Simple Methods for Reliable User Involvement - Agile AllianceSimple Methods for Reliable User...

Simple Methods for Reliable User Involvement

Hugh Beyer

Involvement

Hugh [email protected]

Karen Holtzblatt, CEOHugh Beyer, CTO

[email protected]

www.incontextdesign.comwww.innovationincool.com

UX and Agile: The promiseUX and Agile: The promise

Agile says development in steps – and iterateUX says work with users to create value – and iterate

The “ideal” productPhase 0 The ideal productPhase 0sets direction

(requirements)

User Iteration

What users really need

User Iteration refines the interface

and function

need

Base principle for real user feedbackBase principle for real user feedback

Real user feedback – Doesn’t come from: Product owners

Stakeholders

User surrogates

Purchasers

People who used to be users

DemosDemos

Focus groups

And… You can’t put the user on the team

Users can’t give you a design

U ’t t ll h t th t Users can’t tell you what they want

Solving the problem of designSolving the problem of design

The system’s work model has:ode asLanguageSystem StructureFeaturesConceptsThe user’s

work model has:LanguageWork Structure

Concepts

Work StructureWork FlowIntentionResult

Design the optimal match: Products and systems

embody work practiceembody work practice Design must support and

extend user intent

Contextual DesignContextual Designol

utio

ns

Talk to your customers in the field1 Contextual Inquiry1

men

ts&

So

Interpret the data as a team to capture key issues and activitiesInterpretation Session2

Work Models & 3

Req

uire

m

Consolidate data across customers for a full market viewAffinity Diagramming3

Generate new products & the next product concepts steeped in data Visioning4

Con

cept

s

Interaction Patterns & 6

Work out the details of particular tasks and rolesStoryboards5

e &

Val

idat

e

Define system structure, function, content and user interactionUser Environment Design6

Mock up the interface to validate direction and UI with customersPaper Prototype Interviews7

Def

ine p

Design and test the final look; base stories on validated functionVisual Design & Agile Stories8

Contextual DesignContextual Design

Contextual Inquiry1

Interpretation Session2

Work Models & Affinity 3

Visioning4

Fi ld t di i ldStoryboards5

Interaction Patterns & UED6

Field studies yield real understanding of what customers actually do and what they really

Paper Prototype Interviews7

8

y ycare about

Visual Design & Agile Stories 8


Discuss open litigation

Discuss open litigation

Board of DirectorsAdministrative Assistant

SOP

General Counsel

U21 Flow ModelContextual Inquiry1

BusinessUnit

Managers Outside Counsel

SOP

SOP Email

Discuss legal options

Ask for legal advice

Provide legal advice

HR Department

Hand deliver SOP

U21Senior Corporate Counsel

TRIGGER: Receive email from partner Open email to see

request

Open email to see request

and log in info

U5


Work Models & Affinity 3U3-1

She wants to understand what her boss is doing

Re-type user name and password in

Log in doesn’t work

Type log in info

Open CCH Online

and log in info

U5 Sequence: Keyword SearchPg. 1 of 3Visioning4

what her boss is doing. U3-2

Does she advise her boss on how to answer or manage his schedule?U3-3

Can we design a better way for her to keep informed?

Intent: Say what I want in computer terms

Intent: Account for research time

Intent: Restrict Domain to get relevant results

Type complex k d

Remembered to start

client tracker

Select search form

Decide to search in Fed

and password in from email

Storyboards5


Cross-functional team interprets the data to capture issues and model activities

keyword search using

Boolean


8

Creates a shared perspective of the data and implications



Contextual Inquiry1


Work Models & Affinity3

Visioning4Consolidates data across all

Storyboards5


customers reveals the big picture of the market: key issues, tasks, values, collaboration, work process, and technology impact


8

and technology impact

Find the opportunities to guide innovation.



Contextual Inquiry1


Work Models & Affinity3

Visioning4

Storyboards5

Interaction Patterns & UED6Must have models for Agile


8

models for Agile



Contextual Inquiry1


Work Models3

Visioning4

Storyboards5


Facilitated group ideation session –with evaluation

First immerse in the


8

data then generate concepts for new and existing products



Contextual Inquiry1



Visioning4

Develop the details of theStoryboards5


Develop the details of the new to-be activities

Clarify function, user experience, automation


8

rules, data, and technology based on the vision



Contextual Inquiry1



Visioning4

Represent the systemStoryboards5


Represent the system structure, requirements,and user interface layout

Ensure consistency,


8

coherence, and a smooth user experience product wide.



