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What losing weight reminded me about SharePoint user adoption

Virgil Carrollpresident high monkey

about me

• From the great State of Alaska

• Certified Athletic Trainer

• Masters in Instructional Design (from UAB)

• User Experience Aficionado

• Been building websites since 1998

• Been building SharePoint since 2001

• Blog: http://monkeyblog.highmonkey.com

• Twitter: @vcmonkey

about high monkey

• Been around since 1998 (HMC name since 2004)

• Offices in Minnesota and Michigan

• Clients throughout the US and Canada

• Core Competencies• Web and interface design

• SharePoint / CMS consulting

• User Experience

about my progress

and why I chose this topic

understanding users

and how they think

how users think

• The too-easy information seeking model

User asks question

MAGIC HAPPENS

User received answer

Context

UsersContent

why users challenge us

• Every user has different experiences and abilities to draw from

• Every user has different needs and wants

• Every user learns at a different pace and by different methods

why user adoption doesn’t succeed

• We never ask

• We never understand

• We never learn

• We never enjoy this

technology today is challenging for users

• Modern interfaces are trending toward sacrificing user experience for ‘cool’ user patterns

• People are working to an older age – we cannot discount their opinions

• Social is popular, but people cannot filter out the ‘noise’

what losing weight reminded me

about how to understand users

to be successful: set expectations

there is no secret sauce

• For every project, gaining user acceptance ‘depends’ on a lot of variables

• Different organizations need to use different methods to be successful

adoption cannot be an after thought

• You must have time to work on adoption activities as part of every aspect of a project

• Set a timetable of adoption activities upfront in a project plan

• Remember different projects may need different adoption strategies

sample adoption timeline

• 6 months before project rollout• Identify adoption strategy

• Communicate initial project goals and timeline

• 3 months before project rollout• Start communicating specific features

and phases

• Advertise training opportunities

• Project status

• 1 month before project rollout• Present project sneak peak

• Start communication campaign

• Begin power user training

• 1 week before project rollout

• Full communication campaign rollout

• End user training / information sessions

• Community site set-up

• Rollout• Continue communication campaign

• Rollout support channels

• Create moderated Q & A forums

• Continue training

• Post launch• Communicate out project success /

challenges

changing behaviors is the hardest

• People have their own reasons for wanting things

• Changing behaviors is a constant process

• People need a ‘reason’ to adopt

• Quick change is ok as long as you understand what you are getting yourself into

• Just because you changed doesn’t mean anyone will believe you

to be successful: plan

be realistic with your goals

• Pay attention to what features will ‘truly’ benefit users

• Phase in a project to roll out features to users at a manageable pace

major projects may need to go on a diet

• Big systems tend to be over designed

• What you thought you heard from user requirements usually changes after launch

• The rule of thirds (Microsoft Word)

sometimes cheating is ‘ok’

• There are a lot of good ideas that have worked for others

• Make sure to use ideas but still understand your own user’s needs

• Focus on good user interactions

to be successful: communicate

put yourself out there

• Communication is key

• Tell the world

• No more projects ‘under the radar’

solid communication ideas

• Be creative

• Be consistent

• Be early

• Be often

• listen

vary communication avenues

• Tailor communication to unique audiences

• Continually enforce need for change

• Use multiple channels• Social strategy

• Email campaigns

• In-person sessions (lunch-n-learn) / webinars

• Knowledge centers

• Project status updates

to be successful: educate

learning is a life long endeavor

• Every project comes with new needs and understanding

• Put together a training plan that makes sense

• Train the ‘why’ not just the ‘how’

• Get users involved

solid training ideas

• Create a learning hub

• Community sites /build your grapevine

• Share real lifecase studies

• Just-in-time training

• Technical skills =business skills

to be successful: improve

track, track, track

• Track your successes and failures to improve your next project

• Share your progress

• Publish lessons learned

increased success = increase effort

• After successful roll out of a project, you must continue to improve and refine your adoption practices

• Once expectations have been set, they will be greater next time

not everything is a win

• You will never please everyone

• Sometimes something you try does not work

summary

• Set expectations up front

• Plan your user adoption activities early

• Communicate your project to the world

• Educate

• Improve and refine after each success / failure

questions??

Virgil Carroll, President

High Monkey Consulting

virgil@highmonkey.com

763-201-6040

Blog: http://monkeyblog.highmonkey.com

Twitter: @vcmonkey

SharePoint 2010 vs 2013

• Performed a heuristic usability test on both SharePoint 2010 and 2013 team site OOTB template

• Both end user and administrative tasks

• Shows usability issues and challenges

http://monkeyblog.highmonkey.com

101 SharePoint usability tips

For more usability tips, check out my blog series

• 101 usability tips recorded over 101 days around SharePoint 2010

• Covering design/layout, navigation, content management, forms and more!

http://monkeyblog.highmonkey.com

Mobile: http://www.lowmonkey.com