Make Stuff People Can Use - Agile Alliance 2010

Make Stuff People Can

Use

Samantha Starmer

Agile Alliance 2010

@samanthastarmer

me12+ years UX related work for places like Amazon, Microsoft – various agile experiencesTeach at University of WashingtonCurrently lead UX/IA/IxD teams at REIWe just started working agile

More importantly – our QA, PM & Dev Managers. They make the partnership work…

Interactive session – want to run away?

Why Agile UX is Meaningless without an Agile Attitude Why Agile UX is Meaningless without an Agile Attitude

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ppowers/343448083

Blow pops = fun

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iandeth/2458474034/

Let’s talk about Oklahomafor a minute

http://www.flickr.com/photos/auvet/824432212/

The farmer and the cowman should be friends

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonmcgovern/4051771059

UX and Agile should be friends

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jonmcgovern/4051771059

“Agile development is an interesting approach from a UX perspective

for two reasons…it contrasts sharply with the way many –

perhaps most – ux designers work” http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2009/10/can-ux-be-agile.php

UX’ers are people too… As are designers,

researchers, etc. All have specific

backgrounds, tools, expertise

Each background and expertise adds value

Best situation is when we can all collaborate

Who works with a UX team/person?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bpbp/3211400549

Who IS a UX person?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/evilpeacock/2194032579/

Ideal when we can all play our parts

I hope I don’t get in trouble with the UX police…

But if you don’t have UX experts available, you can still be an

active user advocate and use user centered design principles.

15

“There is a direct correlation between long term

profitability and enriching the customer experience.”

Robert Antall, CEO Lake West GroupQuote from Internet Retailer conference, June 10, 2008

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tracy_olson/61056391/sizes/m/in/photostream/

“In Agile development, the whole team must accept responsibility for the quality of the

user experience.”http://agile2010.agilealliance.org/ui.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mindaugasdanys/3766009204/

Otherwise, users will cry

Understanding users

Doesn’t always require heavy research Can gain value even without UX experts …but use them if you have them Can happen at all parts of a project and

within each sprint/iteration

Functional is now table stakes

Managing Expectations

Or not…

Shoot for ‘surprise and delight’

23

How can we understand users?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/carlcoxstudios/4335795974

Lots of methods

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User Interviews

Search Logs

Help Usage

Feedback

Pathing Analysis

Surveys

Web AnalyticsFocus Groups

Focus Groups Contextual InterviewsCard Sorts

Structured Journaling

Follow Along

Prototype Tests

Some easier to integrate with Agile

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User Interviews

Search Logs

Help Usage

Feedback

Pathing Analysis

Surveys

Web AnalyticsFocus Groups

Focus Groups Contextual InterviewsCard Sorts

Structured Journaling

Follow Along

Prototype Testing

Today we will discuss…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dizzygirl/3865507559/

Quick and Dirty Introduction

User Interviews

Not a survey Not a usability test Often structured questions, but room for

conversation Best with actual target users, but can gain

some benefit with friends and family 5 minutes is better than nothing Can even do remotely

Resource Alert!

Nate Bolt & Tony Tulathimutte

Remote Research Book

(Follow @rosenfeldmedia for discounts and other

offerings)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/daviddmuir/2125697998/

Helpful to understand users’ goals

User Interviews

What is their desired end result? What problem are they trying to solve? What benefit are they trying to gain? What impediments stand in their way?

Time? Access? Technology confusion?

What do they expect out of the software/website/app?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PhrenologyPix.jpg

What are their mental models?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/PhrenologyPix.jpg

Mental Models

From cognitive science Users’ thought process of how something

works/how they expect it to work Helps us know why people do what they do Based on experiences, perceptions, etc. Can think about in aggregate, e.g. using

personas, archetypal users

“Eating out”

What do you picture?

Drive through?

Buffet example from http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/whats_your_idea_of_a_mental_model_

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skidder/415221262

Take what you want?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/skidder/415221262

Order from a waiter?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/atsuke/4567514302

Resource Alert!

