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04/10/2023 1

User ExperienceStrategy & Design

How to conduct user research and usability evaluations

by Larry Marine

The BIG Picture

4 levels of design1. Objectives – goals and metrics2. Strategic – process flows (best practices)3. Tactical – task flows4. Implementation – UX/UI design

5 Steps of Design

1. Objectives – goals and metrics2. User Research – roles, knowledge3. Task Analysis – task flow optimization4. UX/UI Design – design to the tasks &users5. Evaluation – does it serve the objectives

Objectives

What will a successful product achieve

Goal – brief, not a mission statementGet clarity and consensusIdentify observable metrics

How much by when

User Research

Half dozen representative users are enoughSubjective

SurveysInterviewsFocus groupsJournals

ObjectiveEthnographic observations

User Roles

Not of a person, but the hats they wearHabits, metaphors, lingo, knowledgeCreate user caricatures

Browsing BettySurgical SamBirthday Bob

Task Analysis

Best practices and task optimization

TriggersArtifactsOutcomes

Start backwardsEnd result, then tasks that achieve it

Task Flows

UX/UI Design

User interaction paradigms/modelsKeep it simple

One task per screenStick to the playbookNo extra “cool” stuffUtilize common tools or patternsAvoid custom controlsMake the design transparent to the task

Design Evaluation

Expert reviewUsability Testing

What gets in the way of success?Severity of the errors

Severity of Errors

UserReality ResultRight Right GoodWrong Wrong Minor, adds timeWrong Right Major, “fix” a good resultRight Wrong Critical, data integrity

Yellow Pages

Objectives: Sustainable large ad customersUsers: Typical homeowner Tasks: Find a plumber

Fix leaky basement

Free Evaluation

1 ½ hour free evaluationTry it yourself, firstThen, compare your notes to mine