a cognitive design for user assistance 3: integrated learning: building customer loyalty

RAY GALLON CULTURECOM

Presentation © 2012 Ray Gallon all rights reserved

A Cognitive Design for ��User Assistance

3. Integrated Learning: Building Customer Loyalty

Member, Board of Directors


Accept Uncertainty!


BUT if the user gets lost, does s/he have a map to find the way back?

?!


Emerging from Chaos

•  Complex problems are entanglements of many simple threads. They can seem chaotic.

•  Order emerges from chaos in its own way. This might not necessarily be positive.

•  Our job is to reiteravly help users find positive, constructive emergences from complexity.

•  Our primary tool for doing this is a combination of psychology, linguistics, and socio-‐anthropology.


Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

•  A Basic User •  A1 Breakthrough or beginner •  A2 Waystage or

elementary

•  B Independent User •  B1 Threshold or intermediate •  B2 Vantage or upper intermediate

•  C Proficient User •  C1 Effective Operational

Proficiency or advanced •  C2 Mastery or proficiency

Describes what a learner is supposed to be able to do in reading, listening, speaking and writing at each level, and divides learners into three broad divisions that can be subdivided into six levels:

Source: Council of Europe (2011): http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/CADRE_EN.asp


Integrated Learning: ��Dimensions of Competency

Integrated Learning

Literal Content

Communication

Cognition

Community

Complexity Criteria Selection

A1 Beginner

A2 Basic

B1 Threshold

C1 Functional

B2 Advanced

C2 Mastery Quantity

Qua

lity

When quantity of information surpasses the individual’s contingent needs, the learner experiences confusion, a sense of chaos, because s/he cannot keep track of it all.

In moving from contingent need to confusion, we still learn more.

Interfaces, hardware, software, user assistance, hands-‐on and conceptual combined

COMPLEXITY ≠ CHAOS!


The Top of the Cognitive Spiral

This is where Integrated Learing

takes place

Equivalent to C levels of linguistic

competency

In Community!


Self-Organised Groups We made great UA and nobody uses it or they can’t find it!

"   Google is the first instinct! WHY?

"   Look for community guidance

"   Use social networks to get answers

"   Consult and contribute to crowd sourced

materials

Culture of

information

sharing and

knowledge

building, in

side and ou

tside

the organi

sation.

The user decodes information so as to reconstruct it. S/he then recodes it into new knowledge.


And needs to come up first…

A Group is not a Community

“Finding is the new Doing” –Ian Barker


Software Integrated ��Learning Communities

•  Not user groups or user forums, but integrated communities: •  Information developers, and preferably coders and interface

designers, too

•  Marketing, pre-‐sales, administration, anyone in the company you can get interested

•  Expert users

•  Beginners

•  The curious

•  Primary objective: creating an integrated, collaborative community that creates value that is re-‐injected into the system


Organisation of Software ��Integrated Learning Communities

Shared strategies and experiences: I have trouble doing this – anyone else? I’ve found a great way to do this! Has anyone ever had to…? Integration of experiences back into the product

Requires a well designed overall Content Strategy


Organisation of Software ��Integrated Learning Communities

Shared strategies and experiences: I have trouble doing this – anyone else? I’ve found a great way to do this! Has anyone ever had to…? Integration of experiences back into the product

Measure Overall Participation Measure Individual Profiles: Knowledge: 2.3 Strategy: 3.5 Principles: 4.7


Some Implications of Software ��Integrated Learning Communities

•  As co-‐operation builds, the community’s self image grows in stature.

•  Thinking goes beyond contingent need, for example: •  “What I do can be useful for others?” •  “What others do has an effect on what I can use” -‐ for example, “does my YouTube post have good tags for findabiity?”

•  As value from the community is captured and fed back into the system, customers’ adherence to the product and the company grows, since they feel they’ve contributed to its design and development.


A Community Needs Animation

•  In many Romance languages, the word for “moderator” is “animator.”

•  Moderation implies damping. Animation implies stimulation.

•  The animator helps guide the community toward finding its common vision.

•  The animator is a catalyst to vectorise the community.


Vectorising = Actions

http://www.acreditacionfada.org/uploads/images/investigacion.jpg

Product

SME

Wiki

Online Embedded

User Assistance CRM

Marketing

Tech Comm

Users Users

Impacts

Influences

Interacts with

Integrates Helps Feed into

Facilitates

Feeds into

Fertilizes

Adds value to


The Simplest Way to Integrate Feedback in Content

•  The top level of user feedback integration is simply to integrate questions.

•  Questions tell you what a person wants to know, but also what s/he already knows.

•  Example: in session 2 of this webinar, Ellis Pratt asked, It strikes me that there's similarities with the Lean methodology: particularly Kanban, progressive disclosure, the Neme's Why? questioning and a focus on interruptions. Is this something Ray has looked at? If so, does he think there are similarities?


