In this workshop given for Skillshare, I discuss basic techniques and deliverables to help teams understand their site's users, organize content and visualize task flows.
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User Research for the Web and Applications
1. USER RESEARCH
For the Web and Applications
Dani Nordin :: @danigrrl :: tzk-design.com
2. Dani Nordin
founder, the zen kitchen
• UX Designer and
Strategist
• Specialize in design
strategy, UX and
prototyping for
Drupal projects
• Author, Drupal for
Designers
(O’Reilly, 2011/2012)
Contact
@danigrrl
dani@tzk-design.com
tzk-design.com
3. What happens during the UX phase
• Get an understanding of the site’s target users
• Map out how users will flow through specific key tasks, and
what information needs to be there to support them
• Find out what content exists for the current site, what needs
to be created, and how the content will be organized
• Come up with a set of assumptions and standards that will
govern the project as you move forward
5. User interviews: Why?
• Helps separate stakeholder whims from what actual users
will find relevant
• Includes perspectives from all the various user types
involved in your site:
• End users
• Content admins and moderators
• Marketing team
• Can uncover needs not addressed by current design
• Provides important and real data for personas, task flows
and other project deliverables
6. User interviews: How?
• Define 2-3 main user types
• Set preliminary characteristics based on market research
• Aim to interview 3 users of each type
• Get client’s help in recruiting participants
• Develop questions ahead of time for each type of user
• Record interviews for later transcription/analysis
• Timing: ½ hour for interview, ½ hour for notes, 2-4 hours
for thematic analysis (once interviews are complete)
7. Step 1: Define User Types
• Defined by behaviors they are looking to engage in
• Enthusiast vs. casual browser
• New account vs. existing customer
• What qualities do they share?
• Age, gender, education?
• Level of interest in, or knowledge of, your service?
• Specific goals?
8. Step 2: Create a research plan
• Define a goal for the study: what are you trying to learn?
• Questions should focus on behaviors, not desires:
• How does the participant solve this problem currently?
• What do they like or dislike about their solution?
• What tools do they use to solve this problem?
• How important is solving this problem to them?
• Goal: It’s not about what they want, it’s about how they work.
9. Step 3: Recruit users
• Goal: 2–3 users of each type (minimum)
• Enlist client’s help in recruitment
• Is there a budget to compensate participants?
10. Step 4: Conduct Interviews
• Have a set of questions ready
• Conduct interviews in person or over Skype
• Record interviews
• Take note of key insights, quotes
• Take note of ideas you’ve heard in other interviews
• Timing: ½ hour for interview; ½ hour for notes
20. Content Strategy
• How much content exists?
• Is the content on brand/message?
• Is there any new content that needs to be created?
• What types of content?
• Videos?
• Image Galleries?
• Articles?
• Who creates content?
• Does content have expiration dates or deadlines?
• Is there an approval process for publishing?
21. Information Architecture
• How is content organized?
• What “basic pages” (i.e. marketing pages) exist?
• What pages will involve listings of content (blog posts, news
items, etc.)?
• Are there specific tags, categories, or sections to consider?
• What does each type of content look like?
• Extra fields?
• Images?
• Video or audio?
• File downloads?
22. POST-UPS
A quick and visual way to analyze research findings,
organize content, and solve sticky IA issues
23. Post-Ups: Why?
• Helps quickly identify and prioritize major research themes
• Helps quickly sort out content priorities
• Tools are cheap and easy to move around
• Butcher paper
• Post-its
• Sharpies
• Allows the team to work collaboratively, which is more
efficient than working alone—particularly for complex
navigational structures
24. The Post-Up IA Workshop
• Initial architecture posted up on butcher paper
• Include 4–6 people, all of whom have a stake in the site
(include content admins, not just execs)
• Post architecture on wall
• Each person gets 5 minutes to move things around
• Have them think aloud
• Videotape or record each person’s turn
• Offer help, but avoid criticism or debate during each person’s turn
• Take picture of result after each person finishes
• Finish with discussion and finalization of architecture
• Document result in content strategy documents
28. Results
• Ensured that all voices were heard, not just the executives
• Enabled discussion of pages’ relevance and usefulness
• Identified and prioritized new sections/pages that were
needed, and assigned stakeholders to them
• Accomplished in two hours what would have taken
weeks of back and forth over email