Choosing the Right UX Method

WQusability Choosing the Right UX Method Asking the questions to get the right answers UX Hong Kong 2012 Whitney Quesenbery

Questions and answersUnderstand the questionsExplore ways to get the answersBe ready to adapt

Baseline: your last project(s)  What’s your UX process?  What research, design, evaluation method do you use?  At the end of the workshop, think about how you might change this process.

Process or improvisation? Learn Context of Use Specify Define Try Evaluate Designs Check Requirements Propose Produce Solutions ISO 13407ISO 9241-200

Implicit questions Scope of the research Context Product Source of the data Opinion Observation Type of conclusions Qualitative Quantitative

Triangulation  Combine methods to look for confirmation, overlaps, and contradictions

Ask “why” to uncover deeper issues Let’s test in another country. WHY? Because it’s a different culture. Why does that matter? Our product was designed for users here. Why does that make a difference We don’t know if the [feature] will work there. Why is that important? Because the success of the product is based on the value of [that feature].

Design studio Your company has a product which has been successful in the local market. You are planning a big update and to introduce the product into a broader market. Design a UX plan that will make sure the launch is a success.

Get ready…  Form into teams  Pick some details – type of product, region where it is currently in the market – Online service? Device? App/software? – Geographical regions? – Audience or type of users?

Explore the questions  Brainstorm your questions (aim for quantity).  Use the 5 why’s to explore them more deeply.  Decide on the core questions.  Brainstorm 3 different UX techniques to answer each question.  Sketch out your team’s UX plan.

Review and critique  Each team does a 5 minute presentation of their plan  Identify strengths and weaknesses  How could it be improved?  Think about – Does the type of product make a difference?

Designing user research sessionsHint: you can answer more than one questionat a time

Case study Project brief: Design an online database of medial research papers for cancer researchers to help them recruit patients to clinical trials for new treatments. What are our questions?

Case study These were my questions:  What does a cancer researcher do?  How do they recruit patients now?  Do they think there is a problem?  Don’t they already have access to this medical research? How do we organize this project efficiently?

Case study We mixed user insights and requirements gathering  Interviews in their clinics  Asked to see researchers and support staff  Walked through tools and process  Showed them “Rorschach sketches” (not “designs” but a way to get a reaction to ideas)

Sketches to collect reactions

From their tasks to your tasks 1. Explore their own interests first – How, when, where, activities, goals 2. Start with their own activity – Recall a recent activity and repeat 3. Find the best match in your list – Adjust as you need to to use what’s available and still be relevant. 4. Ask them to do other things on your list – Last, ask them to do anything that hasn’t come up organically. 5. Be ready to think on your feet

Case study Project brief: 1. Decide how to divide information between the public and signed-in section of the site. and 2. Explore the mental models of how the members think about their relationship to the site Can we do this in a single project?

Case study  We mixed card sorting with a participatory design exercise  We asked them to talk about why they chose different ways to both group and present links and information.

Mixing methods Go back to your project plan. Look at the questions you want to answer. Can any of them be combined, mixing methods in one session?

Adjusting to constraintsThe usual suspects:TimeResourcesBudget

Constraints Resource constraints affect your choice of technique  Who do you have to work with?  How many people can you work with?  How rich do you need the data to be?  What resources to you have or need?

Who do you have to work with? Best People who really use the product People who used to use the product or were recently in the users’ role People who work with people “Recruit loosely and who really use the product grade on a curve” People with specialized knowledge that is not typical Experts, analysts and other designers Internal staff used to represent real Worst users

How many people will you work with? Statistically significant Large, but is the group representative? How much confidence to you need in the data? Focus on one aspect of users, or one group How varied is the audience’s behavior and experience Small convenience sample, matching some characteristics Small opportunity sample

How rich a mix of data do you need? Thinner data Unmoderated Self-reporting only Add tracking of activity What is the affect of language on the Add audio or video from user sessions? Moderated Voice only How well do you Add screen sharing know the audience Add video chat already? In-person Informal setting In a lab, with screen capture Thicker data In their context

What resources do you have or need? Slow or expensive Specialized equipment Formal methodology for sessions and analysis What UX gear or Many users = many hours staff resources do you have available? Lab or gear you have Staff already experienced Do you need rocket Time included in schedule surgery? Informal, light-weight approach No special equipment Fast or cheap Few users

Mixing methods Go back to your project plan. How can you make this project easier (faster, less cost, fewer resources)? What is the least you can do and still answer all the questions?

Other constraints  Accessibility How will you work with assistive technologies and different interaction styles  Eyetracking and timing Do you need uninterrupted work to get data from instrumentation?  Language Handling language differences?

WrapupInstead of looking for an ideal process, thinkcarefully about the questions and your UXplanning will be more creative.

Storytelling for User Global UX:Experience: Design and research Universal Design forCrafting stories for in a connected worldbetter design Web Accessibility UX Whitney QuesenberyWhitney Quesenbery & Sarah Horton & & Daniek SzucKevin Brooks St o ry Whitney Quesenbery www.rosenfeldmedia.com/books/storytelling/ Japan: http://amzn.to/ueXUgl US: www.wqusability.com/storycards.html www.amazon.com/gp/product/012378591X/

Choosing the Right UX Method

by Whitney Quesenbery on Feb 20, 2012

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