The Frontier of User Experience

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posted:: 10/12/2009
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The Frontier of User Experience Jeffrey Veen Long Live Webmonkey! Lovejoy’s, 6pm (6th & Neches) Hi, I'm remodeling my kitchen and buying new appliances. While researching my decisions, I visited your site to see how your refrigerators compared to other manufactures. One of the most important factors in my decision is the amount of energy the product uses -- but I couldn't find this information listed on your site anywhere. Am I not looking in the right place? -jeff Dear Jeff, Thank you for visiting the Maytag Home Page. We welcome the opportunity to assist you. Please forward your model number and we can send the energy rating for the model. Eric Maytag Customer Service Eric, I think you may be misunderstanding my query. I'm interested in buying a new refrigerator. One of my key decisionmaking points is the energy rating of the product. I'd like to be able to see the rating of all of your models on their respective product description pages. -jeff Dear Jeff, Unfortunately, the energy ratings are not listed on the web page. Sorry for the inconvenience. Jennifer Maytag Customer Service Jennifer, Right. I realize that. That's why I mentioned it. It's a pretty crucial decision-making point for a lot of people (including me). You should consider having your Web team add it to the standard product page. -jeff Dear Jeff, Thank you for your comments regarding the Maytag.com Home Page. In the future, please include the model number of your Maytag appliance so that we may assist you more efficiently. Scott Maytag Customer Service Feasibility Viability Desirability Good design means following rules! My rules! Top Ten “Guidelines” for Homepage Usability Following are ten things you can do to “increase the usability” of your homepage and thus “enhance” your website's “business value.” 1. Include a One-Sentence Tagline 2. Write a Window Title with Good Visibility in Search Engines and Bookmark Lists 3. Group all Corporate Information in One Distinct Area 4. Emphasize the Site's Top HighPriority Tasks 5. Include a Search Input Box 6. Show Examples of Real Site Content 7. Begin Link Names with the Most Important Keyword 8. Offer Easy Access to Recent Homepage Features 9. Don't Over-Format Critical Content, Such as Navigation Areas 10. Use Meaningful Graphics Jakob Nielson Alertbox, May 12, 2002 http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20020512.html So, I can’t just follow the rules? ‘Obeying rules without an understanding of the reasons behind them creates an approximation of competence which leaves one vulnerable to the exceptions.’ Sea Kayaker's Deep Trouble A Different Perspective We have only experienced the point on the tip of the iceberg The Web may have best practices for design, but it is too early to depend on them exclusively There is no “One True Way” or “Four-Step Process” • Sell more stuff • Make more proﬁt • Increase brand awareness company.com • Get errands done • Find best price • Feel special Deﬁning User Centered Design To develop an experience based on the patterns inherent in your stuff that empowers users to accomplish their goals. It’s how we get a pile of stuff... ...into a structured experience. This includes labeling... Squares Squares Triangles Triangles Circles Circles ...and navigation systems... ...that are intuitive to users. Squares Triangles Circles Ah Ha! But! Not all users have the same goals. Shapes! Colors! So, good design lets many users... ...access lots of content... ...in many ways. But this isn’t always as easy as it sounds... However, classiﬁcations differ… What do you call this? Is it Coke? Pop? Soda? http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~almccon/pop_soda/ “Coke” “Pop” “Soda” But wait! There’s more... ﬁzz fris phosphate bubble-water lolly-water Tingle Fizz Fuzz mixer sweet drink tonic sodie cocola soder dopes Design faces global issues... Colors? Colours? ¿De Colores? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Design faces accessibility issues... Colors ??? Design suffers from jargon... Shapes WebBeanstm ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? This is often driven by marketing... ...or internal jargon creeps in. Design suffers from politics... ??? Excellent! User CEO Customers used to interact directly with departments... Big Corp A B C D E But that doesn’t translate to the Web at all... Big Corp A B C D E ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Design must also be extensible... !?! We don’t even know what else they’re doing… !!! Successful design comes from two approaches... Top-down • Interview/observe users • Develop mental models • Derive site’s main areas Bottom-up • Inventory what you have • Develop a content model • Apply librarianship Surface architecture comes from Mental Model The Two Parts of IA, Diagrammed Deep architecture comes from the Content Model How do we help our users? Does this change how we do design? How an audience thinks about and approaches tasks and goals... …separate from a Web experience What is a Mental Model? Fill coffee maker with water Go to cafe for beans Measure and scoop grounds Find clean mug Clean out ﬁlter Wipe up counter Take ﬁrst glorious sip Grind beans Wait impatiently What Does a Mental Model Look Like? Research the Needs Research the Products Set Requirements Set Feature Requirements Get Input from People within Company Research Corporate Needs Understand Existing Process Determine the ROI Solicit EndUser Input for Features Get Buy-In from Key Players Get Buy-In from IT Department Set Report Requirements Set Data Storage Requirements Set Security Requirements Find Out High-Level Information Set Technology Requirements Explore WebBased Solutions Explore Wireless Solutions Read Vendor Marketing Materials Distrust Marketing Material Attend Conferences Find Out What Other People Say Get Input from Other Customers Get Proposals Write Requests for Proposals Find Vendors Refine Requirements Refine Requirements Based on Research Set Integration Requirements Find Vendors Read Proposals Read Reviews Yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak kak yak yak yak.... Yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak kak yak yak yak.... Yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak yak kak yak yak yak.... Ah Ha! Walls of Stickies The Mental Model and Content Map What a Mental Model Looks Like Individual Tasks Research the Needs Research the Products Set Requirements Set Feature Requirements Get Input from People within Company Research Corporate Needs Understand Existing Process Determine the ROI Solicit EndUser Input for Features Get Buy-In from Key Players Get Buy-In from IT Department Set Report Requirements Set Data Storage Requirements Set Security Requirements Find Out High-Level Information Set Technology Requirements Explore WebBased Solutions Explore Wireless Solutions Read Vendor Marketing Materials Distrust Marketing Material Attend Conferences Find Out What Other People Say Get Input from Other Customers Get Proposals Write Requests for Proposals Find Vendors Refine Requirements Refine Requirements Based on Research Set Integration Requirements Find Vendors Read Proposals Read Reviews The individual tasks that people perform when attempting to achieve a larger goal What a Mental Model Looks Like Task Groups Research the Needs Research the Products Set Requirements Set Feature Requirements Get Input from People within Company Research Corporate Needs Understand Existing Process Determine the ROI Solicit EndUser Input for Features Get Buy-In from Key Players Get Buy-In from IT Department Set Report Requirements Set Data Storage Requirements Set Security Requirements Find Out High-Level Information Set Technology Requirements Explore WebBased Solutions Explore Wireless Solutions Read Vendor Marketing Materials Distrust Marketing Material Attend Conferences Find Out What Other People Say Get Input from Other Customers Get Proposals Write Requests for Proposals Find Vendors Refine Requirements Refine Requirements Based on Research Set Integration Requirements Find Vendors Read Proposals Read Reviews Tasks for the same goal grouped together What a Mental Model Looks Like Goal Collection Research the Needs Research the Products Set Requirements Set Feature Requirements Get Input from People within Company Research Corporate Needs Understand Existing Process Determine the ROI Solicit EndUser Input for Features Get Buy-In from Key Players Get Buy-In from IT Department Set Report Requirements Set Data Storage Requirements Set Security Requirements Find Out High-Level Information Set Technology Requirements Explore WebBased Solutions Explore Wireless Solutions Read Vendor Marketing Materials Distrust Marketing Material Attend Conferences Find Out What Other People Say Get Input from Other Customers Get Proposals Write Requests for Proposals Find Vendors Refine Requirements Refine Requirements Based on Research Set Integration Requirements Find Vendors Read Proposals Read Reviews The set of goals which together form a complete activity Faucet Facet Finder Innovation in Classiﬁcation The Mental Model and Content Map