1. The RTFM of
User Experience
@uxrick
@500startups Apr/13/12

2. Cast
Thanks to Braden Kowitz for smiley graphics

3. Cast
Product/Biz
Thanks to Braden Kowitz for smiley graphics

4. Cast
Product/Biz
Eng
Thanks to Braden Kowitz for smiley graphics

5. Cast
Product/Biz UX
Eng
Thanks to Braden Kowitz for smiley graphics

6. Cast
Product/Biz UX
User
Eng
Thanks to Braden Kowitz for smiley graphics

7. Think Usability?
Intro to Intro to
(Speaker/ How to Lean UX Task
generative Personas Intersect What are methods? Analysis?
Lecture) interviewing Distinguish
& POVs
Brainstorm
you building
btw needs w/ Biz & Analytics
Distro in next week
& insights Agile?
& next 3 mo?
User Customer/ Solution
Needs Uses Features Prototype Story/ Test
Empathy Problem Ideation Release
Definition
Make
Make persona
(Method/ Practice with of target user(s) Framing Wireframes
Mock
Activity) partner Brainstorm dashboard
POV madlib
Practice Ecosystem & Storyboard
Sketches
synthesizing Distribution Flows
empathy map map How to test
conversion
Refine survey Compare personas Prioritize How to events?
questions created by diff based on tech/ test? Test with real
team members biz/distro users &
Check Product
Design Guild
What are How to
(Method/ riskiest How to
test?
Activity) Show partner test?
hypotheses?
map
Interview
real users?
Thurs Fri Sat

8. Think Usability?
Intro to Intro to
(Speaker/ How to Lean UX Task
generative Personas Intersect What are methods? Analysis?
Lecture) interviewing Distinguish
& POVs
Brainstorm
you building
btw needs w/ Biz & Analytics
Distro in next week
& insights Agile?
& next 3 mo?
User Customer/ Solution
Needs Uses Features Prototype Story/ Test
Empathy Problem Ideation Release
Definition
What do our
Make users want?
Make persona
(Method/ Practice with of target user(s) Framing Wireframes
Mock
Activity) partner Brainstorm dashboard
POV madlib
Practice Ecosystem & Storyboard
Sketches
synthesizing Distribution Flows
empathy map map How to test
conversion
Refine survey Compare personas Prioritize How to events?
questions created by diff based on tech/ test? Test with real
team members biz/distro users &
Check Product
Design Guild
What are How to
(Method/ riskiest How to
test?
Activity) Show partner test?
hypotheses?
map
Interview
real users?
Thurs Fri Sat

9. http://www.all-tribes.com/eng/catalog/rtfm-vol2-girls-mastic-p-51.html

10. How do I build a
video conferencing
site with MS Office?
http://www.all-tribes.com/eng/catalog/rtfm-vol2-girls-mastic-p-51.html

11. How do I build a RTFM!
video conferencing
site with MS Office?
Read The Fantastic(?) Manual
http://www.all-tribes.com/eng/catalog/rtfm-vol2-girls-mastic-p-51.html

12. What do our
users want?
Pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/victoriapeckham/164175205

13. What do our
TTYFU!
users want?
Pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/victoriapeckham/164175205

14. What do our
TTYFU!
users want?
Talk To Your Fantastic(?) Users
Pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/victoriapeckham/164175205

15. Lean Research Tips
H ow t o TTY FU i n
the real world

16. 1. WHICH
METHOD?

17. “Launch and Show to Enrique
Ask Dave see”
usertesting.com Show to
Demo at cognitive walkthrough David Pogue
SXSW Card sorting
In-person Analytics
expert review Usability testing Friends n’ Family
A/B testing Dogfooding Funnel analysis
remote interviews Contextual interviews
Beta test
click/5sec tests
Focus groups Surveys

18. “Launch and Show to Enrique
Ask Dave
Here’s
see”
a dirty“Launchto
usertesting.com
Show
and
..
Demo at
creCard..sorting Analytics
David Pogue
se t
cognitive walkthrough see”
SXSW
In-person
They all suck*
expert review
A/B testing
Usability testing
Dogfooding
Friends n’ Family
Funnel analysis
remote interviews Contextual interviews
Beta test Show to
Focus groups Surveys Especiallytests one
click/5sec this
David Pogue

19. Solution: Triangulate
multiple methods
Quantitative
Qualitative

20. Solution: Triangulate
multiple methods
Quantitative
Analytics
Interviews for Lea
discovery nU
Qualitative
X!
Usability tests

21. 2. WHEN DO WE
TTOFU?

22. In Theory
Product iterations
Idea $$$

23. In Theory
Product iterations
Idea $$$
Early discovery Usability testing /
research Analytics as you iterate

24. Usability
In Practice Pivot
Idea 2
Idea Pivot $$$
Early discovery
research

25. Usability
In Practice Pivot
Idea 2
StIdeay ag
a ile. Smal
Pivot
l #use$$$ .
rs
Itera te. Keep learning
Early discoverycrementally.
in
research

26. 3. WHO DO WE
TALK TO?

