Become a StickyNote Ninja

Become a Stickynote Ninja The Problem-Solving Power of Stickies * (also known as Post-it® Notes) simple tools that deliver great results Kate Rutter <kate@adaptivepath.com> ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 0

What we’re going to do in the next 3 hours  Talk about why sticky notes + UX =   Learn 9 methods that will rock your work  Experience 4 activities to get hands-on with the methods  Collect a bunch of tips and tricks to make your sticky-life easy  Learn from each other’s experiences  Find out where to get more info and tools  Get a trinket ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 1

don’t be shy... ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 2

the path of the stickynote ninja ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 3

simple tools + skilled practitioners powerful weapons ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 4

Ninja Secret #1 Sticky notes are the currency of ideas. ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 5

Why stickies? They stick on a The right size Easy to variety of to hold 1 idea rearrange and surfaces or problem move around Familiar and Ubiquitous approachable Cheap Simple ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 6

I call this… ne ss ig ht L STICKIES ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 7

Why do they work so well in groups? Enable people Help a group Allow a group to externalize focus on one to visualize their thoughts thing at a time patterns & ideas Engage the Clearly show whole group relationships & in the process agreements ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 8

Two major ideas… Create  Generate new ideas information  Probe problems  Explore attributes  Identify patterns Reduce  Prioritize information  Make decisions  Create plans ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 9

Ninja Secret #2 Ninjas don’t talk about what they do… they just do it. ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 10

methods ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 11

What goes on a sticky? Sticky Ninja  1 thought or idea per sticky Tip  Make them as clear as possible  Keep the corners clear in case you need space for additional I am notes one idea  Be specific for example… Frequent Lots of downtime issues with due to product server load ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 12

4 types of layouts Lists Clusters Trees Maps ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 13

The joy of lists Name Use it to… Lists Freelisting Collect information about a topic Swap-Sort Order items by priority Dot-Voting Identify top choices ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 14

Lovin’ the clusters Clusters Name Use it to… Loose Cluster Identify patterns in information ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 15

Cultivating the trees Trees Name Use it to… Top-Down Tree Examine a topic thoroughly Bottom-Up Tree Identify the fundamental nature of a topic ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 16

Charting the maps Maps Name Use it to… Information Map Understand complex relationships Process Map Understand complex relationships Action Plan Define what’s needed to meet a goal ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 17

Getting started : setting the stage Sticky Ninja  Define what you’re there to do: Tip ie: “Understand how people think about mobile devices” or “Gather ideas for new features”  Write down the objective and display it where everyone can see it and reference it.  Briefly describe the process you plan to use, and ask people if they have questions.  Have enough stickies and markers to go around. ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 18

gathering ideas methods to master ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 19

List : Freelisting I am one I Iam one am one thought thought thought ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 20

Lists from walk-by contributions ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 21

Data from research interview videos ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 22

Strategic sticking Sticky Ninja  Be aware of where you put the sticky stuff. Tip  Top for columns (ie: bottom-up maps)  Bottom for general clustering  Be consistent - Don’t put them all catawampus. It’s a big time-waster!  Tip: fold down the edge of one of the top corners to make a handle so they are easier to grab and move. ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 23

organizing stuff methods to master ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 24

Cluster : Loose Cluster ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 25

Clustering activity ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 26

Clustering activity with zones ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 27

Data into information : Charmr ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 28

Clusters by topic ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 29

Don’t have a big wall for stickies? Sticky  Use a rolling whiteboard Ninja Tip  Use a window!  Use the back of a door  Use a wall in the bathroom  Get large sheets of gatorboard or foam core ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 30

or you can use the side of a building... ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 31

Tree : Bottom-Up Tree ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 32

Three levels in bottom-up tree ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 33

A forest of task trees ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 34

Pen and sticky size Sticky Ninja  Use the right size pen for the right Tip size sticky. Fine point Sharpie Super Sharpie Chisel point Sharpie ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 35

lets get hands on… activity 1 freelisting • clustering • bottom-up tree ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 36

The Scenario You are a UX design team with the challenge of creating the site for a new service: milkandcookiesnow.com The big vision is to get milk and cookies to people who need them, and deliver within the hour. All the supply and delivery stuff is worked out and ready to go. Now you need a web app for selection, ordering, payment and delivery confirmation. The product values are: user-centered, unique, fun, personal, easy-to-use, quick, engaging, has a sense of humor. Take a minute to read the scenario and the user stories. ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 37

The 1st challenge : what will the product DO? What features and functionality need to be built for the site to be successful? ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 38

