This document provides an overview of various user experience techniques used to test and design interfaces. It describes techniques such as usability testing, prototyping, card sorting, contextual inquiry, moodboard testing, persona development, user diaries, expert review, and A/B testing. The document explains what each technique involves and variations of common techniques.

1. 4ORCE Digital
Introduction to User Experience
Techniques
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 Jake Truemper @trump29

2. “User Experience” Encompasses...
...all aspects of the end-user's interaction with the company, its services,
and its products.
- Nielsen Norman Group
UX TE CHNIQ UES 2

3. Technique Overview
Usability Testing Visual Testing
e.g. Lab Usability Testing e.g. Moodboard Testing
Interaction Design Ideation Sessions &
e.g. Low-Fidelity Prototyping Consensus Building
e.g. Persona Development
Field Studies
e.g. Contextual Inquiry Expert Feedback
e.g. Expert Review
Information Architecture
e.g. Card Sorting Post-Release Testing
e.g. A/B Testing
Opinion-Based Feedback
e.g. User Diaries
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4. Usability Testing
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5. Lab Usability Testing
The most established of user testing techniques, lab usability testing is
an observation-based study in which representative users perform
task-based testing on a site or product.
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6. Unmoderated Usability Testing
Unmoderated usability testing is conducted remotely without a
facilitator. Modern tools collect user feedback by recording online
behavior as users complete relevant tasks.
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7. Additional Usability Testing Variations
> Remote Testing
> Competitor Testing
> Comparative Testing
> Open Web Testing
> Accessiblity Testing
> Mobile Testing / Other Device Testing
> Document / Collateral Testing
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8. Interaction Design
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9. Low-Fidelity Prototyping
Traditionally, low-fidelity prototyping used hand-drawn prototypes.
Now, with tools that emulate the rough “sketchy” style of a hand-drawn
prototype, pen and paper are less frequently used. Hand-drawn or not,
low-fidelity prototypes are raw images with little to no visual branding
applied.
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10. Additional IXD Technique Variations
> Mid-Fidelity Prototyping
> High-Fidelity Prototyping
> Wireframing (Skeletal Wireframes, Functional Spec Wireframes)
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11. Information Architecture
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12. Card Sorting
Card Sorting is a technique for improving the findability of content
within a system. During a card sort users are given a series or “cards,”
each labeled with a piece of content and are asked to sort them into
intuitive categories. Maybe be an open card sort or closed (users
provide category names or not).
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13. Additional IA Technique Variations
> Tree Testing
> Story Boarding
> Mindmapping/Process Flow Diagraming
> Free Listing
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14. Field Studies
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15. Contextual Inquiry
An end user tests an interface, product, or service within the
environment which they will use it. CI typically begins with an interview
phase where the UX pro asks prepared questions. The user is then
asked to act as a mentor, teaching the UX professional how they
interact with a system.
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16. Additional Field Study Variations
> Overt or Covert Field Studies
> User Interviews
> True Intent Studies
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17. Visual Testing
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18. Moodboard Testing
Moodboards are visual representations of brand attitudes that are
tested with users prior to the creation of full visual design comps.
Moodboards include imagery style, color palettes, typography,
textures, etc., creating the overall feel of the site without layout or
interaction design.
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19. Additional Visual Testing Variations
> Preference Testing
> Icon Testing
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20. Ideation & Concensus Building
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21. Persona Development
Persona development distills user findings down to fictional characters
whose demographic information, needs and desires represent larger
user segments.
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22. Additional Ideation & Consensus Building
Technique Variations
> Ideation Sessions
> UX Illustration/Whiteboarding
> Co-Design
> Workshops
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23. User Opinion Studies
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24. User Diaries
Users keep a journal of their interactions with a system over an
extended period of time.
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25. Additional User Opinion Techniques
> Focus Groups
> Surveys
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26. Expert Feedback
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27. Expert Review
An evaluator provides insights on the usability of the interface based
on best practices — a quick and dirty means of getting usability
feedback. Often a precursor to other user-centered design activities.
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28. Additional Expert Feedback Variations
> Heuristic Analysis
> Content Inventory/Audit
> Accessibility Review
> Brand Analysis
> Competitor Analysis
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29. Post-Release Testing
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30. A/B Testing
A/B testing compares two or more versions of a page on your live site
by randomly dividing users between the pages and evaluating
analytics data.
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31. Additional Post-Release Techniques
> Analytics
> Summative Usability Testing
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32. General Tactics
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33. General Tactics
> Iterative Testing and Design
> Fidelity Shift
> Guerrilla/Discount/Lean UX
> Eye Tracking
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34. Questions?
Jake Truemper
@trump29
4ORCEdigital.com
34 U X TE C H NI QUE S