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All contents © Copyright 2007-2008 Experience Dynamics

User Centered Design 101

An Experience Dynamics training

WEB SEMINAR

With Frank Spillers, MS

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About Your Speaker

Frank SpillersMasters Cognitive Science 10 years User Centered Design experienceFounder, Experience Dynamics- leading Usability Design Research

firm

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Agenda Is User Centered Design a buzzword, a technique, or a methodology? Why does "UCD" get so much attention? How has it changed how teams approach web application usability efforts? Is UCD right for you?

1.User Centered Design: Evolving from Dot-Com to Web 2.02.Why UCD? (Development, Business, Design benefits)3.Development process: UCD vs. Agile vs. Waterfall4.Case Studies: User Centered Design success stories5.Is UCD right for you?: Planning a UCD process for your product6.Q & A

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1. User Centered Design: Evolving from Dot-Com to Web 2.0

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User Centered DesignUsing user advocacy as a means to product development…

Grounding requirements and design decision making in observed behavioral data.

For Websites, portals, Intranets.

Software, Web applications.

Embedded or mobile devices, hardware

products.

For end-to-end experiences.

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Timeline*

1997 20082001 2004

A lot of good post-dot com guessing…and heavy sprinkles of

usability and UCD…

UCD methodology has influenced every aspect of Web design and development in the past 6 years.

*Note: This timeline is incomplete and is for illustrative purposes only. Sorry if we left you off!

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www.usabilitylabrental.com

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in a UCD process

1. Get to know the users2. Analyze user tasks and goals3. Establish usability requirements4. Prototype some design ideas5. Usability test the concepts6. Repeat as necessary

6 Basic Steps

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Let’s make a distinction

• Usability is not UCD• Usability is a result, a goal, a field (UE, UX)

• UCD is a methodology• Usability is an outcome of UCD practices

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International Standards Org

• ISO 9241-11 (1998) defines usability as an outcome

“The extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use.”

• ISO 13407 (1999) defines HCD as an approachHuman centred design processes for interactive systems

“Human-centred design is an approach to interactive system development that focuses specifically on making systems usable. It is a multi-disciplinary activity…”

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“Is it possible to win with just usability?”

Yes, I think so…but Enterprise level organizations need a framework to manage UCD and adhere to the practice of user involvement a la behavioral research…

Otherwise techniques get shelved, filed away or move on (with bright stars).

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Why does UCD often look diluted, dated, misplaced or weak?

Different reasons:

•Usability consultants or Centers of Excellence like to extend, expand and redefine

•It is used for different purposes: marketing; PR; promotional reasons

•Different backgrounds; different disciplines come to UCD practice

•Not all steps are or can be followed

•UCD follows organizational buy-in to usability

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2. Why UCD? (Development, Business, Design benefits)

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Approaches to Design

Technology driven• Component focus• System driven (use cases)• Product defect view of quality• Focus on system robustness

User Centered Design driven• Solutions focus• (real-world) Scenario driven• Task success view of quality• Focus on User Interface robustness

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Business case for usability

• Reduce development costs• Reduce support costs• Reduce documentation time• Reduce maintenance costs• Increase user satisfaction • Increase user loyalty • Increase user adoption

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Web 2.0 case for…(your case here)

• More compelling user experience• Faster application development• Usability fixes more elegant• More flexibility• Better control of presentation layer (UI)

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3. Development process: UCD vs. Agile vs. Waterfall

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Development methods:

Waterfall:-3-6 month + releases-Requirements definition

up front-Sequential process-Used heavily pre-Web-Delay testing to end

Agile:-”XP” Extreme

Programming-Reduce the cost of

change-30 day releases-Include user

involvement-Test as you go along

UCD:-”Guerilla HCI”-User testing often-Iterative by nature-Rapid (UI) design

prototyping-User test anytime

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“Fitting usability in” to Agile

• Move UCD deliverables to a quarterly management cycle

• New features and functionality gained from field study and usability tests should be reviewed and prioritized at every new monthly build review meeting

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Issues with Agile

• Agile competes with UCD activities (time and attention)

• Close partnerships are required• UCD team needs to debrief and ‘bug-squash’

features • Usability findings should be cascaded into

Agile review cycles

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Agile and UCD

• Field Studies= Quarterly usability priority (feed to Agile dev process)

• Usability Testing= Monthly usability priority (depending on what needs tested, might be small, incremental)

• Usability Reviews= Can feed into the more narrow "inside a month" cycles.

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4. Case Studies: User Centered Design success stories

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Many Success Stories…

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Design an “Information Appliance”

ExoBox

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Business Objectives

• It is not a computer• Target is a home

environment• Reduce fear, increase

motivation

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User Objectives

• Support interruptions• Don’t make me feel stupid• Reduce fear of technology• Quick, Effective, Productive

• Parent• Teen/Child• Grandparent• Friend• Shopper...

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User Attributes

• E-mail is a prime motivator• Surfing the web, too• Familiar with appliances• Are fearful of complex technology

– They don’t want to feel stupid– But don’t want to be left behind

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Tasks

• Get a message• Prepare a meal• Get help with

homework

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User Centered Design works better when business models align with

end-products.

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Distinction

• UCD takes on many interpretations- folklores• Usability efforts are stifled by many factors• Managers who don’t “get it”• IA’s or UX folks who think they “get it” but

don’t (or don’t get it enough to convince their boss)

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5. Is UCD right for you?: Planning a UCD process for your product

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Preparing your organization

• Usability testing is a good start– Expert reviews are politically limited– Field studies are easily misinterpreted

• Once established, Persona Research is vital– Ethnography should be embraced– Developing personas is valuable

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Building momentum…

• Usability Education• Research based design• Credibility (business team buy-in)• Integration (development process)• Best practice capture• Leadership (and budget)• Expertise

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UCD must evolve to meet market conditions

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Agile-friendly!

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6. Q & A

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thank you!1-800-978-9183www.experiencedynamics.com

Frank Spillers, [email protected]

2. Managing with User Centered Design checklist 3. Incorporating UCD into your product lifecycle: How UCD fits with Agile 4. Components of UCD Techniques: When to use and NOT to use User Centered Design 5. Guidance and Advice: how you can learn from best practice 6. Insider tips for promoting UCD at the team and management level 7. Q & A

Be sure to catch UCD 102 on March 21st 2007 ($125 charge)

http://www.experiencedynamics.com/

mailto:[email protected]


About Experience Dynamics: Experience Dynamics is a professional usability design research firm. Through its User Centered Design services, Experience Dynamics assists organizations with removing the frustration and confusion that plagues most website and software development projects. Companies benefiting from Experience Dynamics actionable usability recommendations include AutoNation, IBM, Hewlett Packard, Intel, Verizon, Microsoft, Four Seasons, Washington Mutual, Bank One, Target, Land Rover, Providence Health System and KeyBank.

About Experience Dynamics web seminars:Experience Dynamics offers a recurring set of usability web seminars on hot usability topics. The web seminars provide an overview and quick review of key issues and opportunities related to best practices in usability research.

The seminars are presented by Frank Spillers, MS, a recognized expert in the field of usability engineering and user experience design. Experience Dynamics seminars are complimentary and are attended by companies including Intel, Citigroup, KeyBank, The Hartford, Fujitsu, Intuit, EMC Corp, Chase, US Bank, Apple, Amazon.com, Business Objects, Mentor Graphics, GM, Toyota and others.

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Technology

ucd usability

ucd ucd methodology

design ideas usability

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design benefits

design decision

design technology

ux ucd