building your ux team through practical usability testing

Get Your Train On:Building Your UX Team Through

Practical Usability TestingGSA First Fridays Usability Program

Jonathan RubinAngela Hooker

October 2012

Hi!

Jonathan Rubin@jonathan_rubin

Angela Hooker@AccessForAll

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Usability tests +

Usabilityeducation

= More trained

UX staff!

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In this 30 minutes

1. What is First Fridays?2. How to create an educational

program3. Stories from “graduates”

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1. What is First Fridays?

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Education Demonstration Tests Awareness

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Best: Two rooms to test

Observation room Testing room

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First Fridays “discount” testing

8:30 – 11:30 AM = 3 testers, 1 hour

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First Fridays “discount” testing

8:30 – 11:30 AM = 3 testers, 1 hour11:30 – Noon = Lunch and accessibility

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First Fridays “discount” testing

8:30 – 11:30 AM = 3 testers, 1 hour11:30 – Noon = Lunch and accessibilityNoon – 12:45 PM = Collect problems

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First Fridays “discount” testing

8:30 – 11:30 AM = 3 testers, 1 hour11:30 – Noon = Lunch and accessibilityNoon – 12:45 PM = Collect problems12:45 – 1:30 PM = Offer solutions

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First Fridays “discount” testing

8:30 – 11:30 AM = 3 testers, 1 hour11:30 – Noon = Lunch and accessibilityNoon – 12:45 PM = Collect problems12:45 – 1:30 PM = Offer solutions1:30 PM = Adjourn

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First Fridays “discount” testing DOT Interior IRS Army NASA OMB

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State FCC USAJobs Census NSF And 35 others

Free @ HowTo.gov/firstfridays

Usability testing scripts

Email templates Best practices Final report

examples

Project management

Before and after screenshots

Videos Etc.

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Hallway test

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Teach ‘em to fish …

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In this 30 minutes1. What is First Fridays?2. How to create an educational

program

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Behind the curtain

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Team sport

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Each test is a training opportunity

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Matrixed approach to staffing Part-time

volunteers! Borrow from other

departments You are “providing

skill building opportunities”

Flexible needs: 1 -20 hours a month

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Many roles to choose from• Observe• Room Manager• Greeter• Data Collector• Backup

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Grow your own facilitator

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Get it: Rocket Surgery Made Easy

Commit to monthly product testing

Same time each month

More observers + more testing = more buy-in

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4-step process

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Make a big deal

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Make a syllabus for trainees

1. Summary

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Make a syllabus for trainees

1. Summary2. Cost + duration

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Make a syllabus for trainees

1. Summary2. Cost + duration3. Program goals

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Make a syllabus for trainees

1. Summary2. Cost + duration3. Program goals4. Schedule and timeline

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Make a syllabus for trainees

1. Summary2. Cost + duration3. Program goals4. Schedule and timeline5. Optional reading

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Manage it

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In this 30 minutes

1. What is First Fridays?2. How to create an educational

program3. Stories from “graduates”

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Graduate 1: internalDavid KaufmannFederal Information

Specialistdavid.kaufmann@gsa.gov

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Graduate 1: internal• Needed UX work

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Graduate 1: internal• Needed UX work• Four months training with us

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Graduate 1: internal• Needed UX work• Four months training with us• Comparison test – 2 designs, 30

users

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Graduate 1: internal• Needed UX work• Four months training with us• Comparison test – 2 designs, 30

users• Informed content of 100s of pages

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Graduate 1: internal• Needed UX work• Four months training with us• Comparison test – 2 designs, 30

users• Informed content of 100s of pages• Speaks publicly about usability

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Graduate 1: internal• Needed UX work• Four months training with us• Comparison test – 2 designs, 30

users• Informed content of 100s of pages• Speaks publicly about usability• Tests on Call Center

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Graduate 2: external Couldn’t persuade agency to test, so

volunteered

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Graduate 2: external Couldn’t persuade agency to test, so

volunteered Four months training with us

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Graduate 2: external Couldn’t persuade agency to test, so

volunteered Four months training with us Made 8 personas (tested 4)

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Graduate 2: external Couldn’t persuade agency to test, so

volunteered Four months training with us Made 8 personas (tested 4) UX test and marketed it

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In conclusion …

You can do it

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In conclusion …

You can do it No cost – and money saving

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In conclusion …

You can do it No cost – and money saving Employee multiplier

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Thanks!

Jonathan Rubin@jonathan_rubinjonathan.rubin@gsa.gov

Angela Hooker@AccessForAllangela.hooker@gsa.gov

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