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- 3. Fine Print © copyright True Matter, LLC Every element in this slide deck (except where noted) is the property of or licensed to truematter. Content, images, design, or elements may be used only by express written permission.
- 22. Dr. Lee Ross
- 37. A Perception of Consensus That Does Not Necessarily Exist
- 42. Developers › Developers Visual Designers › Visual Designers Content Strategists › Content Strategists
- 44. Stakeholders › Stakeholders Executives › Executives
- 45. UX Pros
- 46. UX Pros › UX Pros
- 56. Avoiding Interaction With Users Templated, Commoditized Approaches “Borrowing” Other Solutions
- 61. Product Users
- 63. Users Product
- 66. © 2011 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. www.marvel.com
- 93. @ExperienceDean
Editor's Notes
- How Green Was My Delusion Slide Deck // UX SOFIA // November 2018
- UX SOFIA 2018 A stellar conference in beautiful Sofia, Bulgaria
- No Unauthorized Use, Please Enjoy this sled deck. Learn from it. Just don’t call it your own or use any of the images. Really, that’s just not nice.
- My heart beats green. This is actually unfortunate. You’re about to learn why.
- Follow me on Twitter Solid UX insight you can use. You can also email me at dean.schuster@truematter.com
- I am from the American South. This is how we say hello. KEY You = One person Y’all = A small group of people All Y’all = A large group of people
- South Carolina This is what the great state of South Carolina looks like. This is where I live, right in the middle.
- South Carolina in the United States of America South Carolina is on the East Coast of America. We’re about three hours away from Atlanta and eight hours away from Washington, D.C. It’s hot in the summer and mild in the winter. I think it’s perfect.
- About truematter I am a partner and co-owner of truematter (www.truematter.com), a UX consultancy. We’ve been in business for nearly 20 years. We do UX. Nothing else. We are not an agency or brand design firm. We don’t do SEO, social media, or inbound marketing. We don’t build commodity web sites. We solve difficult digital product and service problems.
- This is a story of failure. A Valentine’s Day lesson I once learned sheds remarkable light on why most sites, apps, and software are difficult to use.
- Angela Lawrence and I in 1989. When I was a young man, intensely focused on courting the beautiful Angela Lawrence, I harnessed prodigious reserves of creative energy to impress her. I wrote long letters, sent flowers, and meticulously crafted mixtapes (it was the late 80s after all). I drew pictures, flattered her for hours on the phone, and of course, bought gifts I could not afford.
- One day, I bought Angela a gift. A reader and quasi intellectual, I thought it brilliant to gift Angela a book. No normal, run-of-the-mill book would do. I gave her my favorite book, How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn. I found it emotionally resonant and deeply moving. It’s fair to say it stirred my hormone-drenched soul.
- I declared myself magnificently romantic. Llewellyn’s novel takes place in late 19th century Wales, an idyllic, beautiful place.
- But it is about coal mining. The novel follows a young boy, Huw Morgan, as his family and way of life are utterly decimated by encroaching modernity. His bucolic, unspoiled valley gradually surrenders to horrifically monstrous slag heaps, by-products of ravenous coal mining.
- Our hero longs to be a part of his hard-working family. Along the way, Huw charts a course of personal discovery that includes questionable decisions and a touch of moral failure.
- Fear, Change, and Injustice The novel is filled with anxiety and woe.
- Things don’t go well. Nearly everyone dies. Nothing is resolved.
- Ms. Lawrence was unimpressed. Apparently, she was none too keen on depressing novels that ended badly. She preferred uplifting stories full of characters with clear purpose and, well, strong character. Happy, or at least satisfactory conclusions stirred her heart. She wasn’t looking for a bleak coming-of-age story. What made perfect sense to me was for her, just awful. She hated it.
- Valentine’s Day FAIL I gave her a green book on the reddest day of the year. I made a classic mistake. I gave her the gift I wanted. I loved the book. Surely, she would. It moved me. It was important to me. Me. Me. Me. I assumed she would see the genius in it. She would stand in awe of the glorious sunlight reflecting off my resplendent plumage. She did not.
- I fell victim to the False Consensus Effect The False Consensus Effect is a cognitive bias that we all share. It’s not simply a relationship problem I have with Angela.
- Real Brain Science The False Consensus Effect (or Bias) was first proposed and demonstrated scientifically in 1977 by Dr. Lee Ross.
- Experimental Evidence Ross asked people to wear a sign advertising a restaurant. 62% of the people who agreed to wear the “Eat at Joe’s” sign felt others would also agree to do it.
- The effect was clear. Interestingly, 67% of people who DID NOT agree to wear the “Eat at Joe’s” Sign felt others would also not want to do it. A majority of each group felt their own preferences would be shared by the larger community.
