Effect Mapping:A Better Way to
GetReally Usable ResultsOut 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 itconc mmat IA Su ! 2010

Swedish government Swedish parliament IKEA
SonyEricsson1994

Case #1: Örebro MunicipalityPhoto: 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
AgencyPhoto: TobiasBjorkgren/ flickr

Voted”Best publicsector website 2010”by the
users The Web Service Award

{ methodologyeffect mapping

effect mapping{ artifact

Plug in for project models

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

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

1 Effects 2 Effect agentseffect
mapping 3 Usage goals 4 Actions

1 Effectseffect mapping

”Userfriendlyness”

effectsresults valuebenefits

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

means metricsdesired effects

”implement ”need a muchversion 2.0
of ☞ more stablesystem X” platform””shift to a ”want tomore modern ☞ publish faster,CMS” with less effort””get more ”must increasevisitors to theweb 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 pagewith less effort” from 10 to 2 min””must increase ”conversion revenue fromads 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 succesfulis the way to tie the goalsto users and theirusage goals.

1 Effectseffect mapping

2 Effect agentseffect mapping

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

User researchInterviewsObservationsLog analysisContextual analysisWhatever!

demographics

People with similar needs,expectations or
behaviourwhen using the product.

What interface doyou like? Are
youcomputer literate?

Can you help us toreach
the goal? How?

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

Real-world examples

Case #3: The National Board
of Health and Welfare’s web siteEffects Follow our rules! ✘Effectagents nurses doctors health admins

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

Effects Follow our rules! ✘Effectagents
need want fact advise

Case #3:The National Board of
Healthand 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! ✘Effectagents
need want want fact advise to speak

2 Effect agentseffect mapping

effect mapping 3 Usage goals

Usage goalsWhat 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 Orderagents recipientUsage Want fewer incomplete # incomplete orders -75 %goals forms

The solution must satisfy all
goalsUsage Want Mustgoals Need

Effects Follow our rules! ✘EffectagentsUsagegoals
• need fact • want advise • want to • must • must speak follow follow • must rules rules follow rules

Real-world documentThe Swedish SocialInsurance Agency

effect mapping 3 Usage goals

effect mapping 4 Actions

Effects More efficient order management
✘ # # time/order -30 % mistakes -60 %Effect Orderagents recipientUsage Want fewer incomplete # incomplete orders -75 %goals forms Validation ✔ ✔ Simplify order formActions ✔ ✔

Effects More efficient order management
✘ # # time/order -30 % mistakes -60 %Effect Orderagents recipientUsage Want fewer incomplete # incomplete orders -75 %goals forms Validation ✔ ✔ Simplify order formActions ✔ ✔

Effects More efficient order management
✘ # # time/order -30 % mistakes -60 %Effect Orderagents recipientUsage Want fewer incomplete # incomplete orders -75 %goals forms Validation ✔ ✔ Simplify order formActions 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-inUnified documentGoal in
sightTracabilityBuilt-in measurementsFocus on benefits for theorganisation ...... and qualities of usefor 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 14Photo: Björn Falkevik