how to run a live ux lab at a tradeshow

Michele Ide-Smith, User Experience Specialist

A bit about Red Gate

• Tools for database developers, software

developers and database administrators (DBAs)

• Use Agile / Lean Startup methods

• UX team of 15, with senior management

support for UX as a function

• “Ingeniously simple tools”

A typical tradeshow…

Demoing tools, selling to customers…

‚By the time the product is ready to be distributed

widely, it will already have established

customers.‛

The Lean Startup

‚We wanted to make sure we were getting

customer feedback as we worked so that we

were never working on anything that wasn’t

valued by the customer.‛

Nordstrom Innovation Lab: Sunglasses iPad

App Case Study

‚Create meaningful connections – marketing that

customers choose to engage with.‛

The Next Evolution of Marketing: Marketing

with Meaning

Our hypothesis

• Oracle Developers & DBAs need a better way to get

their database schemas into source control

>70% interest – develop a tool a.s.a.p.

Reaching potential customers

• Kscope12, the Oracle Development Tools User Group

(ODTUG) annual conference, June 24 – 28 in Texas

• Attracts mainly devs and DBAs, but also managers

• An opportunity to test our hypothesis, get feedback and

create meaningful connections with customers

9 (mini) sprints, 3 days, 1 prototype

UX feedback area Dev area

25 feedback sessions

Not usability tests!

*

*

Easy to get feedback and quick to change

Paper prototyping

Helped build personas and a talking point!

Empathy Map

People returned to see the feedback we had gathered!

Affinity Mapping

A great way to identify pain points and create scenarios

Sketching processes and workflows

Validation of our survey results

Gathering data on environments

Stand-up meetings

Be prepared to be interrupted

Feedback went directly into the HTML version

The Dev part of the stand

Twitter’s bootstrap is awesome!

HTML prototype

Testing the prototype

On day 3 we tested the HTML version

• Great for feedback on early designs, not usability testing

• Paper prototyping is compelling and ideal for ‘on the fly’

changes during feedback sessions

• If possible have someone doing design and someone

facilitating feedback sessions (I had limited design time)

• Capture participant profile details and relate them to

requirements / feedback gathered

Lessons learned

• Affinity mapping was ideal for on-going analysis

• Keep a note of repeat requirements / issues, to help

prioritise features and design changes

• Hard to record audio / video of feedback sessions –

awkward to ask for consent and very noisy environment

• Hard to keep to scheduled sprints and provide feedback

to developers

Lessons learned

Lessons learned

• The whole team needs to be on board and wear multiple

hats (be prepared to do product demos, interviews etc.)

• A Live Lab is a great way of engaging with customers at a

tradeshow

• The UX team is a powerful marketing asset

• Don’t expect time for coffee breaks!

Questions?

• Lean Startup: http://theleanstartup.com

• Nordstrum Innovation Lab: www.youtube.com/watch?v=szr0ezLyQHY

• The Next Evolution of Marketing: www.marketingwithmeaning.com/the-book/

• Pawson & Greenburg (2009), Extremely Rapid Usability Testing:

www.upassoc.org/upa_publications/jus/2009may/pawson1.html

• Our product page: www.red-gate.com/source-control-for-oracle

• Our blog: www.allthingsoracle.com/red-gate-live-lab-source-control-for-oracle

References