domain research: how to grasp a rocket science of your customer

How to grasp a “rocket science” of your customer

Domain Research

Workshop TasksReadingSignificant ArtifactsMethods and TipsNecessity

I created web templates for TemplateMonster!

Design doesn’t exist invacuum; it always servesa certain goal.

Research

DrawingApproval

Research

Drawing

Re-drawing

Re-re-drawing

…and then you die

I’ve made correctionsin your PSD file…

Butthurt-driven design

Domain factors—Typical users.—Situations of use.—Professional standards.—Industry laws.—Business processes.

Area exampleService of haircuts for pet hamsters.

Need to clarify:who needs this service;when and where people order haircuts for hamsters;if there are rules, laws and professional standards;how this business works?

Answers will help to:build an architecture,choose a platform,use correct vocabulary,select visual language,establish design processes.

Designthat is equallyeffectivefor any domainis impossible.

Domain research methods1. Just google it.2. Industry analysis.3. Stakeholder overview.4. Matter expert interview.5. Card sorting.

Only you know what I want!

Product Manager

Dev Team Lead

Designer

Every significant industryhas its encyclopedia.

Oilfield services encyclopedia

Sustainable growth encyclopedia

USA politics encyclopedia

Search engines oftenshow native economical summaries.

Google shows stock price fluctuation

Financial summary example

Industry-related info:—Economical ratings.—Technological evolution.—Marketing struggle.

Forbes rating example

IT top 100 rating example

History of marketing wars by Quora

Stakeholder features—Involved in production.—Regulating a product.—Managing production.—Owning a product.—Affected by production.—Working with a product.

Stakeholder types—Partners, suppliers. —Legal regulators.—Managers.—Business owners.—Competitors.—End users.

Not me.

I’m just an office cleaner.

Look! A bird!

When you ask who is responsible for a project

Subjects Players

ContextCrowd

Power

Interest

Accountabledecide.

Responsibledo tasks.

Consultedrecommend.

Informedreceive info.

RACI matrix

Example Own BA UX Usr

Business case A R C I

Requirements I R C C

Use case I R C C

Knowledge transfer

Matter ExpertDesigner

Interview artifacts—Expertise request.—Sessions schedule.—Interview agenda.—Meeting notes.—Call recordings.—Feedback.

Know what you wantto learn from an expert.

Does it work so? Is it right?

<Retell in your words>

Who? Why? Where? How?

Do not sayThe documents are sufficient.I’ll draw a mockup first.I have a suitable template.

Consider askingWhat do your clients value?How do you earn money?What niche does your business possess or is going to gain?Why is it significant?What problem should it solve?Who is your typical client?

When you ask a matter expert to tell about his area

Always write fair feedbackon experts you contact.Next time you will receivebetter help.

Taxonomy is the scienceof classification.

Taxon (pl.: taxa) is an itemof classification.

Taxonomy rules—Predication: individualentity is an example of a certain type.—Universally quantifiedconditional: a type is a sub-type of another type.

PredicationDesign is a profession.

Universally quantified conditionalA designer is a human =all designers are humans.

Card sorting is a wayto build and evaluatethe informationarchitecture of a product.

Card sorting benefits—Build the structure.—Define priorities.—Label categories.—Develop navigation.

Open sorting: participants organize topics into groups and name them.

Closed sorting: participants sort topics into pre-defined categories.

Card sorting tips—Up to 40-50 cards.—Provide enough space.—Facilitate carefully.—Encourage to think aloud.—Record results.—Detect patterns.

It’s a trap!

I’ll tell you all the requirements orally.

Artifacts1. Request for proposal.2. Statement of work.3. Solution requirements.4. Terms and definitions.

RFP

SOW

Req

The dullest documentscontain a lot of useful data.

I just want to draw pictures!

SOW RFPRequirements

Designer

RFP statements—Project goal.—Product requirements.—Impartiality principle.—Competition allowed.—Response structure.

RFP questions—Price.—Completion period.—Corporate history.—Financial stability.—Technical capability.—Additional value.

Do not confuse with RFQ

Request for quotation asks only for your company’s costs range.

Do not confuse with RFI

Request for info asks for details about your company before sending RFP.

SOW content—Project purpose—Scope of work—Location of work—Period of performance—Deliverables schedule—Applicable standards

—Special requirements—Payment schedule—Miscellaneous

SOW types—Design and specification—Level of effort—Performance-based

When you haven’t read SOW and RFP

One, two, three, four, five,That’s a fucking life...

Solution requirements

Stakeholder requirements

Business requirements

Solution requirements—Functional—Non-functional

Functional req—Tasks (epics)—Features—Sub-features—User stories

FunctionalUser can select an item

Non-functional req—Usability.—System performance.—Scalability.—Security.—Accessibility.—Capacity.

Non-functionalSelection is clearly visible

#FF00FF

The majority of design concerns are a part of non-functional requirements.

NFR

∞

0 Cos

t, tim

e

Qua

lity

T&D—Industry terms.—Abbreviations.—Measurement units.—Product elements.—Key roles.

Term and definitionReturn on equity (ROE) —the amount of net income returned as a percentage of shareholders equity. ROE shows how much profit a company generates with the money of its shareholders.

Term and definitionLog–log plot —a two-dimensional engineering graph of numerical data that uses logarithmic scales on horizontal and vertical axes.

1—BABOKv3

2—Specification by ExampleGojko Adzic

3—www.usability.gov4—www.expertbusinessanal

yst.com5—www.iiba.org

ReadingWorkshop Tasks

Significant ArtifactsMethods and TipsNecessity

Company:Federal Signal

Project:IoT-based emergency system for offices.

A

Company:Intelligent Actuator

Project:3D premium quality sex doll constructor.

B

Company:Canadian Nuclear Labs

Project:SMR design application.

C

Company:Gibson

Project:Upgrade of Ableton to a collaborative web app

D