1. User Experience Design and Evaluation for Usability Managers Steve Ellis Avaya Inc. +1 732 817 3303 shellis@avaya.com Module 1: Introduction to User Experience

2. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-1 Course Overview: Goals Our common goal is to make life less miserable for the visitors to our web sites –Dare we hope to delight them? In other words, we want to make our website visitors –Happier and more satisfied –More successful –More productive –More confident and comfortable

3. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-2 Prerequisites for Your Success Commitment Knowledge Skills Resources Tools Practice Process Execution

4. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-3 Course Overview: Expectations My expectations –You will make every effort to attend the sessions and to understand the material –You will explore the source materials and resources, and practice using the tools –You will do the “take home” assignments –You will let me know when you are confused, have a question, or disagree with anything I say –You will put into practice what you learn What are your expectations?

5. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-4 10 Module Course Syllabus ( We will do 2 modules each session) 1. Introduction to User Experience 2. User Research 3. User-Centered Site Design 4. Creating Usable Web Site Structures 5. Creating Usable Web Pages (Measuring User Experience) 6. Heuristic Usability Evaluation 7. Usability Testing 8. Website Evaluation Summary & Guidelines 9. Being a User Experience Advocate 10.Tools and Additional Resources

6. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-5 Module 1

7. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-6 Understand what is meant by “User Experience” Understand why the quality of User Experience we provide on our web sites is critical to Avaya’s success Compare and contrast User Experience with a number of related terms Know where to go for more information Goals of Module 1

8. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-7 What Is User Experience? The “user experience” is the total of everything the user sees, clicks, reads, or otherwise interacts with on the site –Affects user’s emotional state and performance A user’s experience with a site may depend as much on the user as it does on the site, e.g: –What does the user want or need? –Is the user in a hurry or “just browsing?” –What knowledge does the user possess? –What does he or she expect?

9. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-8 What Makes For An Excellent User Experience? A site that “doesn’t make me think” (Krug*) A site that “just does what you want, and doesn't make you waste time doing what it wants” (IBM Ease of Use Site**) A site that “lets me find what I want quickly, or if I don’t know what I want, lets me browse quickly and access information in a logical way” (Nielsen†)

10. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-9 What Makes A Site Usable (Hackos & Redish*) Lets users accomplish their goals and tasks effectively and efficiently Is perceived as usable by those who must use it or choose to use it Pleases – even amazes – users by how effectively their goals are supported by the site Makes users so comfortable that they don’t even think about the user interface

11. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-10 They reflect workflows that are familiar or comfortable They support the users’ learning styles They are compatible with the users’ working environment They encompass a design concept [and architecture] that is familiar to users They have a consistency of presentation (layout, icons, interactions) that makes them appear reliable and easy to learn They use language and graphics that are familiar to users or easy to learn “In short, usable interfaces fit in, simply and elegantly, with the users’ life and work needs” Common Characteristics of Usable Interfaces (Hackos & Redish)

12. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-11 User Experience and the Bottom Line 1.Consumers respond to it –A positive user experience leads to customer loyalty 42% of US consumers made their most recent online purchase because of a previous good experience with the retailer 1 Improving the customer experience online can lead to: – Estimated 40% conversion rate increase 2 – Estimated 10% order size increase 2

13. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-12 User Experience and the Bottom Line (Continued) 2. Business users require it –Commodities buyers ranked usability as their top requirement for picking an eMarketplace 3 –56% of purchasing managers said that “hard- to-use” sites held back their eMarketplace buying initiatives 4

14. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-13 User Experience and the Bottom Line (Continued) 3. Firms know they must provide it –In June of 2000, B2C site managers told Forrester Research that ease-of-use was the most important element of their site’s design 5 –Financial services execs rated usability as the most important contributor to the success of a bank or brokerage site 6

15. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-14 Implications of Poor User Experience One study showed that retail shoppers gave up on 65% of shopping attempts –Top barriers included poorly labeled categories, ineffective search, and broken checkout processes 7 Another study showed that consumers found little value in manufacturers’ online content –Forrester reviews show that only 45% of manufacturers’ sites offer relevant and complete content 8

16. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-15 Most Sites Fail to Deliver a Good User Experience

17. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-16 Delivering a Quality User Experience We all know it’s important Most companies want their sites to deliver a quality user experience But few sites do WHY??? Because: It’s easy to deliver a bad user experience It’s hard to deliver an excellent user experience

18. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-17 What is the relationship of User Experience to…?

19. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-18 Usability Engineering Usability engineering is a methodical approach to producing a Web site or any user interface 9 –It is a practical and systematic way to deliver a product that works for users –Usability engineering involves several methods, each applied at appropriate times, including gathering requirements, developing and testing prototypes, evaluating design alternatives, analyzing usability problems, proposing solutions, and testing a site with users

20. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-19 Information Architecture An information architecture is composed of organization, navigation, indexing and searching systems 10 –Information Architecture plays a central role in determining whether users can easily find the information they need –It also influences the long-term costs of managing dynamic growth and constant change of information on the site

21. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-20 User-Centered Design 6 Principles of user-centered design 12 “Easy-to-use software doesn't just happen. It requires focusing on the product's potential users from the very beginning, and checking at each step of the way with these users to be sure they will like and be comfortable with the final design.” 11 Set business goals Understand users Assess competitiveness Design the total user experience Evaluate designs Manage by continual user observation User-centered design is a process, while usability and user experience are measurable attributes of a site

22. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-21 Standards & Compliance Standards are essential to effective development 13 –They help the user by allowing transfer of knowledge –They also help the developer The developer need not spend time reinventing page conventions. Hours of discussion are saved by dictating "The button is called FIND" (not SEARCH, GO, GET, LOOK, or FETCH!) –The quality of design will be better A single developer creating a page design has very limited time and resources. Standards are leveraged, so it is easy to justify substantial effort and expertise going into template designs –They make reuse of code much easier –They fit well with content management applications –Standardization helps with maintenance and accommodation of new technologies

23. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-22 Standards & Compliance (continued) But, standards do not in themselves ensure a high quality user experience –They do not guarantee that the site is easy to use and navigate –They do not guarantee that users will be able to find what they want quickly and easily –They do not ensure that the site is well matched to the skill sets, knowledge, needs and expectations of it’s target audience

24. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-23 Accessibility In the United States: –In the standards established by the Rehabilitation Act of 1998 and succeeding amendments (Section 508), the Federal government identified specific engineering design requirements and features that must be present in telecom and information systems developed, procured, leased, maintained, or used by the government –In early 2001, the government implemented Section 508 compliance requirements into the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to reinforce these disability access directives In other countries… See Outline 1.4.5.3 for accessibility design guidelines

25. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-24 Wrap Up / Q & A

26. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-25 In general, I will tend to use the terms Usability and User Experience interchangeably However, they do not really mean the same thing –Usability = Ease-of-Use + Ease of Learning + Ease of Remembering + … (psychological aspects) –User Experience = Usability + Speed + Reliability + Lack of Broken Links + Aesthetics +... (psychological aspects + performance + quality of implementation) Usability or User Experience? “User Experience is the total of everything the user sees, clicks, reads, or otherwise interacts with on the site”

27. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-26 For More Information 1.3.1 User Experience Defined http://usability.gov/basics/ http://www.webreview.com/2000/03_10/strategists/03_10_00_3.shtml 1.3.2 Why User Experience is Important \\HFServer\Public\UM-Course\Forrester-ROI_from_Design.pdf http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20010819.html 1.4.1 Usability Engineering http://compasfs.dr.avaya.com/cgi-bin/wwwcompas?prodid=59525&dformat=raw http://usability.gov/basics/index.html#difference 1.4.2 Information Architecture http://www.argus-inc.com/services/definition.shtml \\Hfserver\public\InfoArch\InfoArchitectRole.doc http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/design/site_building/tutorials/tutorial1.html 1.4.3 User-Centered Design http://www-3.ibm.com/ibm/easy/eou_ext.nsf/Publish/570 http://www-3.ibm.com/ibm/easy/eou_ext.nsf/Publish/2 1.4.4 Compliance http://www.webtechniques.com/archives/2001/05/sauers/ http://www.humanfactors.com/library/may01.asp http://lcweb.loc.gov/loc/webstyle/mandatory.html 1.4.5 Accessibility http://www1.avaya.com/enterprise/508/index.html http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/508standards.htm http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/508/508home.html \\Hfserver\public\Accessibility\dartmouth_accessibility_guidelines3.doc http://www.w3.org/WAI/Resources/#gl http://www.w3j.com/5/s3.paciello.html http://usability.gov/guidelines/accessibility.html Also see the reading list in the course folder

28. Introduction to User ExperienceCopyright (c) S.H. Ellis, 20021-27 Understand what is meant by “User Experience” Understand why the quality of User Experience we provide on our web sites is critical to Avaya’s success Compare and contrast User Experience with a number of related terms Know where to go for more information Goals of Module 1: Review