Contextual Inquiry1



Visioning4

Storyboards5


Validate product concepts, process changes, and user experience while testing user reception


8

Or bring out concept boards to validate direction before detailed design


UX and Agile: The promiseUX and Agile: The promise

Agile says development in steps – and iterateUX says work with users to create value – and iterate

The “ideal” productThe ideal product

Phase 0: What do we write on the story cards?Contextual InquiryConsolidationVisioningPaper prototyping

End of sprint: What does the During sprint: GetPaper prototypinguser think?Field interviews

During sprint: Get the details rightPaper prototyping

Di i t kDiscovering customer work

The Contextual interviewThe Contextual interview

The interviewing process of Contextual Design One-on-one 2-hour field interview

Gathering detailed information about work practicep

In the workplace while people work

Through observation and discussion of on going workof on-going work

Based on a model of apprenticeship to the customer

Contextual Inquiry principlesContextual Inquiry principles

Key concepts to guide understanding the customer Context: Collect data in the context of people’s work p p

• Go to your user's workplace• Talk to your users while they work

Partnership: Work with customers as partners in inquiryPartnership: Work with customers as partners in inquiry • Help users articulate their work practice• Let them lead

Interpretation: Uncover the meaning and implications of customer action and Interpretation: Uncover the meaning and implications of customer action and language • Create a shared understanding• Draw out the implicationsp

Focus: Listen and probe from a clear intention • Know your purpose• Challenge your assumptionsChallenge your assumptions

What is context?What is context?

Get as close to the work as possible Go to the customer

Interview while they are working

Be grounded in real objects and events

Pay attention to non-verbal communication

Ongoing work versus summary experience People tend to give summaries People tend to give summaries

Ongoing work is never summarized

Stay concrete don’t abstractStay concrete, don t abstract Ongoing work

Retrospective account — from the last two weeks

Look at artifacts

Dos and don’ts: Context principleDos and don’ts: Context principle

Don’t Do

Let the user talk in the air or talk in Make talk concrete:Let the user talk in the air or talk in abstractions

Make talk concrete:• Follow actual work and specific cases from

recent past• Get or draw artifacts; annotate with intent

and usageand usage

Allow the user to summarize a story Reconstruct a situation:• Back up the user when he skips a step

H h i h• Hypothesize steps to prompt the user

Discuss feature requests out of the context of usage

Probe to understand what actual work situation prompted the requestFollow the real work example

Ask “What would you have done next?” when the user did not actually do it in

Avoid predictions of future scenariosO l b t h t i h iwhen the user did not actually do it in

this caseOnly care about what is happening nowDo a retrospective account of past work

What is partnership?What is partnership?

Partnership as relationship The user is the expert

• They know everything about their work but can’t tell you

So follow their leadWithdrawal

Help the users articulate and see their work practice

Avoid ineffective interview styles The Traditional Interviewer

Return

The Traditional Interviewer The Expert/Novice The Guest/Host

Dos and don’ts: Partnership principleDos and don’ts: Partnership principle

Don’t Do

Take the expert role:• Do not teach or tell user how to do their

jobs• Do not give tips on tool use

When asked for tool tips, ask how he/she would have done without youGive tips at the endI it t d tInvite users to educate you

Create a distant relationship:• Sit back, have a reserved attitude

Reconstruct a situation:• Lean forward, be fascinated

• Be apologetic or timid• Be overbearing

• Be confiding and genuine

Create a formal relationship Be nosy, overcome formality

Sit on the “visitor” side of the desk while the user is talking

Pull up a chair next to the user and his/her computer screen. Make sure you can see what’s happeningcan see what s happening

What is interpretation?What is interpretation?

Interpretation is the data A shared understanding of what is going on Customerg g g

Offer interpretations • Don’t ask open-ended

questionsFact

q

Listen for the “No”• Huh?• Umm... could be

Hypothesis

tune the interpretation

Umm... could be• “They” would like it• “Yes” comes with elaboration• Watch for non-verbal clues

Implication

• Check your design ideas as they occur

Design Idea

Dos and don’ts: Interpretation principleDos and don’ts: Interpretation principle

Don’t Do

Just watch what happens and record it Look for patterns, intents, issues, and the role people play in the work, and then share them with the user

Just ask “yes” or “no” questions Offer hypothesis that invite elaboration

Just ask “why?” or open-ended questions

Use metaphors to explain what the work is like and ask the user if you get it right

What is focus?What is focus?

