rethinking ux research - design4drupal 2014 keynote presentation
DESCRIPTION
How do you really know what your users want? How do you ensure your designs work for your prospects and customers? How can you be confident that your design changes improve your site? There are those that believe that user research must be a complex and scientific process that takes a lot of time, money, and resources. However, in the real world, most designers and developers don't have the luxury to spend weeks and months on their user research. It's possible to get useful results without the time-consuming expense of traditional user research methods. In this presentation, Christine Perfetti will share proven strategies and techniques for successfully integrating UX research into your process. You'll learn how to answer essential design questions using methods that take only a day—and sometimes only 10 minutes!TRANSCRIPT
Rethinking UX ResearchBest Practices for Evaluating and Improving Your Web Sites
@cperfetti
Why UX research?
Doug Dietz
Principal Designer, GE Healthcare
What prevents your team from running UX research studies?
Not enough time
Not enough staffSlows the team down
Little buy-in from management
Unsure where to start
Too scientific
Unsure where to find users
MAKE A BUSINESS IMPACT
Involve stakeholders at the beginning
It’s about quality, not quantity
Your choice of research project matters
Identify a champion
Focus on quick wins
Review the web analytics
Data sources
• Visitor traffic and server logs• Conversion funnels• Search engine logs
800,000 of Microsoft’s pages have never been loaded from the server
Web analytics are a great starting point
Web analytics highlight potential problem areas
Tell us what is happening on the site
Don’t tell us why users behave in a certain way
Web analytics have limitations
Balance quantitative with qualitative research
IMPROVE DESIGNS
A usability test involves putting your users in front of your product and
observing what they do
Usability tests can be done anywhere
Running a test session
• Greet the user• Explain to user how the test will work• Give the users tasks to complete• General Q&A• Debrief with observers
Look for indicators of user failure
Back button
Pogosticking
Search
FAQs
Tests can be fast
5 Second Tests: Quick technique for measuring web site content pages
• Takes less than 10 minutes to run• Measures if content pages quickly communicate their purpose
Sharing your pictures online
• You want to post pictures online from your last vacation
• You are concerned that the upload process will be difficult
• How confident are you that you can easily and quickly upload photos?
Sharing your pictures online
• You want to post pictures online from your last vacation
• You are concerned that the upload process will be difficult
• How confident are you that you can easily and quickly upload photos?
Sharing your pictures online
• You want to post pictures online from your last vacation
• You are concerned that the upload process will be difficult
• How confident are you that you can easily and quickly upload photos?
BUILD EMPATHY
Start with the problem, not the solution
Ethnography
It’s lean: Fast, cheap, and informal
• You are the apprentice• Focus on the person• Focus on the present and past• Avoid leading questions• Ask open-ended questions
Ethnography tips
LEARN QUICKLY
“We’re building a what with what?”Heather O’Neill, Above the Fold
http://www.abovethefolddesign.com/blog/2010/08/24/from-paper-to-prototype/
ENCOURAGE COLLABORATION
WHAT IS THE END GOAL?
Can we come back tomorrow?
• Pick a project that makes an impact
• Start small
• Conduct quick tests
• Involve the entire team
• Start today!
Remember to ...
THANK YOU!