an introduction to user centred design techniques

An Introduction to User Centred Design Techniques

Suze Ingram

November 2009

Introduction

What is UCD?

Techniques

•Personas and Scenarios

•Wireframing

•Paper Prototyping

•User Testing

•Contextual enquiries

•Diary studies

•User workshops

•Card sorting

Suze Ingram

November 2009

What is UCD?

• The best websites, intranets and applications result from understanding the needs of the people who will use them

• learn about users and their tasks and goals

• Inform the vision and direction of a website or intranet

• Benefits

•ideas generated early

•unfavourable ideas ruled out early

•hidden requirements uncovered

•final product matches what users need

Suze Ingram

November 2009

Suze Ingram

November 2009

Contextual enquiries

Suze Ingram

November 2009

Contextual enquiries

• Call centre example

• Shadow the participant

• Observe normal, day-to-day tasks

• Pretend this is my induction

• Ask what would make their job easier

• Why do it?

• you really need to understand the users' work context

• learning about work practices in domains that you know nothing about

Suze Ingram

November 2009

Diary studies

Suze Ingram

November 2009

Diary studies

• Brief the participants and provide a kit

• Kits can contain a diary, stickers, a camera, a voice recorder, pens, post-it notes, staplers etc

• Reminders…

• Follow-up interview

• Why do it?

• gather information from users with minimal influence on their actions

• the process or event takes place intermittently or over a long period

Suze Ingram

November 2009

User workshops

Suze Ingram

November 2009

User workshops

• About 2 hours

• Collaborative

• Design your own homepage

• Bullseye Priotisation

• Why do it?

• Brings users into the design process as partners

• Start to conceptualise the solution

Suze Ingram

November 2009

Card sorting

Suze Ingram

November 2009

Card sorting

• Each card contains the name of one content item

• Sort a set of cards into groups which made sense to them

• Create labels for each of their card groups

• Look for patterns in the groups and labels

• Why do it?

• Simple

• Cheap

• Quick to execute (not analyse)

• Provides a good foundation

Personas and Scenarios

Personas and Scenarios

• Analyse outcomes of user research

• Amalgamate findings from many sources

• Look for pattern and themes in user needs, beharviours and motivations

• Why do it?

• Understand your users, their needs, behaviours and motivations

• Puts observations and learnings into memorable stories

• Provides a constant touchstone allowing the project team to maintain focus on the user and their needs throughout the project.

Wireframes

Wireframes

• Can be handrawn or computer based (Visio, Axure)

• Creates the layout and functionality of a page

• Takes user needs and user journeys into account

• No colour or decoration invovled

• Why do it?

• Provides an early visual that that can be used to review with the client

• Can be tested with users

• Saves considerable time and money

Paper prototyping

Paper prototyping

• Design and testing

• User performs realistic tasks by interacting with the paper prototype

• Inclusive nature of paper

• Users can cut up the design, cross things out and add new features

• Why do it?

• helps identify usability problems even before any code is written

• Cheap and simple

User testing

User testing

• One person per test session

• 45min – 1 hour

• Users work through a set of tasks using the product being evaluated

• Usability laboratory, at the person's desk or in a room

• Why do it?

• Evaluate, from the user's perspective, the ease of use and intuitiveness

• Discover likes and dislikes

• Uncover difficulties users may have

• Used during redesign or to evaluate an existing product

Recap…

Suze Ingram

November 2009

Suze Ingram

November 2009

Contextual enquiries

Suze Ingram

November 2009

Diary studies

Suze Ingram

November 2009

User workshops

Suze Ingram

November 2009

Card sorting

Personas and Scenarios

Wireframes

Paper prototyping

User testing

If there’s one thing to take away…

• You are not your audience

• Add some UCD techniques into your work

Suze Ingram

November 2009

Keep in touch…

suze.ingram@gmail.com

Mobile 0413 473 151

My blog (google “suze ingram”)

Suze Ingram

November 2009

Photo credits

Suze Ingram

November 2009

Contextual enquiries http://www.flickr.com/photos/psmithson/44990517/

Diary studies http://www.flickr.com/photos/jderuna/2312274541/

User workshops http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbarahona/2033523991/sizes/l/

Card sorting http://www.flickr.com/photos/yandle/907991950/in/set-72157600662519454/

Personas and scenarios http://www.flickr.com/photos/katiekills/2271842696/

Wireframes http://www.flickr.com/photos/collylogic/2715890481/

Paper prototyping http://www.flickr.com/photos/21218849@N03/2880770542/

User testing http://www.flickr.com/photos/l-i-n-k/3654390818/in/set-72157620252713653/