1. Personas and user testing MS3308

4. Strategy Plane 1.Project objective 2.User needs (desires and wants)

5. 2. User Needs Who are the users? Begin usability and user research Segmentation – Demographics – Psychographics Define the user group User profiles Develop personas

6. 2. User Needs Segmentation

7. 2. User Needs Demographics

8. Demographics: – Gender – Age – Education level – Marital status – Income…

9. 2. User Needs Psychographics

10. Psychographics attitudes and perceptions about the world e.g. towards using technology

11. 2. User Needs Personas How To Use Personas In User Experience Design

12. ‘Before embarking on any intranet or website design project, it is important to understand the needs of your users. It is then possible to identify the features and functionality that will make the intranet or website a success, and how the design can support users with different goals and levels of skill. Personas act as stand-ins for real users’ http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_personas/index.html

13. What are personas? ‘Personas are archetypal users of an intranet or website that represent the needs of larger groups of users, in terms of their goals and personal characteristics. They act as ‘stand-ins’ for real users and help guide decisions about functionality and design. Personas identify the user motivations, expectations and goals responsible for driving online behaviour, and bring users to life by giving them names, personalities and often a photo. Although personas are fictitious, they are based on knowledge of real users. Some form of user research is conducted before they are written to ensure they represent end users rather than the opinion of the person writing the personas.’ http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_personas/index.html

14. More information and an example of a persona http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly- resources/web-usability/personas.shtml http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly- resources/web-usability/personas.shtml

15. Personas – some links http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_per sonas/index.html http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_per sonas/index.html http://www.uie.com/articles/successful_perso na_projects http://www.uie.com/articles/successful_perso na_projects

16. They may contain: Photo Name – see p118 Unger Age Location Occupation Biography Optional: personal quote

17. What they do (actions and behaviours) Expectations Goals and motivations (See Saffer p207)

18. User Testing Plan Webcredible Web Usability Guide: http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/white- papers/web-usability-guide.shtml http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/white- papers/web-usability-guide.shtml

19. There are four essential activities in a UCD project: Project stageDescription Requirements gatheringUnderstanding and specifying the context of use Requirements specificationSpecifying the user and organisation requirements DesignProducing designs and prototypes EvaluationCarrying out user-based assessment of the site http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly- resources/white-papers/web-usability-guide.shtml

20. MethodCostOutputSample sizeWhen to use Focus groupsLowNon-statisticalLowReq. gathering Usability testing HighBothLowDesign and evaluation Card sortingHighStatisticalHighDesign Participatory design LowNon-statisticalLowDesign QuestionnairesLowStatisticalHighReq. gathering and evaluation InterviewsHighNon-statisticalLowReq. gathering and evaluation http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly- resources/white-papers/web-usability-guide.shtml

21. Focus Groups What are they?...an invited group of intended/actual users of a site (i.e. participants) to share their thoughts, feelings, attitudes and ideas on a certain subject. When to use …most often used as an input to design. They generally produce non-statistical data and are a good means of getting information about a domain (e.g. what peoples’ tasks involve). Issues …necessary to have an experienced moderator and analyst for a focus group to be effective http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/web- usability/focus-groups.shtml. http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/web- usability/focus-groups.shtml

22. Focus Groups – how to run them http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly- resources/web-usability/focus-groups.shtml http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly- resources/web-usability/focus-groups.shtml

23. Usability Testing What is it? …sessions evaluate a site by collecting data from people as they use it. A person is invited to attend a session in which they’re asked to perform a series of tasks while a moderator takes note of any difficulties they encounter. Users can be asked to follow the think-aloud protocol which asks them to verbalise what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. You can also time users to see how long it takes them to complete tasks, which is a good measure of efficiency (although you should bear in mind that using the ‘think aloud’ protocol will slow users down considerably). Two specialists’ time is normally required per session – 1 to moderate, 1 to note problems. http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/white- papers/web-usability-guide.shtmlhttp://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/white- papers/web-usability-guide.shtml

24. When to use …can be used as an input to design or at the end of a project. …an excellent way finding out what the most likely usability problems with a site are likely to be. …usually generates non-statistical data, although sometimes it can also be used to generate statistical data. Issues Usability testing requires some form of design to be available to test – even if it is only on paper. Testing works best if it focuses either on gathering non-statistical feedback on a design through ‘talk aloud’ or statistical measures. http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/white- papers/web-usability-guide.shtml http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/white- papers/web-usability-guide.shtml