Activity 1 : Freelisting Idea 3 Idea 6 idea 1 What features and functionality Idea 4 need to be built Idea 2 Idea 7 for the site to be successful? Idea 5  Independently down your ideas. Don’t talk, just write.  Write each idea on a sticky. Make as many as you can. Aim for 10-15 per person.  When you’re done, put the stickies on the sheet in the middle of the table, spread out so that they are randomly distributed. 5 minutes ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 39

Activity 1 : Clustering What features Idea 5 idea 1 and functionality Idea 3 need to be built Idea 4 Idea 6 for the site to be Idea 2 successful? Idea 7  Group the stickies together…like with like.  You can discuss groupings, but keep conversation to a minimum. Focus on keeping things moving.  When time is up, take a look at the groups and see what you’ve got. 5 minutes ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 40

Activity 1 : Labeling SuperGroup SuperGroup I II What features Group Group Group and functionality 1 2 3 need to be built for the site to be Idea Idea idea 1 5 6 successful? Idea Idea 4 2 Idea 7 Idea 3  As a team, name the groups.  Write the name on a different color of sticky and put it at the top of the group.  If you get to groups of groups, use the larger stickies.  Take a look at what you’ve got. What’s surprising about the patterns? 5 minutes ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 41

yea! ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 42

Stick ‘em when you need ‘em Sticky  Sticky-sessions are not just Ninja Tip a workshop technique  Quick cluster = quick clarity  Quick freelisting gets issues out, makes ideas visible, and opens up topics for discussion  You can start a stickynote activity at any time...just start “scribing” issues/topics as they emerge ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 43

exploring and delving methods to master ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 44

Tree : Top-Down Tree ? Why is this happening? ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 45

lets get hands on… activity 2 top-down tree ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 46

The 2nd challenge : why does the product MATTER? What is the deeper purpose of a feature on the site? ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 47

A quick example... Why is this important? Delivery preferences L1  So that the milk & cookies get to the right place. L  so that the customer gets their order 1.2 L  so that the customer feels good about 1.3 the service L  so that the customer trusts the service 1.4  so that the customer has a great day L  so that the customer will tell their friends 1.5 L2  So that the milk & cookies get there at the right time. ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 48

ready? ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 49

Activity 2 : Top-down tree Feature set 1 What is the deeper purpose of this feature on Reason the site? Reason 5 Reason 1 Reason 3 Reason 2 4  Pick a top-level feature from your clusters.  Ask the question “Why is this feature needed/important?”  Write your answer down on a sticky. One thought/idea per note. Place the sticky below the one that prompted the answer.  Make about 5-7 of these. 4 minutes ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 50

Activity 2 : Top-down tree Feature set 1 What is the 5 1 purpose of this 2 3 4 feature on the site? 1.1 1.2 3.1 3.2 4.1 4.2 1.3  Ask the question again, this time working through the stickies you just made.  Put the answer stickies below the one that prompted the answer, so that a tree develops.  Try to get down to 4 levels, each with 5-7 stickies. 7 minutes ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 51

Activity 2 : Top-down tree Feature set 1 What is the deeper purpose 1 2 3 4 5 of this feature on the site? 1.1 1.2 1.3 3.1 3.2 4.1 4.2  What new perspectives, insights and observations did you uncover?  How does this information impact the feature clusters you created earlier?  How would you add to, shift, adapt or change the original clusters?  What other top labels would be good to explore in this way? 4 minutes ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 52

making priorities methods to master ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 54

Dot Voting I am an idea ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 55

Dot Voting Vote again Don’t include “no votes” ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 56

Dot Voting Top priority Important Consider Low priority ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 57

List : Swap Sort What makes us the most money? $4k $2k $6k $5k $1k $5k $8k $3k $7k $1k $9k ? $4k $2k $5k $3k $5k $6k $3k $8k $1k $9k $7k ? $5k $3k $1k $3k ? $1k ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 58

lets get hands on… activity 3 dot-voting • swap-sort ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 59

The 3rd challenge : what do we do FIRST? What do we need to build first for the site to be a success? ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 60

Activity 3 : Dot-voting What do we need to build first for the site to be a success?  Everyone gets 5 dots. Stick the dots on the features that you feel are most needed for the site to be successful.  Everyone votes at the same time.  When you’re done, put the stickies in rows with the most votes at the top and the sad dot-poor ones at the bottom. 3 minutes ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 61

Activity 3 : Swap-Sort Criteria: milkandcookiesnow.com What do we needs to: need to build first 1) Be a unique experience for the site to be 2) Have a sense of humor a success?  Pick the 5 stickies with the most number of votes.  Take 2 notes and compare them, based on the criteria. Put the preferred one on the top.  Compare another note with the top note, then the notes under it. Put it in the list, based on its importance.  Continue until all 5 notes are placed. 7 minutes ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 62

Explore the Sticky-note palette Sticky  Get to know your materials Ninja Tip  Use size and color in a meaningful way 5x8 4x6 3x4 4x4 3x3 3x5 2x2 2x3 1x2 ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 64