- Center of the Universe False consensus leads us to believe that others share our opinions, likes, dislikes, and ways of seeing the world.
- This is you. You are a black dot.
- This is you in the world. You are one black dot living with a sea of yellow dots.
- You are the center. Of course, you see yourself as the most important part of the world.
- You think all yellow dots are black dots. You see the world as full of people who think like you do. You see black dots wherever you go.
- Red State Bias If you live in Lubbock Texas, a red state full of people who lean to the right politically, you think your neighbor is right wing Republican, just like you.
- Blue State Bias If you live in Portland, Oregon, a blue state full of people who lean to the left politically, you think your neighbor is left wing progressive, just like you.
- Babette’s Feast Bias My errors are not limited to Valentine’s Day gifts. I love film, and suggested to friends they watch a magnificent film called Babette’s Feast. It’s a sad story about a lonely maid and cook who wins the lottery and uses her money to cook a fine meal for her friends who have little. Surely everyone else will love this film as I did.
- They did not. This is my friend Patrick. I asked him if he liked Babette’s Feast. This was his immediate reaction.
- This is a self-centered bias. The False Consensus Effect is an ego-centric bias.
- It is a perception. We perceive consensus when it may or may not actually be happening.
- We interpret the world based on what we easily know. We base our interpretations of the world based on “common sense” and our immediate surroundings. It’s not just our ego and self-centeredness. Our brain makes sense of the world based on what is close at hand. How can it do anything else?
- False Consensus affects our work on digital products. If our cognitive biases affect how we see the world, they certainly affect the work we do.
- Developers, Visual Designers, and Content Strategists For whom do they build digital products?
- They care about what matters most to them. These groups often make things that make sense to other developers, visual designers, and content strategists.
- Stakeholders and Executives are the same way. Who do you think they care most about? Whose perspective do they think is most central and important?
- Their own perspective, of course. These groups notoriously focus on their own internal perspectives (even when they proclaim fidelity to “customers” and “users”).
- What about us?
- Sad but true. We do the same thing. This is particularly awful since our entire purpose as professionals is to think of users first and foremost.
- We are just like everyone else. We have particular expertise and skills, but are just as likely to be affected by False Consensus as anyone else. In fact, our very experience might make us MORE susceptible to it.
- We are NOT objective. Biases aren’t something OTHERS have. We like to think that we are somehow perfectly objective and separate from the process of creating digital products. But this is patently untrue. We bring ourselves to the process. This includes our biases (direct or indirect). This is not simply a problem for inexperienced UX professionals. It is a problem for all of us, including professionals with decades of experience. We must understand this.
- We are smart and experienced. It’s actually worse the more experienced we get. At least when we are new to our profession, we (hopefully) realize our lack of knowledge. But as we grow in experience and expertise, we begin to feel we know the answers before we truly carefully, study the questions.
- We know A LOT. But this is one of our key problems. We forget how to approach problems as if we were ignorant. Acting as if we are inexperienced and new is the key to so-called user empathy. All information architecture and user experience depends on it.
- How could it not? If we tend to project our own opinions upon others, and we create digital products for users, it is inevitable that our biases will affect the products we make. When we think we have answers, we are less able to make appropriate user interfaces. Only when we admit (and revel in) our own ignorance can we truly make digital products as they should be made.
- For Instance…The Hamburger This menu icon was created to save space on mobile devices, ostensibly to serve users. It hid navigation and provided more real estate for design and content. The makers of digital products loved and understood it, so it proliferated. It has not been as well received by the public. When key actions are hidden, engagement goes down. Makers understood The Hamburger but people in general didn’t. Popularization of this element was based more on design/build preferences than observing actual user behavior. It is an emerging standard, but like most UI innovation, it has had a rough start.
- We’re in love with short-cuts. Because we’re smart, we can identify and solve most interface issues easily. We also have a solid grasp of UX/UI standards. This is helpful, but when our arrogance is paired with timeline and budgetary pressure, the user can be cheated. Some common shortcuts are: Making up personas. Avoiding actual interaction with users. Substituting research for templated, commoditized approaches “Borrowing” other solutions (usually for different contexts).
- We tend to make things up. Personas are the chief culprit. We say they are based on research, but often we make educated guesses. That is, we make them up.
- Types of Short Cuts Because we’re smart, we can identify and solve most interface issues easily. We also have a solid grasp of UX/UI standards. This is helpful, but when our arrogance is paired with timeline and budgetary pressure, the user can be cheated. Some common shortcuts are: Making Up Personas. Avoiding actual interaction with users. Substituting research for templated, commoditized approaches “Borrowing” other solutions (usually for different contexts).
- We can combat False Consensus. Fortunately, there is much we can do to solve this problem.
- We can change the way we approach digital products. Yes, even us, people who often teach others to change their focus, must be reminded to change ours.