What Ellis Pratt’s Question ��Tells Us1/2

•  Ellis has already looked at the ideas of Lean Information Flow, and has some understanding of them. (Body of Knowledge)

•  Ellis attended the first webinar in the series, where I talked about progressive disclosure. (Body of Knowledge)

•  Ellis’ understanding of the ideas presented in session 2 are functioning near the top of the cognitive spiral, as he has been able to integrate them, reflect and evaluate them, and frame a question that goes beyond what is specifically discussed in the session. (Shared Strategy)


What Ellis Pratt’s Question ��Tells Us 2/2

•  In asking the question, Ellis is also sharing his observation with the community – those attending the session, and those who will watch the recording. (Shared Concepts, Principles, Values) •  Community members might be motivated to look into Lean Information Flow and make their own conclusions.

•  If we had an appropriate forum, they also might be motivated to express their conclusions to the community.


The Answer

•  There are a lot of similarities, but while Lean is primarily concerned with eliminating waste, Nemetics and Kanban Information aim to create efficient and effective information: •  Directed at positive emergences •  Ready to be changed as situations evolve •  Waste elimination should not be necessary, the system should be self-‐policing

•  Contains a metaphysical element not present in Lean


Usual Manner of Integrating ��User Feedback

The Product

SME’s/Dev

Intranet

CRM

Marketing

UX

Internal Stakeholders

Wiki

Extranet

Social Nets

User groups/forums

User Communities

User testing & research

Tech Comm


Integrated Learning / Integrated ��User Feedback

The Product

SME’s/Dev

Internet

CRM

Marketing

UX

Wiki Extranet

Social Nets

User groups/forums

Learning Objects, SCORM,

etc.

Integrated Learning Community

Tech Comm User

testing & research

LMS

Impacts Influences Interacts with

Integrates

Helps Feed into Facilitates

Feeds into

Fertilizes

Adds value to


Integrated Learning Communities

Let people know what you are tracking.

Attribute material

you reuse

in your UA –

from both

Turn users’ tip

s and tricks

into training m

aterials


Integrated Learning Communities

“Create More Val

ue Than

You Capture”

-‐Tim O’Reil

ly

“And Capture a Lot!” -‐RG


Capturing Value from your��Integrated Learning Community

•  Use your animators to enable participants.

•  Encourage open structures that facilitate a variety of interactions (Google+ circles rather than Facebook “friends”).

•  Use your own judgment, but first listen carefully to the ideas and opinions of other participants in the community.

•  Provide multiple venues. Just as people have different learning styles, they have different preferences for social collaboration.

•  Foster and encourage creativity.


Capturing Value from your��Integrated Learning Community

•  When deciding whether or not to adopt someone’s idea, be sure to take into account:

•  Is it viable for more than one particular situation?

•  Does it have implications for a regulated environment or situation (if applicable)?

•  Can it be generalised to other tasks, situations, objects?

•  Is it robust?

•  Ask for input, don’t promise to publish it, do promise to take it seriously. And follow up on that promise.


Wikipedia: At the Top of the Spiral


Creating More Value from ��Your Captured Value

Pull Stuff in from anywhere

to anywhere.

For example, wikis are ht

ml,

easily imported into XML or

screen-‐captured



Pull Stuff in from anywhere

to anywhere.

For example, wikis are ht

ml,

easily imported into XML or

screen-‐captured

Capture emails!

Capture audio and

video

material from user test

s,

focus groups, etc.

(get

participant permission)



OK, so I’ve Captured it – now what? •  Integrate good material everywhere

•  Make new user assistance objects – with attribution

•  Publish tips and tricks on your web site – with attribution

•  Use a tool such as Captivate to create training demos and videos. If a community member is really good at it, invite the person to demonstrate their own techniques. Publish via SCORM to an LMS, monitor not only how students do, but how well the training does.

•  Create your own YouTube channel and keep it populated with new stuff all the time



Make impro

vements

everywhere

all the t

ime

If something isn’t working, put it out to the community

Let them solve problems,

control excessive nega

tive

criticism

Be a good curator

Encourage debate

Know when to stop


Remember, it’s an iterative process!


Your SME’s and other colleagues, too!


Creating More Value

Be steadfast... ...Only trees that take root are able to change the environment.


RAY GALLON CULTURECOM

Email: [email protected]

Thank You!!

Google Plus: +Ray Gallon Twitter: @RayGallon LinkedIn: Ray Gallon

Please visit my blog, Rant of a Humanist Nerd: http://humanistnerd.culturecom.net

Portions of t

his presentat

ion based on

research

by the Trans

formation Societ

y Research g

roup.

a cognitive design for user assistance 3: integrated learning: building customer loyalty

Technology