...which opens up all kinds of opportunities... ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 65

making plans methods to master ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 66

Map : Information Map ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 67

Map : Process Map ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 68

Site navigation brainstorm map ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 69

Workshop planning map ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 70

Making sense of legal stuff map ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 71

Map : Action Map Now Later 2009 ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 72

lets get hands on… activity 4 action planning ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 73

The 4th challenge : who does what when? Who does what when to make the site a reality? ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 74

Activity 4 : Action plan task task task Who does what when to make task the site a reality? task task task  Take the top feature from the ordered list of priorities.  Freelist tasks that need to be done to build the feature.  Don’t worry about what comes first, just brainstorm tasks.  Aim for 10-15 tasks per person. 5 minutes ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 75

Activity 4 : Action plan Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Who does what when to make the site a reality? task task task task task task  Make a set of large stickies for timing: week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4  Sort the task stickies underneath the timing stickies 5 minutes ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 76

Activity 4 : Action plan Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Who does what when to make the site a reality?  Make a set of stickies for each role you need on the team (designer, researcher, business owner, developer.) Place these in a column down the left side of the map.  Sort the task stickies to align horizontally with the role that will do the task.  Don’t worry about being tidy, and you can duplicate tasks. 5 minutes ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 77

Going green with stickynotes Sticky Ninja  Q: Are post-it notes recyclable? Tip A: According to 3M, yes.  Q: What about the news story about how stickies gum up recycling process? A: The stickies referred to in the article were items coated with a permanent adhesive, like mailing labels.  Q: Are stickies made from recycled paper? A: Some are. You can get some sizes and colors as 30% post-consumer waste recycled post-its. You can learn more at:  www.mmm.com/us/office/postit/faq.html ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 79

What else can we do? Sticky Ninja  Use notes twice: Once you’ve written on the Tip front, fold up and use the note again as a 1/2 note. This lets you write on the back, too.  Don’t crinkle & toss. Slabs of notes are difficult to recycle. Stick two stickynotes back to back to ensure you don’t end up with big slabs.  Unleash your inner pastel. Use the softer colors that are more easily recycled. Many bright colors are not as easily recycled, due to the ink. ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 80

capturing results ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 81

Capturing the results Sticky  Use digital photos to capture different states Ninja Tip  Be sure that the writing on the notes is legible! (This is a common gotcha)  Optimize the visuals in photoshop... sharpen & auto-adjust are your friends  Save as a pdf, and you can print the pages at actual size to pin up in your work room ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 82

...or you can put them into a deck ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 83

you guys are experts… activity 5 making awesome group experiences ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 84

The 5th challenge : make a map for success How can we make our participatory activities wildly successful? What issues How can we have you go from good encountered? to great? What solutions have you used? ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 85

Activity 5 : make a map for success What issues have you encountered? What solutions have you How can we used? go from good to great?  Working as a group, freelist these three questions. Aim for 10-15 stickies per person per question.  Now as a team, cluster the stickies into 3 affinity diagrams. Don’t forget to label the clusters.  Take a look at what you’ve got. What patterns have emerged? 20 minutes ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 86

tools & resources ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 88

9 great techniques Name Type Use it to… Freelisting List Collect information about a topic Swap-Sort List Order items by priority Dot Voting List Decide what to focus on Loose Cluster Cluster Identify patterns in the information Top-Down Tree Tree Examine a topic thoroughly Bottom-Up Tree Tree Identify the fundamental nature of a topic Information Map Map Understand complex relationships Process Map Map Understand complex relationships Action Plan Map Define steps to meet a goal ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 89

Links & books 3M Post-it site  www.3m.com/us/office/postit StickyNote Ninja  www.stickynoteninja.com Wikipedia  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-it_note The Grove Consultants  grove.com ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 90

Credits Flickr Images  Stickynote background by Tiago Pinhal www.flickr.com/photos/tiagopinhal/387756816/  IceBreakers picture by Arun Katiyar www.flickr.com/photos/48889080879@N01/96243768/  “To Do” artwork by Illegal Art | www.illegalart.org/projects_todo_pics_5.cfm Photo by Amit Gupta | www.flickr.com/photos/superamit/1043379069/  Stickynote colors image by GoBestArticles www.gobestarticles.com/2008/05/12/post-it-art...  Elvis image by Todd Coates at Capstrat www.capstrat.com/elvis-spotted-in-the-conference-room/ ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 91

Final Ninja Secret walk softly… and carry a big sticky! www.stickynoteninja.com Kate Rutter <kate@adaptivepath.com> ADAPTIVE PATH | UX WEEK 2008 | August 12, 2008 | 92

Become a StickyNote Ninja

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