tackling complex web projects

Tackling Complex Web Projects

Museums and the Web 2016Sean O’Shea

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Hello!I’m Sean.@sposhe / @cuberissean@cuberis.com

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UX Design

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Strategy

Advocate for the user throughout all project phases.

Adapt project processand empower internal stakeholders

Building a website* is a complex endeavor.

*or any digital experience4

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1. Lay the Foundation

2. Create Consensus & Momentum

3. Maintain Alignment

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Lay the Foundation— Section 1 of 3 —

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Adopting a Discovery Mindset

Lay the Foundation

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“A problem well stated is a problem half solved.”

Charles Kettering

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We need a better website.

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We need a better website.↑ This is not a problem.

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Parable of the Elephant“Many-sidedness”

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Adopting a Discovery Mindset

Dig deeperDon’t settle for your current understanding

Take three steps backAcknowledge that proximity affects perspective

Tap into and unify perspectivesAlign visions to align momentum

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Setting PreliminaryGoals

Lay the Foundation

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Increase MembershipIncrease Attendance

Reduce Info Calls

WCAG Compliance

Immersive Online Collection

At-a-glance Info

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Setting Preliminary Goals

Create initial North StarsThe first heading for your journey

Don’t set them in stoneContinually reassess throughout the project

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DefiningYour Team

Lay the Foundation

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Defining Your Team

Who is involved?Plot everyone who can or should have influence

Set expectationsMake sure everyone understands their role

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Mapping YourEcosystem

Lay the Foundation

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Mapping Your Ecosystem

Include all touchpointsEvery way your audiences interact with you

Include all integrationsEverywhere your data goes

Look for opportunitiesReuse, new connections, path optimizations

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Create Consensus— Section 2 of 3 —

and Momentum

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SpectrumPolling

Create Consensus and Momentum

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1 2 3 4 5

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1 2 3 4 5

Dog CatEqually Both

Are you a dog person or a cat person?

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Keep users on the site

Get users to quality content

Equally Both

What is our primary goal?

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Keep users on the site

Get users to quality content

Equally Both

What is our primary goal?

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Spectrum Polling

Returns analog feedbackSolicits non-binary data

Equalizes playing fieldQuieter voices don’t get lost

Creates ownershipStakeholders are able to retain control

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Personasand Empathy

Create Consensus and Momentum

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“[Personas enable you to] focus on a manageable and memorable cast of characters.”

Shlomo Goltz, Smashing Magazine45

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Everyone.↑ Not helpful.

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Five Types of Museum Visitors

— John Falk, Identity and the Museum Visitor Experience

Explorers

Facilitators

Experience-Seekers

Professional/Hobbyists

Rechargers

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Personas

Catalysts for empathyTool to get inside head and heart of others

Explore segmentationsReframe how you divide folks up

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CardsortingCreate Consensus and Momentum

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Cardsorting Supplies

Note cards or sticky notes

Sharpies/markers

Personas

Group of internal stakeholders.

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Step 1

Create two columns—wants and needs

Go over your personas

Assign each stakeholder a persona to inhabit

Ask “what content or functionality do you need to see on the site to accomplish your goals”?

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Step 2

Stakeholders create cards, announcing to the group as they do

Stakeholders place cards in what they feel is the appropriate columns

Ask stakeholders to step out of their personas back into themselves

Is there anything missing?

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Step 3

Collectively, stakeholders group similar concepts or families of cards

At the same time, they discuss if cards need to switch columns

Have each explain the content they attributed to their persona

Do others have anything to add?

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Cardsorting

Content brainstorming methodPrioritize and qualify content

Approach from persona and museum POVBe purposeful about switching between them

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Maintain Alignment— Section 3 of 3 —

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Exploring withMood Boards

Maintain Alignment

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— Laura Franz

http://branding.blogs.umassd.edu/2015/02/09/mood-boards/

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Mood Boards

Prototyping for designLow-effort exploration of design directions

Tool for iterationGather feedback, explore more

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SitemapsMaintain Alignment

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The Three Click Rule↑ Forget it.

Sitemaps

Approach from users’ POVCheck your institutional baggage

Be wary of anecdotal evidenceBackup with research

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Lo-Fi PagePrototyping

Maintain Alignment

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Page Prototyping Supplies

Note cards or sticky notes

Sharpies/markers

Personas

Group of internal stakeholders.

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Step 1

Go over your personas

Assign each stakeholder a persona

to inhabit

Ask “what content or functionality

do you need to see on this page to

accomplish your goals”?

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Step 2

Stakeholders create cards,

announcing to the group as they do

Ask stakeholders to step out of

their personas back into

themselves

Is there anything missing?

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Step 3

Prune content that is better suited

to a different location on the site.

If this is the homepage, think of it

as your 30s elevator pitch.

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Step 4

Decide where on the page content

should live.

At the top? Middle? Bottom?

Group content that might coexist.

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Lo-Fi Page Prototyping

Approach from persona and museum POVBe purposeful about switching between them

Remember to pruneNo one page should do all the heavy lifting for your site.

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Project Roadmap

Laying the Foundation

Discovery Mindset

Preliminary Goals

Defining Your Team

Ecosystem Maps

Consensus and Momentum

Spectrum Polling

Personas

Cardsorting

Maintaining Alignment

Mood Boards

Sitemaps

Lofi Page Prototyping

Thanks!

Follow-Up & Feedback@sposhe / @cuberissean@cuberis.comray@cuberis.com

Resources & Slidescuberis.com/mw2016

Special ThanksEmily Lytle-Painter

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