Know your purpose We all have an entering focus

• A set of preconceived assumptions and beliefs

Drive interviews with your project focus• A clear understanding of what work you are trying to

understand

Expand your focus• Challenge your assumptions, probe the unexpected

Probe to expand focus Surprises and contradictions

“Nods” — What you assume is true

What you do not know

The problem behind solutions

Share Interpretations for validation

Design ideas for co-design

Dos and don’ts: Focus principleDos and don’ts: Focus principle

Don’t Do

Hide your focus Show your focus:• The user can help find relevant cases and issues

Focus on the software, configuration or hardware

Focus on work; identify cases in the focus to pursue

Pursue issues or events outside your focus Expand focus based on what you see the user doGloss over irrelevant events introduced by the userRemember: It is not rude to not engage the users in things that are not in focus. You don’t want to teach gthe user that you are interested in irrelevant information.

Dismiss issues because you don’t understand Probe things you don’t understand or are ythem

g ysurprised by

Talk from an implicit list of questions you want answered

Follow the work, discuss how the work is structured, not topics in your head

Nod without asking in order to verify everything you think you understand

Share your interpretations of their words and work even if it is obvious

Key concepts in Contextual InquiryKey concepts in Contextual Inquiry

Be an apprentice

ContextContext Go to your user's workplace

Talk to your users while they work

Partnership Help users articulate their work practice

Let them lead

Interpretation Create a shared understanding

Draw out the implications

Focus Know your purposeKnow your purpose

Challenge your assumptions

Structure of the interviewStructure of the interview

Traditional interview steps (5-10 minutes)

Observe and co-interpret(1 ½ hours)

Introduce yourself

Reveal your focus

Promise confidentiality

Take notes Follow your focus Be nosy

Promise confidentiality

Start recording

Get an overview of their work

y Interruptions are data too

Wrap-up (10 15 i t )

Look for a starting point

Deal with opinions about tools

(10-15 minutes) Create a large interpretation of

your learning about their role

Switch to contextual interview Reset the rules

their role Ask “pet” questions Give tips on system use

Th k th Thank the user

What to recordWhat to record

Record as much detail as possible User’s words

User’s actions, step by step

Coordination with others

Indications of the culture and feelings of the user

Your shared interpretation of the meaning and intent of actions

Collect artifacts and annotate with usageCollect artifacts and annotate with usage

Draw the user’s physical environment and annotate with usage

Exercise: Conference Attendance PlanningExercise: Conference Attendance Planning

What does it take to plan conference attendance?

Discover: How the user planned attendance prior to arrival

t ti t• retrospective account

How the user planned today

Plan tomorrow (if not yet done)• Ongoing work

Look at:A tif t Artifacts

Annotations

App usagepp g

Contextual Design fulfils Phase 0Contextual Design fulfils Phase 0

Phase 0Phase 0 Release PlanningRelease Planning DevelopmentDevelopment DeploymentDeploymentgg

Field Research• Contextual Inquiry• Work models

Field Research• Contextual Inquiry• Work models

VisioningVisioning Concept Validation• Low-fidelity prototypingConcept Validation• Low-fidelity prototyping

Determines who the customer is and what to build

Necessary precursor to Agile Development

Result: Tested and validated product structure and features

Example schedule of CD Agile Phase 0 Example schedule of CD Agile Phase 0

User-centered Agile Compressed into a short

Week 1 – Gather data from 8-10 usersWeek 1 – Gather data from 8-10 users

prin

tpr

int

Phase 0

• For constrained project focus only!

Week 2 – Consolidate dataWeek 2 – Consolidate data

Sp

Sp

Week 3 – Vision and storyboardWeek 3 – Vision and storyboard

Week 4 – UED and UIWeek 4 – UED and UI

Phase 0 sprintsusing Scrum as a process frameworkS

prin

tS

prin

t

Week 5 – Release planning & validation (2-4 users)Week 5 – Release planning & validation (2-4 users)

rint

rint

Week 6 – Validation & redesignWeek 6 – Validation & redesign

Spr

Spr

ntnt

Development Sprint 1

Spr

inS

prin

Put the customer at the center of the design

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