Why Usability Should Never Come First
And the importance of Front-End Design
May, 2008
David Rondeau, Design Chair
Traci Lepore, Principal Interaction Designer
What are we going to talk about?
Difference between User-Centered Design, Usability, and User Experience
Relationship of “Value” and “Ease of use”
Various types of customer data and how they impact design differently
Understand the benefits of contextual data in a front-end design process
What is user-centered design….
As defined by the field: User-centered design (UCD) can be described as a design philosophy and
process that takes into account the needs, wants, and limitations of an end user of an interface in every stage of development. (Don Norman)
User Centered Design (UCD) is an approach that supports the entire development process with user-centered activities, in order to create applications which are easy to use and are of added value to the intended users. (usability.net)
User-centered design (UCD) is an approach to design that grounds the process in information about the people who will use the product. UCD processes focus on users through the planning, design and development of a product. (UPA)
A design approach in which the emphasis is on the user and through which a high level of usability is achieved. (theusabilitycompany.com)
There’s no agreement on what to really do—what info to gather, when to use it, or how to use it
What is usability….
As defined by the field: After all, usability really just means that making sure that something
works well: that a person of average (or even below average) ability and experience can use the thing - whether it's a Web site, a fighter jet, or a revolving door - for its intended purpose without getting hopelessly frustrated. (Steve Krug, Don't Make Me Think)
Usability is a quality attribute that assesses how easy user interfaces are to use, based on learnability, efficiency, memorability, errors, and satisfaction. (Jakob Nielsen)
Efficiency with which a user can perform required tasks with a product, for example, a website. (www.webindexing.biz/Webbook2Ed/glossary.htm)
Usability is the measure of a product's potential to accomplish the goals of the user. (www.netaonline.org/PD-DigitalGlossary.rtf)
There is no agreement on whether usability is a concept or a methodology
What is User Experience…
The User Experience (UX) encompasses all aspects of the end-user's interaction with a company, its services, and its products. It aims to achieve a positive perception through customers who are satisfied entering into, during and after interactions. (Peter Boersma)
This also means that users experience everything: Visual design Information architecture Interaction design Copy & technical writing Customer relationship management Environment Colors moods Smell Touch
All design creates an experience, but what kind of experience do you want?
Audio feedback Visual feedback Trust Show-off effect Usefulness Practicality Coexistence Emotional effect
Achieving the intended “good” UX
Two distinct facets of design can help make the UX a positive one:
The “practical” value or usefulness for the user (UCD) Addresses central aspects of the user’s work or intent It is appropriate, interesting and relevant to the target audience
The ease of use of the design (usability) Users can complete their intended tasks The process for completing tasks is efficient
What does this mean in the context of design?
The relationship between value and ease of use
Hard to use Easy to use
High value
Low value
AcceptableHard to use but highly valuable
DesirableEasy to use and highly valuable
Inconceivable Hard to use and little value
UnsuccessfulEasy to use but little value
We try, but then discard the Unsuccessful
Unsuccessful designs may be easy to use, but they don’t provide much value
Easy to use
Low value
Since we can’t even imagine you’d produce the inconceivable we’ll start here…
3com Audrey
Pets.com
Candle warmer
Left-handed mug
Apple Cube
We live with Acceptable
Even though Acceptable designs can be hard to use, people still use them because they have value
Hard to use
High value
TV remote
Chocolate
Goldmine
Nintendo Wii
We embrace the Desirable
Easy to use
iPod
Desirable designs are what everyone wants and usesHigh value
Inconceivable Hard to use and little value
UnsuccessfulEasy to use but little value
But what does this mean for us?High value
Low value
Hard to use Easy to use•Strive to move in this direction• Increasing usability is easy
•Designs must provide value• Increasing value is more difficult
AcceptableHard to use but highly valuable
DesirableEasy to use and highly valuable
Value trumps usability
How can UCD help deliver desirable?The important principles of UCD:
A clear & first-hand understanding of user work practice and intent Active involvement of user to generate and evaluate designs Integrating user centered design with other development activities
Plan Strategy
Plan Strategy Gather DataGather Data DesignDesign Validate
& Refine
Validate & Refine
Specify & Implement
Specify & Implement EvaluateEvaluate
Strategic Data
Marketing segmentation
Surveys
Stakeholder input
Card sorting
Focus groups
Gathered Data for this project
Competitive/Trend Analysis
Web logs & stats
Heuristics
Journal or diaries
In-home interviews
Creative Stimulation
Brainstorming
Personas
User Scenarios
Storyboards
Design Testing
Fixed state prototype testing
Rollout & Functional Specs
Rollout plan (in phases)
Use cases
1st release specs
Bugs & Technical Info
Feasibility Study
QA testing
Usability Measurement
Usability testing
Questionnaires
How do they impact design?
Steps in the typical process and data gathering methodologies
We use data to generate a design
Gathered DataCompetitive/Trend AnalysisWeb logs & statisticsHeuristics Journals or DiariesIn-home Interviews
ImpactsFeatures, functionality and “under the hood” technology
But it doesn’t tell you the value of features and functionality or “why” they are valuableG
athe
r D
ata
Creative StimulationBrainstormingPersonasUser ScenariosStoryboards
ImpactsUser characterization helps drive buy-in within the organization
But it doesn’t move you from data to actual design
And producing a design
Des
ign
ImpactsBusiness direction and focus
But doesn’t tell you what to design, how people would use it, or the context of use
By gathering requirements
Pla
n S
trat
egy Strategic Data
Marketing segmentationSurveysStakeholder inputCard sortingFocus groups
Design TestingFixed state (med to high fidelity) prototype testing
ImpactsActual user interaction and informal usability
But it doesn’t let you validate structure and high level concept
We use data to refine the implemented design
By iterating and improving
But all this data doesn’t assure us the design has value
Val
idat
e &
Ref
ine
Rollout & Functional SpecsRollout plan (in phases)Use Cases1st release specs
Bugs & Technical InfoFeasibility StudyQA testing
ImpactsTechnical implementation
But it doesn’t tell us if this technology supports the work practice
Spe
cify
& I
mpl
emen
t
Usability MeasurementUsability TestingQuestionnaires
ImpactsEase of use
But it doesn’t affect the valueEva
luat
e
What’s missing from these processes?