27. Every human
interaction is a
research
opportunity
Candidates = Superset of:
Target users, friends, Enrique, your home
neighbours, your office neighbours, significant
others, new person on team, advisors, old
college friends, that cute girl/guy on bus, ...

28. 4. WHO GETS TO
TALK WITH
USERS?

29. Everyone in the
team
Even the backend
database guy ...

30. 5. HOW DO I
TALK WITH
USERS?

31. Golden Rule 1
• Participant should do 90% of the
talking
Blah blah blah
blah blah blah
Blah blah blah
blah blah blah

32. Golden Rule 1
• Participant should do 90% of the
talking
i.e. Shut up
Blah blah blah
blah blah blah
Blah blah blah
blah blah blah

33. Golden Rule 2
• People lie /exaggerate / want to
please
I spend 10
hours a day on sites
like yours

34. Golden Rule 2
• People lie /exaggerate / want to
please
Watch and probe
I spend 10
hours a day on sites
like yours

35. Watch
• Try and situate interview in real live
behavior
• Are they doing what they are saying?
• Watch body language

36. Probe
•Ask why
• Ask for examples
• ... but don’t interrogate!

37. 6. DATA
ANALYSIS IS FUN
Yeah, right ...

38. More Golden Rules
• Take notes / audio / video
• Debrief immediately afterwards
• Extract out key findings (current
behaviour! delights! hates! quotes!
issues! usability issues! bugs!)

39. Track findings
Current Key Action
User
behaviour findings Items
Do competitive
User 1 (Bill Windows 8 user/IE3
Main activities ...
Needs 1 2 3.
Problems (quote)
analysis.
the Buffy fan) Observations ... Delights (quote)
Add features X YZ to
prototype
User 2 (lady
who couldn’t Mac/Firefox 3 Embarrassing Bug Enrique: fix bug
stop laughing)

40. Track findings
Current Key Action
User
behaviour findings Items
Do competitive
User 1 (Bill Windows 8 user/IE3
Main activities ...
Needs 1 2 3.
Problems (quote)
analysis.
the Buffy fan) Observations ... Delights (quote)
Add features X YZ to
prototype
User 2 (lady
Give memorable nicknames
who couldn’t Mac/Firefox 3 Embarrassing Bug Enrique: fix bug
stop laughing)

41. Track findings
Current Key Action
User
behaviour findings Items
Do competitive
User 1 (Bill Windows 8 user/IE3
Main activities ...
Needs 1 2 3.
Problems (quote)
analysis.
the Buffy fan) Observations ... Delights (quote)
Add features X YZ to
prototype
User 2 (lady
What did
who couldn’t
Commodore 64
... Embarrassing Bug Enrique: fix bug
they use?
stop laughing) ...
do? say?

42. Track findings
Current Key Action
User
behaviour findings Items
Do competitive
User 1 (Bill Windows 8 user/IE3
Main activities ...
Needs 1 2 3.
Problems (quote)
analysis.
the Buffy fan) Observations ... Delights (quote)
Add features X YZ to
prototype
User 2 (lady
who couldn’t
analysis.
YourCommodore 64
... Embarrassing Bug Enrique: fix bug
What did you
stop laughing) ...
learn?

43. Track findings
Current Key Action
User
behaviour findings Items
Do competitive
User 1 (Bill Windows 8 user/IE3
Main activities ...
Needs 1 2 3.
Problems (quote)
analysis.
the Buffy fan) Observations ... Delights (quote)
Add features X YZ to
prototype
User 2 (lady Commodore 64
who couldn’t ...
...
Be agile. Act fix bug
Embarrassing Bug
Enrique:
stop laughing)
on findings.

44. Over time
• Users will start to cluster (do they
match your personas?)
• Themes will emerge
• Consistent themes drive product
evolution

45. 7. INTERVIEW
PRACTICE

46. Interview Practice

47. Interview Practice
Let me show you the product!
It uses CSS, Django 1.4 and
node.js v22. What we’re trying to
do here ...

48. Interview Practice
This is my baby.
What do you love
about it?
Imagine how would
use it.

49. Interview Practice
This is my baby. What
annoys you about it?

50. Interview Practice
Weather wafflewaffle
waffle Superbowl waffle
waffle waffle waffle waffle
waffle waffle waffle waffle
waffle waffle waffle
Superbowl ...

51. Interview Practice
Lets do a focus group

52. Interview Practice

53. Interview Practice
I’m super
nervous ... am I
being tested?

54. Interview Practice
What do I do
next?
Should I sign up?
Is this OK?

55. Interview Practice
I HATE IT.
THIS IS &^**(}ED
UP, MAN.

56. Interview Practice
I LOVE THIS. ITS THE
BEST THING EVER

57. Interview Practice
<click>
<click> <done>
<silence>

58. Interview Practice
Weather
wafflewaffle waffle
Superbowl waffle
waffle iPhone

59. Summary
• TTYFU
• Triangulate methods
• Shut up!
• Iterate
• Extract themes -> Learn

60. GO FORTH &
TTYFU!
@uxrick
@500startups Apr/13/12