COFFEE SHOP •  WASTE A LOT OF TIME WRANGLING PEOPLE

EXPERIMENT WITH SILVERBACK SOFTWARE •  $50 (FREE 30-DAY TRIAL) •  MAC ONLY •  LIGHTWEIGHT •  EDIT VIDEO USING IMOVIE •  WE CURRENTLY USE IT FOR COMMANDO TESTING IN THE FIELD AND IPHONE TESTING VERDICT •  HIGHLY RECOMMEND AS A STARTING POINT, BUT ONLY TESTS ON MAC OS

OTHER EXPERIMENTS •  LOW COST RECRUITING (FROM THE BUILDING) •  SCREENCASTING WITH CHAT (USING DIMDIM) •  TIVO-IZING / TIME SHIFTING TESTS TO SAVE DEVELOPER’S TIME

TIPS FOR DOING YOUR OWN LEAN USABILITY

9 LEAN USABILITY PRINCIPLES •  LEARN TO LOVE ERROR •  LOOK FOR BOULDERS IN THE ROAD •  SUBSTITUTE FREQUENCY FOR PRECISION •  STRIP OUT COSTS WHEREVER POSSIBLE •  THINK MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT PROCESS •  IN RECRUITING, BE PREPARED TO TRADE MONEY FOR TIME •  BASIC MODERATION TECHNIQUES CAN GO A LONG WAY •  EXPOSE TEAM TO USERS •  TAKE NOTES & HAVE DISCUSSIONS (DON’T WRITE REPORTS)

Recruiting DO DON’T 1.  Practice with your friends and family 1.  Rely on the kindness of friends to 2.  Have 1 person own usability testing volunteer every time you need testing for the company 2.  Use the same tester(s) for different 3.  Create a screener listing minimum iterations of the same project user requirements – completed over 3.  Explain too much about the purpose phone or online (guidelines available of the test when recruiting online) 4.  Bother the participant with too many 4.  Consider using a vetted recruiter if calls or emails you can afford it or for specialized 5.  Be afraid to turn them down if they audiences seem “weird” 5.  Allow a week to schedule in-house 6.  Forget to thank them! (They may sessions become evangelists) 6.  Follow up with testers the day before 7.  Offer incentive

Moderating DO DON’T 1.  Practice the test ahead of time 1.  Start the test before they sign a and write down questions consent/release form (example 2.  Create a scenario to test an available online) experience, not just a feature 2.  Forget to remind participant that 3.  Be aware of your assumptions you are testing the product, not beforehand as not to project them the participant on the participant 3.  Answer their questions or explain 4.  Spend a few minutes getting to know the participant things about the project to help 5.  Ask general, open-ended them along questions first and then probe for 4.  Use terms from your website or details industry jargon when asking 6.  Let participant explain things in questions their own words and avoid 5.  Accept just “yes” or “no” for an correcting them answer

A few great moderating questions When first looking at project •  What are you looking at here? •  What can you do? As test progresses •  Show me how you would ____________ •  What do you expect will happen when you _____? Wrapping up •  What did you find confusing? •  How would you describe what you did here today? •  What, if anything you saw today, could you imagine using at home? How?

Sharing DO DON’T 1.  Record the sessions 1.  Assume everyone saw the 2.  Take notes for immediate same things you did in a test discussion afterward 2.  Interpret user reactions if 3.  Debrief with project teams you don’t have the data to the same day support it 4.  Provide notes and video for 3.  React too strongly to any those who could not be single test there 4.  Just cherry-pick your pet 5.  Protect the privacy and issues that might have come dignity of the participant up

Testing day checklist (office test) 1.  Set up item to be tested 2.  Start recording and sharing processes 3.  Greet participant and bring them to the private testing room 4.  Collect release form, explain test and build rapport 5.  Conduct the test, reminding them to think out loud and try to do things as if they were using their own computer at home (or work) 6.  Have a channel of communication between tester and remote observers (chat or text messaging) for emerging questions 7.  If testing multiple projects/scenarios, introduce each one separately, one after the other 8.  Reserve time at the end to answer questions and explain your product, if they ask 9.  Thank the participants and provide incentive 10.  Stop recording and sharing processes 11.  Meet with team to discuss what you saw 12.  Adjust test if necessary for next session

Do it! •  Anyone can run a usability test with the right preparation and attitude •  There is lots of advice available online •  Learn from mistakes and evolve your methods •  Ask people who have done it before to help you out •  Team up & test each other

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Lean Usability

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Lean Usability Presentation Transcript