Actionable data that will drive new directions for the business and new design concepts Methods to support collecting & interpreting of
contextual customer data Validating that the concepts provide larger
value beyond the specific work practice Including users in the validation & iterative
refinement
How do we do this?
Contextual customer data gathering methods
Strategic DataFocus Setting
Pla
n S
trat
egy
ImpactsClear and shared focus
Understanding the business concerns and value proposition
Customer DataEthnographic Interviews
Ga
the
r D
ata
ImpactsUnderstanding the work practice and user intents
Finding out the “why” and “how”
Creative StimulationData modeling – Affinity Diagrams, Sequences, Flows (a consolidated picture)
ImpactsCreate big picture of issues, needs, and wants of the users
Produces design concepts and business directions to move towards to support the user population
Des
ign
Concept TestingParticipatory (low to med fidelity) paper prototype testing
Fixed state (med to high fidelity) prototype testing
ImpactsValue, actual user interaction, informal usability, and conceptual visual or industrial design
Concepts will get validated before implementation
Val
idat
e &
Ref
ine
These methods allow us to do “generative front-end design”
Prioritization for rollout and usability testing are important to ensure a high quality UX for an implemented design
Implement & Improve
Generative design is dynamic & iterative – it produces, validates, and refines the concept to a design prior to implementation & ensures intended UX
Producing a Concept
Crucial for driving new concepts and business directions
Gathering RequirementsAt any point you can always go back and gather more data if needed
These 2 steps don’t gather the same kind of data
Working in a generative process
PlanStrategy
Gather Data
Validate & Refine
Specify & Implement
To generate new concepts you have to start here
If you start here you can only drive ease of use, and not generative, valuable design
Without these 2 steps you can’t generate and validate new concepts
These 2 steps don’t impact design inthe same way
Evaluate
Concept Design
This isn’t the right kind of data to drive new concepts
Implement & Improve
Producing a Concept
Gathering Requirements
Working in a generative process
PlanStrategy
Gather Data
Validate & Refine
Specify & Implement
Evaluate
Concept Design
Generative Front End Design gathers the data that produces concepts which drive value
Following up with Usability ensures the best implementation of the concepts and UX
Analog.com
Design Problem: Redesign the site to ensure engineers can easily find the products and information they need to make purchasing decisions
Analog.com - customer data
Customer data gathered Focus Setting Contextual inquiry interviews
Affinity Diagram Flow Model Sequence Model
Paper prototype testing Online prototype testing
Site structure and organization I don't know everything that is on the site
I didn't know about the product lists that show all products Now that I know its here, I will use the site more I didn't know about design resources
I don't know where you put the information It’s not clear to me where I should look for the information I need I don't know how or where to find a product If I don't see a part in the selection guide, I assume it doesn't exist I don't know where to find application notes
Categories need to make sense to the engineers Categorizing products by application doesn't work for me The product category tree reflects organizational structure, which doesn't
help me I am using a product in a new or different way so its harder to find
information The site structure gets in my way
I can't find things in the collapsed menus I can't find things as information is nested too deeply I don't understand your terminology
Finding and Searching Searches are confusing and don't usually give the results that I
am looking for I need to find parts easily without having to go through the search I get different results depending on where I start I am confused by the different kinds of searches on websites When search results don't give me info I need, I use alternative ways
(navigation) Search results don't often give me what I need I don't find what I need in the first attempt
U01-31 There is also a product A-Z index that bypasses the organizational structure and lists all products alphabetically. But he didn't notice it.U01-31 There is also a product A-Z index that bypasses the organizational structure and lists all products alphabetically. But he didn't notice it.
U10-794 He likes the master product list because he can see all the parts - but he had never seen it before shown by the interviewerU10-794 He likes the master product list because he can see all the parts - but he had never seen it before shown by the interviewer
Analog.com
Solution: Raise information to the top of the
site to expose the content and support functions
Provide clear navigation to deeper levels of content
Product page that provided all the critical information engineers needed
Results: Increased customer satisfaction Ranked first in industry reviews and
independent studies Time on call lines reduced 30-40% Tool usage went from 10-15,000
views per months to 100,000 Users were still happy with the site
3 years later
Whew…we talked about a lot
There is a clear distinction between UCD, Usability, and how they are related to creating a good UX
Increasing value has more customer impact than increasing usability
To provide value you need to generate new concepts Contextual customer data helps drive generative front-
end design Remembering that all customer data is not equal; each type
has its purpose And if you do all this you will also drive
Business value: it supports the business goals Practical value: it can be delivered by the organization Technical value: it is technically feasible
Why front end design is important
If a UCD process is going to deliver value it needs to be at the front-end
Gathering requirements using contextual data will drive new business directions and concepts
Producing design concepts with contextual data and continued user participation will validate value
Usability will provide the most benefit when it follows generative front-end design
Evaluating usability of implemented designs ensures the highest quality implementation that will deliver a good UX
We developed the industry-leading customer-centered design process
Our clients are industry leaders – including other design firms
Our experience spans a wide range of work practices, industries and technologies
We have a proven track record creating solutions for the people who use them
“The only method I have seen that really tells you how to go out and collect customer data, and then what to do about it.” - Don Norman
“The only generative method in the field” -Ben Shneiderman
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