users, experience, and beyond

Users, experiences, and beyond

Eric Reiss@elreiss

UxPA IsraelDecember 15, 2013

Tel Aviv, Israel

I would like to share:� a model that helps us understand needs and

responses� a practical definition of user experience� a tool to help identify, quantify, and prioritise key

UX touchpoints

us·ernoun

1: a person who makes use of a thing;someone who uses or employs something

2: a person who uses something or someone selfishly or unethically

3: a person who takes drugs

ex·per·i·ence noun

1: having been affected by or learnedthrough observation or participation

2: the length of such participation

Eric’s 1st Law of UX:

If a site does not solve youruser’s problems, it will notsolve your company’s either.

So, let’s start with the user

When would you use (simultaneously):� An ergonomic seat designed for one person� Optical lenses invented by Benjamin Franklin� Alcoholic mixture invented by Dr. Iain Marshall � Incandescent device invented by Thomas Edison� Fabric made on a loom invented by JM Jacquard� Rouge Royale (marble)� Baskerville Light (typography)� Domesticated mammal

(This is often how our clients look at their content)

When would you use (in simpler terms):� Armchair� Bifocal eyeglasses� Manhattan Cocktail� Lightbulb� Wool pullover� Tabletop� Book� Cat

(This is an easier way to look at content)

Eyeglasses

Wool pullover

Lightbulb

Marble tabletop

Armchair

Book

Gus the Cat

Manhattan Cocktail

Sensory assistance

Warmth/comfort

Sensory assistance

Convenience/comfort

Convenience/comfort

Education/information

Companionship

Chemical stimuli

Needs are always situational !

What are the needs of your users?

Historically, we looked at physical needs...

Henry Dreyfuss

“Rys ergonomji czyli nauki opracy,opartej na prawdach Poczerpniętych z Nauki Przyrody”

“The Outline of Ergonomics,i.e. Science of Work,Based on the TruthsTaken from the Natural Science”

1857

Wojciech Jastrzębowski

Henry DreyfussWojciech JastrzębowskiAlphonse Bertillon

Henry Dreyfuss “Joe”

These measurements helpeddesign everything in the photo

(well, not Gus the Cat)

“Cognitive ergonomics”“Neuroergonomics”

This is NOT just about improving well-being and system performance

Copyright could not be traced. Used for educational purposes only.

A thought...

If ergonomics, anthropometrics, and human factors deal with physical requirements, is it

possible to map similar requirements for cognitive

functions?

The Ergonomics of Need

“Moving from three dimensions to five”

Leisurely

Origin

Environment

Schedule

Expectation

AttitudePositive

Positive

Relaxed

Personal

Negative

Negative

Urgent

Stressful

External

Everything starts in neutral

� a�

�

�

� OriginEnvironmentSchedule

ExpectationAttitude

The ergonomics of need - AESEO

Leisurely

Origin

Environment

Schedule

Expectation

AttitudePositive

Positive

Relaxed

Personal

Negative

Negative

Urgent

Stressful

External

Planning a personal vacation

Leisurely

Origin

Environment

Schedule

Expectation

AttitudePositive

Positive

Relaxed

Personal

Negative

Negative

Urgent

Stressful

External

Need help with taxes

Leisurely

Origin

Environment

Schedule

Expectation

AttitudePositive

Positive

Relaxed

Personal

Negative

Negative

Urgent

Stressful

External

Planning the boss’ vacation

An introduction to experience design

ex·per·i·ence noun

1: having been affected by or learnedthrough observation or participation

2: the length of such participation

Eric’s 2nd Law of UX:

User experience is the sum ofa series of interactions betweenpeople, devices, and events.

Eric’s 3rd Law of UX:

There are three types of interaction:active, passive and secondary

Eric’s 4th Law of UX:

UX design represents the consciousact of coordinating interactions,acknowledging interactions, andreducing negative interactions.

