Effect Mapping: A Better Way
to Get Really Usable Results Out of IT Projects Jonas Söderström InUse, Sweden

proposed hashtags
#effectmap
#ias11
@jonas_blind_hen

tweet note (ipad) • Tweet
your notes • See all tweets with current hashtag • Add other’s tweets to your notes d eive it conc mm at IA Su ! 2010

Swedish government Swedish parliament IKEA
SonyEricsson 1994

Case #1: Örebro Municipality Photo:
Joakim Johansson (Alendri)/ flickr

Full focus on user’s needs

Among top 3 municipality web
sites (of 290) in three different evaluations

No traditional specifications document

Case #2: The Swedish Pensions
Agency Photo: Tobias Bjorkgren/ flickr

Voted ”Best public sector web
site 2010” by the users The Web Service Award

{ methodology
effect mapping

effect mapping
{ artifact

Plug in for project models

tweetable Project models focus on
time and budget, but in fact ignores the quality of the delivered product.

tweetable Effect mapping puts focus
on the quality-in-use of the end product.

1 Effects 2 Effect agents
effect mapping 3 Usage goals 4 Actions

1 Effects
effect mapping

”Userfriendlyness”

effects
results
value
benefits

Desired benefits arise only in
use. If it isn’t used, it won’t have any effect whatsoever.

means
metrics
desired effects

”implement ”need a much version
2.0 of ☞ more stable system X” platform” ”shift to a ”want to more modern ☞ publish faster, CMS” with less effort” ”get more ”must increase visitors to the web site” ☞ revenue from ads and sales”

”need a much ”downtime more
stable ☞ less than platform” 0.1 %” ”want to ”decrease time publish faster, ☞ to publish page with less effort” from 10 to 2 min” ”must increase ”conversion revenue from ads and sales” ☞ rate up from x to y %”

• Interviews with stakeholders •
2 – 3 workshops with decision makers • ”Why? Why? Why? Why?” • What should be the lasting improvement, after the project is over? • Buy-in on desired effects, KPI / metrics

effect mapping
{ artifact

Effects More efficient order management
✘ # # time/order -30 % mistakes -60 %

This is not entirely new.
What has proved succesful is the way to tie the goals to users and their usage goals.

1 Effects
effect mapping

2 Effect agents
effect mapping

Effects More efficient order management
✘ # # time/order -30 % mistakes -60 % ? ? ? Which users can create the desired effects? (If it isn’t used, their will be no effects.)

User research Interviews Observations Log
analysis Contextual analysis Whatever!

demographics

People with similar needs, expectations
or behaviour when using the product.

What interface do you like?
Are you computer literate?

Can you help us to
reach the goal? How?

Effects More efficient order management
✘ # # time/order -30 % mistakes -60 % Effect Order agents recipient

Real-world examples

Case #3: The National Board
of Health and Welfare’s web site Effects Follow our rules! ✘ Effect agents nurses doctors health admins

Case #3: The National Board
of Health and Welfare’s web site Traditional web site with ”news” Interviews with +40 users Noone was interested in news or read them!

Case #3: The National Board
of Health and Welfare’s web site Get answers! Medical questions, specific Advice on malpractice issues

Effects Follow our rules! ✘
Effect agents need want fact advise

Case #3: The National Board
of Health and Welfare’s web site Get answers! Medical questions, specific Advice on malpractice issues Have my say! Want to influence, critizise, suggest

Effects Follow our rules! ✘
Effect agents need want want fact advise to speak

2 Effect agents
effect mapping

effect mapping
3 Usage goals

Usage goals What are the
user’s goals? Why would they use it? The key to success is Understanding user’s goals ... and aligning them with business goals.

Effects More efficient order management
✘ # # time/order -30 % mistakes -60 % Effect Order agents recipient Usage Want fewer incomplete # incomplete orders -75 % goals forms

The solution must satisfy all
goals Usage Want Must goals Need

Effects Follow our rules! ✘
Effect agents Usage goals • need fact • want advise • want to • must • must speak follow follow • must rules rules follow rules

Real-world document The Swedish Social
Insurance Agency

effect mapping
3 Usage goals

effect mapping
4 Actions

Effects More efficient order management
✘ # # time/order -30 % mistakes -60 % Effect Order agents recipient Usage Want fewer incomplete # incomplete orders -75 % goals forms Validation ✔ ✔ Simplify order form Actions ✔ ✔

Effects More efficient order management
✘ # # time/order -30 % mistakes -60 % Effect Order agents recipient Usage Want fewer incomplete # incomplete orders -75 % goals forms Validation ✔ ✔ Simplify order form Actions ✔ ✔

Effects More efficient order management
✘ # # time/order -30 % mistakes -60 % Effect Order agents recipient Usage Want fewer incomplete # incomplete orders -75 % goals forms Validation ✔ ✔ Simplify order form Actions Input to IA, ✔ ✔ interaction, graphic design

Case #4: Big pharma: retro-fitting
effects

IT system tracking samples After
3 years: +300 change requests Go back: What were the original benefits expected?

IT system tracking samples 90
request were irrelevant to the desired benefits Saved: 1,5 years of system development

To summarize: Increased buy-in Unified
document Goal in sight Tracability Built-in measurements Focus on benefits for the organisation ... ... and qualities of use for the user

Questions? • Effect managment? •
UX/IT in Sweden? • My book ”Stupid bloody system! – UX as a cause of stress in the workplace”? • The welfare state? • The Swedish Bikini Team?

Be in touch! jonas.soderstrom@inuse.se Twitter:
Jonas_Blind_Hen Slideshare: Jonas_inUse In English: www.javlaskitsystem.se/english Cell: +4673–660 32 14 Photo: Björn Falkevik