Indi YoungMental Model Book

"Lightening Quick" Mental Model Method http://www.rosenfeldmedia.com/books/mentalmodels/blog/the_lightening_quick_method

Now comes the fun part…

Raise your hand if you have kids or grandkids under the age of 12…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kymberlyanne/2687290741/

For our volunteers who are now Users…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeasart/252202212

Musical ChairsAt least one ‘user’ per table

We’re going to the Magic Kingdom!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulbeattie/4672692465/

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2009/11/mobile-magic-%E2%80%93-first-disney-parks-mobile-app-now-available

The task – design a Magic Kingdom App

Start with User

Interviews

Some Tips

http://www.flickr.com/photos/danelu/3281839742/

Recording is helpful Notes are better than nothing

http://www.flickr.com/photos/maistora/4338941962

Use Active Listening e.g. “Tell me more about that…”

Avoid leading questions e.g. Would you use GPS to find restaurants?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/photosdetibo/3007056175/

Don’t judge e.g. You wouldn’t go on Pirates of

the Caribbean?!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18796746@N05/4272817915/

Some possible questions… How would you normally prepare for this

type of family activity? What do you want to get out of your Magic

Kingdom experience? What types of activities will your kids want

to do? What would keep you and your family from

having a good time?


5 minutes!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwarby/3296379139

Some possible questions… How would you normally prepare for this

type of family activity? What do you want to get out of your Magic

Kingdom experience? What types of activities will your kids want

to do? What would keep you and your family from

having a good time?


How was it?What worked?What didn’t work?What are your users’ needs?

Your users’ needs?

1. Need2. Need3. Need4. Need5. Need


Next up – create

Prototypes

IMT 589D: IA Summer Institute 57

Prototypes Visual representation or model of site/product Can begin in parallel with user stories Assists with early identification of issues Various fidelities – ‘just good enough’ Good for testing mental models, usability Try rapid iterations with users via RITE - Rapid Iterative

Testing and Evaluation Can iterate in chunks according to backlog Can test existing product for baseline


http://www.alistapart.com/articles/paperprototyping

Paper Prototyping

Rodolphe Courtier http://www.flickr.com/photos/rcourtie/3500123702/

For mobile (and software) too!

ericadotnet: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arrrika/2298422351/sizes/m/in/photostream/

Don’t have to be an artist…

Can be digital – best for designs with heavy

interaction

(we used Axure)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/33346716@N03/3131446999/

Find some users!

Resource Alert!

Todd Zaki WarfelPrototyping Book

(see Todd’s session tomorrow at 9am)

Many other resources, e.g.http://muiomuio.com/web-design/web-prototyping-sketching http://www.alistapart.com/articles/paperprototyping

Resource Alert!

Jeff Pattonhttp://www.agileproductdesign.com

Anyone at Jeff’s session yesterday?

http://agileproductdesign.com/blog/emerging_best_agile_ux_practice.html

“[Prototype] only needs to be good enough to understand, to learn, to communicate quickly with our co-workers, then it can be

thrown away.”

More fun…(here’s the time to

unwrap your blowpop)

Remember your users’ needs?1. Need2. Need3. Need 4. Need 5. Need


Start sketching

A few screens

Work together

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/1384952210/

Think about FLOW

http://www.flickr.com/photos/duxcarvajal/3739301954

Okay to make it ‘super sized’

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arimoore/11228118

No right (or wrong) answers


Musical Chairs again Users switch tables

Have fun!

15 minutes!


Paul Downey: http://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/2247745929/

Evaluate

Remember your users’ needs?1. Need2. Need3. Need 4. Need 5. Need


http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarpond/3016905349

Needs become a (small) story – a task you ask the

user to do

Create your 5 tasksOrganize your screensabout 5 min



Musical Chairs again Users return to interview table

Evaluate the Prototype

Check in with the users Ask them to do a task (based on previously

established user goals/needs) Good way to test your user stories Best if participants ‘think aloud’ Be quiet!! Have a note taker or video tape Can also do remotely Can change on the fly and try again!

5 minutes!


How was it?What worked?What didn’t work?Any challenged assumptions?

Iterate

10 minutes!



Musical Chairs once moreUsers to a new table

Paul Downey: http://www.flickr.com/photos/psd/2247745929/

Evaluate again

How was it?What worked?What didn’t work?What was new?

When to stop iterating?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/topher76/255435020


Summary Work with UX when possible/available Learn about your users through user interviews Start with their general needs and goals Try RITE testing with prototypes – various

fidelity If you have existing product, try mini usability

tests to get a baseline Iterate as your sprint allows and/or until most

of the kinks are worked out Add other tricky bits to backlog Keep talking to users!

Resource Alert!

Anders RamsayBook coming

2011 via rosenfeldmedia.com

Why Agile UX is Meaningless without an Agile Attitudehttp://www.andersramsay.com

Questions??

http://www.flickr.com/photos/druclimb/3277540656/

Make Stuff People Can Use - Agile Alliance 2010

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