25. Card Sorting What is it? …a method for suggesting intuitive structures/categories. A participant is presented with an unsorted pack of index cards. Each card has a statement written on it that relates to a page of the site. The participant is asked to sort these cards into groups and then to name these groups. The results of multiple individual sorts are then combined and analysed statistically. http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/white- papers/web-usability-guide.shtml http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/white- papers/web-usability-guide.shtml

26. http://www.webcredible.co.uk/search/card+s orting http://www.webcredible.co.uk/search/card+s orting http://www.webcredible.co.uk/services/card- sorting.shtml http://www.webcredible.co.uk/services/card- sorting.shtml http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly- resources/ucd/methods-card-sorting.shtml http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly- resources/ucd/methods-card-sorting.shtml

27. When to use? Card sorting is usually used as an input to design. It’s an excellent way of suggesting good categories for a site’s content and deriving its information architecture (i.e. its site map). Card sorting generates statistical data, in the form of a site map. Issues Providing participants with a trial run on some easy cards (e.g. sports, animals, etc.) can reassure them about what they’re expected to do and result in a more productive session. http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/white- papers/web-usability-guide.shtml http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/white- papers/web-usability-guide.shtml

28. Participatory Design What is it? Participatory design does not just ask users opinions on design issues, but actively involves them in the design and decision-making processes. When to use? Participatory design is usually used within a mini-project to generate prototypes that feed into an overall project’s design process. An example would be a participatory design workshop in which developers, designers and users work together to design an initial prototype. This initial prototype would then feed into a more traditional design process. Projects that only utilise participatory design are very rare. Issues Participatory design sessions can be very fluid and require an experienced moderator with thorough knowledge of the domain to guide them. http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/white- papers/web-usability-guide.shtml http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/white- papers/web-usability-guide.shtml

29. Questionnaires What are they? Questionnaires are a means of asking users for their responses to a pre-defined set of questions and are a good way of generating statistical data. When to use Questionnaires are usually employed when a design team: Can only gain remote access to users of a site Is seeking a larger sample size than can be realistically achieved through direct contact Questionnaires are usually administered through e-mail or post. Issues Questionnaires allow statistical analysis of results, which can increase a study’s credibility through its scientific appearance. This makes it all the more important that the questionnaire is well-designed and asks non-biased questions. http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/white-papers/web- usability-guide.shtml http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/white-papers/web- usability-guide.shtml

30. Interviews What are they? An interview usually involves one interviewer speaking to one participant at a time. The advantages of an interview are that participants’ unique points of view can be explored in detail. Any misunderstandings between the interviewer and participants are likely to be quickly identified and addressed. The output of an interview is almost exclusively non-statistical. It’s critical that reports of interviews are carefully analysed by experienced practitioners. When to use? Interviews are usually employed early in the design process in order to gain a more detailed understanding of a domain/area of activity or specific requirements. Issues Interviewing places a high premium on the experience and skill of the interviewer and analyst. http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/white-papers/web- usability-guide.shtml http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/white-papers/web- usability-guide.shtml

31. Conclusion This has been an introduction to the major user-centred design methods. Remember that although each can be extremely valuable, using them in the right way for the right reasons and at the right time is critical. Exactly which method to use, and when and how to use it, will differ from project to project. http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/white- papers/web-usability-guide.shtml http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/white- papers/web-usability-guide.shtml

32. Web surveys http://www.userfocus.co.uk/articles/websurv eys.html http://www.userfocus.co.uk/articles/websurv eys.html http://www.userfocus.co.uk/articles/surveys.h tml http://www.userfocus.co.uk/articles/surveys.h tml

33. Strategy Plane What evidence do we need? 1.Project objectives described and illustrated 2.References to design influences 3.Communication of idea to audience 4.How will the product be tested and by whom? 5.Detailed profile of user group?

34. Create persona/s for your project Create a user test plan identifying what approaches will be most appropriate and when they will be implemented

35. Other References Brown, D. (2007) Communicating design, Berkley, CA: New Riders Garrett, J (2010) The elements of user experience: user-centered design for the web and beyond. Berkley, CA: New Riders Press. Kuniavsky, M. (2010) Smart things: ubiquitous computing user experience design, Burlington, CA: Morgan Kaufmann Saffer, D. (2010) Designing for interaction (2 nd edn), New Riders: Berkley CA Unger, R. and Chandler, C. (2009) A project guide to UX design, New Riders: Berkley CA

36. Personas http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_per sonas/index.html http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_per sonas/index.html Webcredible: Personas http://www.webcredible.co.uk http://www.userfocus.co.uk