how i stopped worrying and
learned to love my audience
AN INTRO
TO UX *
*user experience

a bit about me:
• User Experience Strategist @ IDEA
• Based in Houston, TX
• Over 10 years working on the web
• Worked with such brands as HP,
WM, Reliant Energy, HBO, Mattel,
Sony Pictures, Conoco Phillips,
American Greetings, etc.
• I’ve been an animator, designer,
developer

What is UX (User Experience)?

What is UX (User Experience)?
UX Defined
“User Experience (abbreviated: UX) is the quality
of experience a person has when interacting with a
specific design.This can range from a specific artifact,
such as a cup, toy or website, up to larger, integrated
experiences such as a museum or an airport.”
-User Experience Network (www.uxnet.org)

What is UX (User Experience)?
Target ClearRX

What is UX (User Experience)?
UX encompasses:
• Accessibility
• Information Architecture
• Information Design
• Interaction Design
• User Research
• Usability
• User Interface Design
• ...to name a few.

What is UX (User Experience)?
Heuristics

What is UX (User Experience)?
UX is not something that is
implemented, but rather a
philosophy that is adopted through
every step of a project’s lifecycle.

It’s All About Users

It’s All About Users
Tec
ls
oa
Strategy Function
h
G
nic
ss
al G
ne
si
Sweet
oa
Bu
ls
Spot
Customer Goals
Conversation

Identify Problems Before Defining Solutions

Identify Problems Before Defining Solutions
“Design, by very definition, is the act of solving
problems. In order for anything to be designed well, we
must first identify the problems we are trying to solve
and the goals we are trying to reach.”
-Jeff Croft
Web Designer, Blue Flavor

Identify Problems Before Defining Solutions

Identify Problems Before Defining Solutions

UX First Steps: Information Architecture

UX First Steps: Information Architecture

UX First Steps: Information Architecture
Site Map

UX First Steps: Information Architecture

UX First Steps: Information Architecture
User Flow
A
B

UX First Steps: Information Architecture
User Flow
A
B B
B B
B

UX First Steps: Information Architecture

UX First Steps: Information Architecture
Benefits of Site Maps and User Flows:
• Helps determine project scope
• Helps point out trouble areas or components that
need to be better thought out
• Establishes the user or process as a prominent
aspect of the planning stage
• Enables the modeling of high-level relationships
between major user interface elements bringing to
light fundamental usability questions.

UX First Steps: Information Architecture
Wireframes = Blueprints

UX First Steps: Information Architecture
WM Resi-Perm Site: Recurring Services Select Page Wireframe
Chat
Branding
Shopp ng Cart Recurring services
1.0
starts with the baseline
Curbside service. As
Recurring Services the order progresses,
1.0
the appropriate service
Yard &
type is highlighted.
Curbside Recycling Food
Waste Yearly price is
1.1
1.2 presented for
1.1 comparison to upsell the
Monthly Yearly Your Order
Select / Service / Price / Price yearly 'subscription'
model.
Service Selected $0.00
Service Title $0.00 $0.00
Service Description Service Selected $0.00 Order tally area keeps a
1.2
running total of current
Service Selected $0.00 order and, where
Service Title $0.00 $0.00 applicable, a yearly
Service Description Total $0.00
service total is
15% Discount for presented with a cta to
Service Title $0.00 $0.00 switch to yearly service
Yearly Service
Service Description
User can opt to
$0.00 1.3
Service Title $0.00 $0.00 checkout immediately or
Service Description continue through the
Switch to Yearly Service recurring services
process
1.3
User can, at any time
Checkout Continue 1.4
during the process,
switch over to one-time
go to one-time services >
1.4 services.
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UX First Steps: Information Architecture
Benefits of Wireframes:
• Helps determine project scope
• Helps point out trouble areas or components that
need to be better thought out
• The first visualization of the User Interface and
major interactive components
• Serves as a blueprint for both designers and
developers
• Gives the client something they can relate to early
in the project lifecycle

UX In Action: Usability Testing

UX In Action: Usability Testing

UX In Action: Usability Testing
Many kinds of Usability Testing
Face-to-Face Remote
Paper
Card Sort
Prototype

UX In Action: Usability Testing
Metrics of success (or failure)

UX In Action: Usability Testing
Benefits of Usability Testing:
• Provides user feedback early in the development process
• Promotes rapid iterative development
• Multiple versions of layout and functionality can be tested
against each other with little impact on the project cycle
• Provides actionable data that can inform decision making
• Facilitates communication between the development team
and customers
• Encourages creativity in the development process

The ROI of UX

The ROI of UX
A positive user experience equals brand
enhancement. A negative one leads to
brand diminishment

The ROI of UX
Identifying the links
Business User Behavior Value Financial
Problem Behavior Metric Metric Metric

The ROI of UX
Identifying the links
Web Metrics- the foundation for
Business
Problem understanding user behavior
User
Behavior
Behavior
Metric
Value
Metric
Financial
Metric

The ROI of UX
Identifying the links
Web Metrics- the foundation for
Business
Problem understanding user behavior
User
Behavior Indicators of user behavior- User Testing
Behavior
Metric
Value
Metric
Financial
Metric

The ROI of UX
Identifying the links
Web Metrics- the foundation for
Business
Problem understanding user behavior
User
Behavior Indicators of user behavior- User Testing
Behavior
Metric
Quantify the value of a
Value specific user behavior
Metric
Financial
Metric

The ROI of UX
Identifying the links
Web Metrics- the foundation for
Business
Problem understanding user behavior
User
$
Behavior Indicators of user behavior- User Testing
Behavior
Metric
Quantify the value of a
specific user behavior
$$
Value
Metric
Financial
Metric

Should I even bother with UX?

Should I even bother with UX?
As firms grow more savvy at
executing online strategies, it is a
question worth answering — the
future of your Web site, and of
your company, may depend on it.

thank you.

How I stopped worrying and learned to
love my audience: An intro to UX
Michael Dunn, September 9th, 2009
http://www.slideshare.net/thFOOL
http://www.ideaii.com
michael.dunn@idea.com