Task maps. Customer journeys. Cognitive walk-throughs. All are artifacts of our process of seeking understanding about our users that we likely create on a regular basis. But how can we better connect that work to the process of web site data collection and analysis? Learn how we can adapt our existing process and artifacts to drive the definition of what user data we need to collect, as well as how to better analyze and validate what we do, including: - Using existing site analytics to set a behavioral baseline. - Defining what we want to measure based on task maps and other UX artifacts. The result? Consensus on user behavior as expressed through data that can be used to tell the evolving story about our users and create better products for them.

1. Defining the Damn Data
@nstopUX
Jen Matson
Sr. UX Designer, RealSelf
Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rh2ox/9989876925

2. Everyone
data
…right?

3. Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/barnism/429618154

5. We are:
The world's largest community for learning and
sharing information about cosmetic surgery,
dermatology, dentistry, and other elective
treatments.

6. In 2014, our users:
• Numbered 51 million (unique visitors)
• Viewed half-a-billion pages
• Spent 5 million hours in their research
• Are predominantly mobile: 72% and growing

7. Core team: UX designer, product
manager, developer(s)
Supporting players: Business
analyst, community manager(s)
Team

8. Agile process: 2-week sprints, PM
and design at daily stand-ups
Bite-sized work: Build and launch
many smaller things, test, iterate,
improve
Project approach

9. ?

10. Ongoing data sharing
Weekly meetings:
• Business analysts present Google Analytics
data to full product team
• Community managers share user insights
How do we interpret the data?

11. Featured project:
Question & answer page

14. Step 1:
Define the problem / opportunity

15. • What’s wrong, or where
can we do something
great?
• Why do we think this
might be worthwhile?
• Do we have any data to
support this?
Step 1:
Define the problem / opportunity

16. • High traffic, but high
bounce rate - most visitors
view 1 page, leave
• We have highly relevant
content, but it’s not easily
discoverable
• Issue identified via analysis
using Google Analytics
Step 1:
Define the problem / opportunity

19. Step 2:
Define your users

20. • What’s the profile of a
user visiting this page?
• What motivates this user,
and how does that
intersect with what we
have to offer in our
product?
Step 2:
Define your users

21. • Someone Googling for
answer to a specific
question about a medical
treatment
• Motivated to the get that
answer first and foremost
• Unaware of RealSelf brand
Step 2:
Define your users

23. Step 3:
Define the desired business result

24. • What does product
success look like?
Step 3:
Define the desired business result

25. • Reduce bounce rate,
converting some portion of
casual users to active users
• Active users contribute
content that increases value
of site for all
• Increase awareness of
RealSelf brand
Step 3:
Define the desired business result

26. Step 4:
Identify the highest-value work

27. • Where do user needs and
business goals overlap?
Step 4:
Identify the highest-value work

28. • Focus on getting the user
their answer quickly, easily
• Provide relevant related
content for those motivated
to dig deeper
Step 4:
Identify the highest-value work

29. Step 5:
Define what to design and build, and how

30. • What content, interface
and functional changes
will we make?
• How long will it take to
design and build?
• What can we deliver
quickest, of highest value
to the user?
Step 5:
Define what to design and build, and how

31. • Remove irrelevant content/
UI so we can move valuable
content further up the page
• Tweak existing design for
initial experiment
Step 5:
Define what to design and build, and how

33. Step 6:
Define metrics, measurement, launch

34. • What data will we use to
determine success or
failure?
• What do we have the
ability to measure now?
• How many people will see
this and on what devices/
in what regions?
Step 6:
Define metrics, measurement, launch

35. • Show reduced bounce rate
% in Google Analytics
• Increase clicks on specific
links to related content
• Target mobile for initial test
• Expose to a small % of
users to start
Step 6:
Define metrics, measurement, launch

36. Step 7:
Design, build and instrument

37. • Create final visual design
• Build design in Optimizely
using HTML, CSS and
JavaScript
• Set up click and other goals
in Optimizely keyed off of
defined user behaviors
Step 7:
Design, build and instrument

42. Step 8:
Launch, observe, learn

43. Results?

44. New design

47. Old design

48. New design

51. BUT…

52. This is by design

53. • Someone Googling for
answer to a specific
question about a medical
treatment
• Motivated to the get that
answer first and foremost
• Not engaging with
doctors at this point in
their journey

54. Another lesson

55. • Photo upload was clunky, so users created multiple
review entries for multiple photos
• We made uploading photos easier, data showed
sharp drop in reviews
• Initial data was misleading - we didn’t break
anything, we made the experience better
Always test before you launch to all

56. So…

57. 1. Define the problem / opportunity
2. Define your users
3. Define the desired business result
4. Identify the highest-value work
5. Define what to design and build, and how
6. Define metrics, measurement, launch
7. Design, build and instrument
8. Launch, observe, learn

58. Thank you.
@nstopUX
Jen Matson
Sr. UX Designer, RealSelf