This document outlines a presentation about engaging users for software teams at UC Berkeley. It discusses why user engagement is important, challenges with user engagement, examples of user engagement activities, and how software teams can find and effectively engage with users.

1. Presenters
Allison Bloodworth
Bernie Geuy
Daphne Ogle
David Scronce
Rachel Hollowgrass
Tony Christopher
User Engagement
for Berkeley’s
Software Teams
Sponsored by
David Scronce ▪ Student Service Systems
April 6, 2010

2. User Engagement
for Berkeley’s
Why engage users? Software Teams
April 6, 2010
To best meet user needs
We are not them, and they are not us.
To achieve user buy-in
To minimize time and cost of
incorporating previously unrecognized
features
To ensure that a project is both useful
and usable
A story...

3. User Engagement
for Berkeley’s
Are users always right? Software Teams
April 6, 2010
Users ask WIIFM?
What’s in it for me? It is the task of the parent,
For many of us: user experience designer or
Babies don’t like to wear shoes.
Patients don’t enjoy visiting the dentist. government to engage their
Citizens don’t want to pay taxes.
users and convey the benefits
of these activities.

4. User Engagement
for Berkeley’s
Once upon a time in 2002 Software Teams
April 6, 2010
Game Neverending
This online, multi-player
game was launched in 2002:
Based on instant
messaging and object
manipulation
No way to win or
measure success
Community and
communication
between players was
encouraged
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Neverending, http://www.gnespy.com/museum/

5. User Engagement
for Berkeley’s
Game Neverending Software Teams
April 6, 2010
Virtual objects to
be manipulated and
chatted about
included:
Sheets of paper
Bowls of gruel
Slime balls
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Neverending, http://www.gnespy.com/museum/

6. User Engagement
for Berkeley’s
Game Neverending Software Teams
April 6, 2010
A team member had
an idea.
What if users could DOC
add their own files as
objects? Users could
share and chat about:
Word docs
Photographs
The team
implemented this
feature.
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Neverending, http://www.gnespy.com/museum/

7. User Engagement
for Berkeley’s
Game Neverending Software Teams
April 6, 2010
Users really liked the photo-sharing feature.
They responded so strongly that the team Yay team!
decided to make that feature more You listened!
You are heroes!
prominent. Eventually, the interface was
radically changed and all other aspects of
Game Neverending were removed.
The site was renamed and went
on to become a very
popular online tool
named ...
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Neverending, http://www.gnespy.com/museum/, Yahoo and Creative Commons.

8. User Engagement
for Berkeley’s
Game Neverending Software Teams
April 6, 2010
... Flickr!
Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Neverending, http://www.gnespy.com/museum/

9. User Engagement
How can software teams for Berkeley’s
engage users?
Software Teams
April 6, 2010
Examples of Activities
Usability
Study
Survey Card (FKA “User Test”)
Sort
Contextual
Focus Inquiry
Group
Participatory
Design
Data
Interview Analysis

10. User Engagement
How can software teams for Berkeley’s
engage users?
Software Teams
April 6, 2010
Light Engagement
Daphne Ogle
“Psst!
Want a Peet’s gift card?
Come test our software
for 5 minutes.”
Usability Study (FKA “User Test”)

11. User Engagement
How can software teams for Berkeley’s
engage users?
Software Teams
April 6, 2010
Significant Engagement
Bernie Geuy, student portal project
A series of design workshops resulted in
the creation of a task force:
Cal Student Online Experience
(COSE)
The users are on the team!
Participatory Design

12. User Engagement
How can software teams for Berkeley’s
engage users?
Software Teams
April 6, 2010
Significant Engagement
Bernie Geuy,
Student portal project
Sketches from students
Participatory Design

13. User Engagement
How can Berkeley teams for Berkeley’s
Software Teams
find users? April 6, 2010
The GoTo Network
The GoTo Network is here for you! Use the Network to contact users and
receive input on your project.
Software
Project Teams 1 Coordinator:
Tony Christopher
GoTo Administers list of GoTo People
People
Keeps us all connected and
working effectively
End Users
and SMEs

14. User Engagement
How can Berkeley teams for Berkeley’s
Software Teams
find users? April 6, 2010
The GoTo Network
What the GoTo People expect from
software teams: Software
Project Teams
Clear, reasonable requests
GoTo
Updates or a method to stay People
informed about software projects End Users
This allows them to remain and SMEs
effective and “in the know.”