Three types of interaction:� Active (things we control)� Passive (things we don’t control)� Secondary (things that have indirect influence)

Active interaction

Photo courtesy of: musthavemenus.com

Active interaction

Copyright could not be traced. Used for educational purposes only.

Passive interaction (partly)

Photo courtesy of: johnmariani.com

Passive interaction

Photo by Massimiliano Uccelletti, photonet.com

Secondary interaction

Photo courtesy of: koit.radiotown.com

Secondary interaction

Photo courtesy of: tomatolover.com

UX design combines all three activites

� Coordinating interactions that we can control� Acknowledging interactions beyond our control� Reducing negative interactions

Coordinating interactions

Photos courtesy of: Brooklyn Public Library, shipwrightsarms.com.au

Coordinating interactions

Photo courtesy of: capetownwineblog.com

Coordinating interactions

Photo courtesy of: Rootology under Wikipedia Commons License

Acknowledging interactions

Photo courtesy of: TinyFarmBlog.com

Reducing negative interactions

Photo courtesty of: kenlevine.blogspot.com

Reducing negative interactions

Photo courtesy of: marchedimanche.typepad.com

Reducing negative interactions

Photo courtesy of Andrew Sullivan

Mapping and evaluating

Source: boxesandarrows.com / Indie Young

Mental model

Step 1: research� Contextual enquiry� Interviews� Focus groups� Surveys and feedback forms� Personal observation

Step 2: prepare a scenario (X-log)� Write down all possible touchpoints

� Use file cards or stickies

� Arrange them so they create a linear flow� Tell the story to a colleague (without manus)

� This will show you where you need to fix the story

Step 3: write scenario (X-log)My family (my wife, myself, and our two kids) decided to go to the movies. We checked the internet and found the website for our local cinema complex after a quick search on Google. But we had to click three times to get to the program page and wait through a silly animated ad for a movie that hadn’t even been released yet. Worse still, we were forced to download a pdf to find out the specific movie names and playing times. And after all that, we couldn’t even order tickets online, much less purchase them, so we couldn’t avoid waiting in line when we arrived. You’d think a big four-screen complex would have a more sophisticated website. But we did find out what was showing, decided to see the latest Harry Potter movie, and piled into the car.

Finding a parking place was easy. The theater has a big lot, which is important since driving to this particular theater is really our only option. Just as we were leaving the car, it really started to rain, but happily, the entrance wasn’t far away.

There were three ticket windows open, so the lines were short. The girl behind the counter was noisily chewing gum and barely looked up during the entire transaction. In fact, she didn’t say a single word to me except to ask for the money. Wow, prices have really increased this past year. I was surprised at how expensive it was.

The lobby was inviting and quite clean. We bought popcorn and soda at the concession and found our way to our particular auditorium. It was easy to spot the signs pointing the way. As we approached, we noticed overflowing trashcans with popcorn and other garbage from previous audiences.

The seats were well-marked and easy to find. The seating was comfortable but there was old popcorn underfoot. The temperature in the room was pleasant, although all of the wet people made it get a little steamy. The sound was great and really enhanced the special effects, so we really enjoyed the movie. When we left, there was a nice usher, who opened the exits and wished us a pleasant evening as we went out. And it had stopped raining. A nice end to a nice family outing.

Step 4: scenario markupMy family (my wife, myself, and our two kids) decided to go to the movies. We checked the internet and found the website for our local cinema complex after a quick search on Google. But we had to click three times to get to the program page and wait through a silly animated ad for a movie that hadn’t even been released yet. Worse still, we were forced to download a pdf to find out the specific movie names and playing times. And after all that, we couldn’t even order tickets online, much less purchase them, so we couldn’t avoid waiting in line when we arrived. You’d think a big four-screen complex would have a more sophisticated website. But we did find out what was showing, decided to see the latest Harry Potter movie, and piled into the car.

Finding a parking place was easy. The theater has a big lot, which is important since driving to this particular theater is really our only option. Just as we were leaving the car, it really started to rain, but happily, the entrance wasn’t far away.

