User-centred design and prototyping

User-Centred Design & P rototyping Matthew Hodgson Regional-lead, Web and Information Management 4 Nov 2007

Systems design What the user actually needed As finally implemented As produced by the developers As envisaged by the business owner As specified in the requirements As designed by the senior analyst

Systems development lifecycle

Squeezing out the design-phase

Developers as designers

The high cost of redevelopment COST INCREASE

How do we capture the intent of the system?

User-centred design

What is user-centred design?

Engages users:

From the beginning to the end of a project

Understands:

How users want to use the system

How users think about their work

Identifies:

Needs and wants

Interaction preferences

User-centred design frameworks Jessee James Garrett: www.jjg.net/ia

How do we do user-centred design?

A look at how other disciplines employ this philosophy…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3mAHQuBqQI

Prototyping thru storyboarding

Movie-makers use storyboarding to:

Plan the movie as early as possible

Put themselves into the shoes of the audience

Make the movie better for the audience

Conceive of the movie early

Identify flaws in the plot

Work out difficult concepts

Save time and money

BAs using storyboarding

Helps us understand:

User’s wants and needs

User-interaction preferences

Clarify:

Business processes

Identify:

Flaws in business & system logic

Points for system support

BAs using storyboarding (cont.)

Storyboarding (cont.)

Benefits:

Light-weight – use at a minutes notice

Low cost – just grab pen & paper

User buy-in for change management

Gets users involved

Sets users’ expectations

Increases users’ understanding of the system

Disadvantages:

Need to be able draw to convey the concept 

Iterative prototyping

Take your storyboards to the next level

Conceive of a system before implementation!

Involves:

Engaging users again, and again and again

Refining concepts until they’re bullet-proof

Includes:

Interaction design

Navigation design

Information design

Case study

‘ Previz’ as an example of iterative prototyping

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMgoIwA_oQM

Evolution through iteration with users

What does iterative prototyping involve?

Emphasise:

User involvement – they’re the ones going to use the system!

Improve:

Design concepts

Refine:

User interactions

Information design

Navigation model

Why use iterative prototyping?

Benefits

Involves users – sets expectations, increases understanding

Conceptual or detailed

Communicates the intent of the system to the developers

Find problems in system interactions early

Solve information architecture problems early

Cheaper than building the system

Disadvantages

Need good software – Axure (www.axure.com)

Prototyping is more than just ‘screens’ – you might need a UX-designer or an IA to help with the tricky bits

Do conceptual design sooner rather than later!

User-centred design – finding the sweet spot What the user actually needed As finally implemented As produced by the programmers As envisaged by the business owner As specified in the project request As designed by the senior analyst THE SWEET SPOT

Fin