- Inside / Out
- Inside / Out We typically think products are developed for users or customers and pushed out to them. Of course this is partly true. But this internal way of seeing things leaves us open to the harsh effects of False Consensus.
- Outside / In
- Outside / In The proper way to think of digital products is from the perspective of need and use by real people. Almost every excellent digital product or service has been made this way.
- We are not normal. We do not think or act like normal, everyday people online.
- We are superheroes. We are like the Hulk. The Hulk can lift 50 billion tons of rock. That’s a lot. He’s immensely strong and completely unlike mere mortals.
- But the Hulk cannot do needlepoint. At least not very well. The Hulk smashes bad guys. The Hulk lifts mountains. The Hulk is ill-suited for dainty work.
- We are internet superheroes. We are no longer any good at being normal users.
- Real People do not understand this slide. The overwhelming majority of users do not know this common keyboard shortcut for search. For us, it is reflexive. Other Internet Super Powers: Tabbing Through Forms Recognizing Form Errors Split Menus Pop-Up Modals
- Your value comes from what you do not know. You are more likely to create great digital products if you can understand your user and empathize with them. The best way to cultivate empathy is through ignorance. Start by admitting you do not fully understand your user. Now you are ready to learn. Besides, in this industry knowledge advances too quickly for anyone to easily claim mastery.
- What about standards? When in doubt, always follow established usability standards. They are standards for a reason. The classic example is the browser BACK button. Disable it at your peril. Standards get you going, work for a majority of users, and can help you solve tough problems. But they are no substitute for research and insight that comes from interacting with real people. When it comes to universal online behaviors, standards help us. When it comes to understanding unique, new, or industry-specific problems, research is the best way forward. Balance the two for the best results.
- Example: Use of the Browser BACK Button I’ve done a boatload of user tests over my career. Want to know how many people have used the browser BACK Button (or equivalent) in all of the tests I’ve completed?
- Everyone. Everyone uses the back button. We can safely say that its function should only be changed or disabled in highly specialized or unusual circumstances. At a high-level, we are understanding user behavior more and more. But this knowledge of the BACK button cannot help me understand the behavior and needs of, say, leasing agents when considering how they sell retail space online. Only research can help me there.
- We can change the way we do things. We employ processes and methodologies to get our work done. It’s time we change them to better allow us to understand and engage users.
- Go where the users are. Interviews are nice. Web research often pays off. But the king of tactics is something called “contextual inquiry.” It is essentially simple. Observe users in their own environment as they seek to complete common tasks (with and without interactive systems). Ask questions, take notes, and record your interactions. It will be an amazing learning experience. When possible, take members of the development team with you.
- User-driven personas are better. When we bring users in and guide them in filling out persona details themselves, we create user profiles that are more real, accurate, and actionable. Our opinions or interpretations don’t matter. Users’ opinions and interpretations do matter. They may not know the first thing about interactive systems. But they do understand themselves and their tasks and problems.
- Example: User-Driven Persona This persona was filled out by a group of users that fit this archetype. Notice the focus is on traits, tasks, and what gets in the way of those tasks.
- Learn Through Testing In every user test I’ve ever done, I’ve learned something highly important that I would not otherwise have learned. In each case, users were helped immensely. Be utterly dispassionate. The only thing you want is a result. It doesn’t matter if the result is something you don’t like, or if the result is criticism or destruction of your favorite idea or design.
- User Testing Results: Scenario Report This is a report on a specific scenario in a real user test. We are after data, and have no vested interest in the answers. We must go where the data take us.
- User Testing Results: User Report This report shows what a particular user did in a test. Note the dispassionate style.
- User Testing Results: Key Findings Often in testing, themes emerge. Draw them out with clear, unbiased communication. What happened, happened.
- User Testing Results: Key Findings Draw out emphatic findings. They lead to near instantaneous consensus (real consensus) and project direction changes.
- What have we learned? An ill-advised gift has taught us two very important things:
- I am not Angela Lawrence. This seems patently obvious, I realize, but it was decidedly NOT obvious to me when shopping for a gift. It’s that easy to fall victim to the False Consensus Effect.
- You are not your user. Whenever you think about the gulf between your perspective and that of your user, think of Dean and Angela. You are not immune to the False Consensus Effect. It can ruin your project even if you are a highly talented, experienced UX professional.
- Visit our blog for more insight just like this. We’re not out to sell you anything. It’s just great UX insight, freely offered and shared. Subscribe https://truematter.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=fa4b4f8c36e84b065f35ddb13&id=8a00d2de9b (Please forgive our temporary, truly non-human-readable URL.)
- Let’s talk more. I’d love to interact more with you online. Drop me a line, ask me a question, and let’s talk UX.