There were three ticket windows open, so the lines were short. The girl behind the counter was noisily chewing gum and barely looked up during the entire transaction. In fact, she didn’t say a single word to me except to ask for the money. Wow, prices have really increased this past year. I was surprised at how expensive it was.

The lobby was inviting and quite clean. We bought popcorn and soda at the concession and found our way to our particular auditorium. It was easy to spot the signs pointing the way. As we approached, we noticed overflowing trashcans with popcorn and other garbage from previous audiences.

The seats were well-marked and easy to find. The seating was comfortable but there was old popcorn underfoot. The temperature in the room was pleasant, although all of the wet people made it get a little steamy. The sound was great and really enhanced the special effects, so we really enjoyed the movie. When we left, there was a nice usher, who opened the exits and wished us a pleasant evening as we went out. And it had stopped raining. A nice end to a nice family outing.

12 34 5

5a

6 78

9

1011 12

13

14 1516 17

18

19 2021 22

23 24 252526 26a

Step 5: touchpoint identification1. Find website on internet2. Click three times to find relevant page on site3. Reaction to irrelevant animation4. Find schedule (download PDF)5. Reaction to lack of purchasing options5a. Opinion of website6. Park car7. Reaction to parking lot8. Reaction to rain9. Reaction to proximity of parking to entrance10. Reaction to short line11. Reaction to rude ticketseller12. Buy tickets13. Reaction to ticket prices14. Reaction to lobby15. Buy popcorn and soda16. Find auditorium17. React to overfilled trashcans18. Find seats19. Reaction to seats20. Reaction to popcorn on floor21. Reaction to temperature22. Reaction to steaminess23. Reaction to sound24. Reaction to movie25. Reaction to nice usher26. Reaction to dry weather26a. Opinion of evening

Note that opinions are not really interactions, hence we have 5a and 26a.

Step 6: quantitative evaluation1. Mark each individual interaction – the touchpoints2. Assign a value from 1 to 3 to each touchpoint in relation to its contribution to

the overall experience3. Grade the experience on a scale from -3 to +3

+3 = fantastic+2 = good+1 = better than expected

0 = no effect on the ultimate user experience (interaction to be ignored?)-1 = poor-2 = awful-3 = mission critical

4. Multiply the value by the grade to get a score (this is the really useful number)

5. Note any events that are recurring, unique, or may be influenced by chronology (cause and effect relationships).

Snapshot Value Grade Score Repeat Unique Chrono

Re. to steaminess 1 -1 -1 ? Y Y

Step 6: quantitative evaluation

Step 6: some tips� Do this with your clients

� It lets them participate actively� It helps start a useful dialogue

� You can do this with a group, too� It’s a good workshop task� Try to remain neutral. Guide, don’t dictate.

� Refer back to the Ergonomics of Need if you are uncertain as to the Value rating to give something

Step 6a: quantitative evaluation

Website Rude behaviour

Cleaning/climate

Step 7: analysis� Lack of online purchasing options is a key issue.� Website has serious problems in general.� Touchpoints 11, 15, and 25 suggest that additional

emphasis should be placed on customer-service training for front-line personnel.

� Touchpoints 17 and 20 illustrate that cleaning is a problem.

� Touchpoints 22 revealed that the climate-control system was out of whack, which proved to be an easy repair.

Or the quick-and -dirty method...

So in summary…� Understand the Ergonomics of Need for key

scenarios� Consider “user experience” as the sum of a

series of interactions� Write and chart a scenario to identify, quantify,

and prioritise key interactions (touchpoints)� Go out and make the world a better place

שלום

Eric Reiss can (usually) be found at:

The FatDUX Group ApSStrandøre 152100 CopenhagenDenmark

Office: (+45) 39 29 67 77Mobil: (+45) 20 12 88 44Twitter: @elreissinfo@fatdux.comwww.fatdux.com