Context Is Everything from OZ-IA 2008

Context is everything We must ground our work in a rich understanding of the context of use, or else we run the risk of creating well meaning rubbish Iain Barker iain.barker@gmail.com http://www.simplerisbetter.wordpress.com

Defining the requirements (not an actual picture of the SA80’s business team)

SA80 requirements 1. Accuracy 2. ?

Issues: • Couldn't be fired from the left shoulder • It went off when dropped • Safety catch would break if the trigger was pulled hard • Plastic would swell in rain and jam the safety switch on/off • When running a heavy ammunition magazine would fall out

“You must have some very clever soldiers” Mikhail Kalashnikov

Iterative design alone does not ensure a successful product If you only do iterative design and don’t explore real user requirements you’re reliant on guesswork. What is to stop your project having the same type of problems as the SA80?

Test or else Iterative design, with its repeating cycle of design and testing, is the only validated methodology in existence that will consistently produce successful results. If you don’t have user-testing as an integral part of your design process you are going to throw buckets of money down the drain. Bruce Tognazzini Asktog, June, 2000 http://www.asktog.com/columns/037TestOrElse.html

Get yourself a good map before you start digging for gold Business requirements Requirements workshop Iterative design Contextual research

First Rule of Usability? Don't Listen to Users To design an easy-to-use interface, pay attention to what users do, not what they say. Self-reported claims are unreliable, as are user speculations about future behavior. Jakob Nielsen Alertbox, August 5, 2001 http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20010805.html

Possible design solutions

First sketch

Design space

Launch version

Launch version Better solution Better solution

Understanding offline activities helps us create better interactive experiences What makes something pleasurable/painful? What process do I go through before I make a purchase? …

Full potential Iterate Alternate solution Iterate Today Solution A

MP3 Player: Requirements Radio? FM Radio? External Memory Slot? Colour options? Built in camera?

Innovate then optimise Use explorative techniques to discover real needs, then use iterative techniques to create a highly usable solution

Persuading clients and managers

Making something that does what people really want is a rare thing. With it comes success and recognition.

Doing something innovative makes you stand out from the crowd.

Your competitors are already doing it. Do you want to be left behind?

It is simply what successful people do

Iain Barker iain.barker@gmail.com http://www.simplerisbetter.wordpress.com

That’s all folks Iain Barker iain.barker@gmail.com http://www.simplerisbetter.wordpress.com

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Context Is Everything from OZ-IA 2008

by Iain Barker on Sep 25, 2008

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Context Is Everything from OZ-IA 2008 — Presentation Transcript