15. User Engagement
A clear, reasonable for Berkeley’s
Software Teams
request for GoTo People April 6, 2010
A Clear, Reasonable Request: GoTo People,
Topic The Cal Grad Mobile Team is interested in
graduate students’ use of mobile devices. Could
Types of users you please put us in touch with any interested
grad students? Participation will involve one hour
Commitment of time during the week of May 24 to 28, 2010. The
only incentive that we can offer is a more targeted
Time frame mobile experience in the future.
Incentives Here’s the page on which you can track our
project’s status:
Status tool
www.berkeley.edu/cgmt/status.html
Way to contact you or your Thank you.
team
—Cal Grad Mobile Team <cgmt@berkeley.edu>

16. User Engagement
for Berkeley’s
Address for GoTo Network Software Teams
April 6, 2010
goto-network
@lists.berkeley.edu

17. User Engagement
for Berkeley’s
How many users are enough? Software Teams
April 6, 2010
Rules of Thumb
Broad activities such as
surveys, data analysis, etc
Focused, extended work
1 10 100 1000
such as participatory design
Number of Participants
In-depth qualitative work
such as contextual inquiry or
usability testing
Source: Jakob Nielsen, http://www.useit.com/alertbox/quantitative_testing.html

18. User Engagement
for Berkeley’s
Who can work with users? Software Teams
April 6, 2010
Much of user engagement is
simple. Anyone on a team can Everyone on a team — architects,
participate if they have skills like
coders, graphic designers, project
these:
managers, etc. — can benefit from
Active listening contact with users. If one person on
Empathy: a team does most of the work with
Understanding people’s motivations users, have them pair up with other
Big picture team members so that everyone
Attention to detail gets a little exposure.

19. User Engagement
for Berkeley’s
Is there any help available? Software Teams
April 6, 2010
The campus User-Centered Design
YES! group meets monthly.
Here are some ways the group can
Contact the campus UCD group: assist your project:
ucd@lists.berkeley.edu Suggestions for user engagement
Allison Bloodworth activities
Feedback on usability
Advice on tough design problems

20. User Engagement
for Berkeley’s
Are participants “human subjects”? Software Teams
April 6, 2010
UC Berkeley’s Committee for the
Protection of Human Subjects is
comprised of two Institutional
Review Boards (IRB). The primary If you have a question about the
mission of the IRB is to ensure the “human subjects” aspect of an
protection of the rights and welfare activity, visit the CPHS website at
of all human participants in research
conducted by university faculty, staff http://cphs.berkeley.edu/
and students.
Source: http://cphs.berkeley.edu/

21. User Engagement
for Berkeley’s
Questions Software Teams
April 6, 2010
What was meaningful to you today?
How could we make this group more
valuable to you?
What are our next steps?

22. User Engagement
for Berkeley’s
Contact Information and Resources Software Teams
April 6, 2010
People Organizations Further Reading
Allison Bloodworth, ETS Assistive Technology Adaptive Path
abloodworth@berkeley.edu Teaching and Learning Center http://www.adaptivepath.com/
(ATTLC)
Bernie Geuy, CLL http://attlc.berkeley.edu/ Alan Cooper
bernadetteg@berkeley.edu about.html http://www.cooper.com/
Daphne Ogle, ETS Campus User-Centered Boxes and Arrows
daphne@media.berkeley.edu Design Group http://www.boxesandarrows.com
David Scronce, ucd@lists.berkeley.edu Don't Make Me Think
Student Service Systems Committee for the Protection by Steve Krug
dscronce@berkeley.edu of Human Subjects ISBN 0321344758
Rachel Hollowgrass, IST http://cphs.berkeley.edu/ Interaction Design Association
rhollow@berkeley.edu Fluid Project resources http://www.ixda.org/
Tony Christopher, http://wiki.fluidproject.org/display/ Jakob Nielsen
Student Service Systems fluid/Design+Handbook http://www.useit.com
tonyc@berkeley.edu GoTo Network
goto-network@lists.berkeley.edu