Done a usability study? Ready for the next step? Today we have an abundance of fast, affordable website user research methods, many of which can be done remotely with real users. Learn about available user research options and how IUP runs successful research projects that lead to actionable insights.
18. What We Really Want
• Applicants
• Successful Students
• Academic Research
• Donations
19. Create a Research
Culture
• Do a usability test and invite
stakeholders to watch
• Make research part of every project
• Apply previous research to new projects
• Show results early and often
20. Research Process
1. Frame a Good 5. Run Study and
Question Analyze Results
2. Know What You 6. Take Action
Already Know
7. Measure and Repeat
3. Choose Study Type
4. Find Participants
24. Focusing a Question
How can we • Can students find
decrease information about
attrition? support services?
• Can students find
out what’s
happening on
campus?
26. Focusing a Question
How can we get 1. Can prospectives find
our list of majors?
more/more Our tuition
qualified information?
applicants? 2. Can prospectives
register for a visit?
3. Can prospectives
successfully apply on
line?
35. KPI Spreadsheet
• Focus on the KPIs you've • Include anything
chosen numeric: survey results,
4Q survey, analytics,
• Give specific reports to server logs, etc.
stakeholders who
request them • Create specific analyses
for specific projects
• Track over time without
running multiple tools
40. Include Scenarios
Site Features
Motivation Scenario Used Behaviors
Find the Checks to see •Site Search •Looks for
school if her major “Pre-
with the is available •Undergrad Law”
right pre- Admissions major,
Law Website does not
program find it.
for me •Academics
Link
41. User Personas
• Fiction—but a useful • Helps bring new team
fiction members up to speed
• Puts what you've learned
into a format you can
share with your team
and clients
• If it is wrong, team or
clients will let you know
42. Use these two tools to track
your progress
over time.
55. Pop-up Survey
What You Do: Ask site visitors questions about their
experience on a particular page or the
whole website.
Good For: Capturing user intent; settling
arguments about what belongs where
When To Use: When you have a question to answer,
or all the time
Participants Needed: Calculate your sample size:
http://www.surveysystem.com/
sscalc.htm
56.
57. Pop-up Survey
Tools Available: •4Q Survey
•iPerceptions
•CrowdScience
•Roll your own
Cost: •$0–$10,000+
58.
59. 4Q Survey Questions
1. Based on today's visit, how would you rate your site
experience overall?
2. Which of the following best describes the primary purpose
of your visit?
3. Were you able to complete the purpose of your visit today?
4. Comment
• If yes: What do you value most about the website?
• If no: Please tell us why you were not able to fully
complete the purpose of your visit today
60. “I am always able to “I can never easily
find what I am find what I'm
looking for. The
website is really looking for, if I can
easy to use.” find it at all.”
66. Card Sort
What You Do: Give participants cards with website
topics on them, then ask them to put
them into piles that make sense to
them
Good For: Understanding the mental models of
your users
When To Use: When creating or improving your
information architecture/navigation
Participants Needed: 15 face to face
50 online
74. Action
• Complete restructuring of the Student Life
section of our website
• Move counseling websites out of “Health” and
into “Support”
75. One Subsite,
Before and After
Change between Compared to
Comparison Periods Whole Site
Pageviews 76% 140%
Unique
81% 142%
Pageviews
Bounce Rate -21% 27%
78. Navigation Test
What You Do: Give participants a proposed site
structure/navigation and let users
drill down to find different things.
Good For: Verifying an IA in a more realistic
way (not everything is visible);
finding problem areas
When To Use: To verify a new information
architecture
Participants Needed: 50
85. Layout Test
What You Do: Participants respond to a static image
of your site
Good For: Behavior, Remote, Automated,
Quant.
When To Use: Before building out a new design
Participants Needed: About 50 per test
86. Layout Test
Tools Available: •Paper
•PowerPoint
•Five-Second Usability Test
•Chalkmark
•Usabila
Cost: $40–$600
87. Layout Test
Positive Negative
•Get reactions to real •No interactivity
designs without •Users can be
building out a confused when
whole site doing this remotely
93. The Right Number of
Participants
• Different methods have different requirements
• Plan to recruit more than you need
• But don’t test more than you need
94. The Right Kind of Participants
• Steve Krug: “Recruit loosely and grade on a
curve”
• Good advice, but when possible try to recruit
participants that are more like your users
• For instance: faculty and students see your
website very differently
95. Finding Participants
• People you know • On your website (link
on homepage or pop-
• Students, faculty, and up)
staff at your school
• Local high schools • Recruitment tools
like Ethnio
(talk to a guidance
counselor)
105. Research Process
1. Frame a Good 5. Run Study and
Question Analyze Results
2. Know What You 6. Take Action
Already Know
7. Measure and Repeat
3. Choose Study Type
4. Find Participants