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What losing weight reminded me about SharePoint user adoption
Virgil Carrollpresident high monkey
about me
• From the great State of Alaska
• Certified Athletic Trainer
• Masters in Instructional Design (from UAB)
• User Experience Aficionado
• Been building websites since 1998
• Been building SharePoint since 2001
• Blog: http://monkeyblog.highmonkey.com
• Twitter: @vcmonkey
about high monkey
• Been around since 1998 (HMC name since 2004)
• Offices in Minnesota and Michigan
• Clients throughout the US and Canada
• Core Competencies• Web and interface design
• SharePoint / CMS consulting
• User Experience
about my progress
and why I chose this topic
understanding users
and how they think
how users think
• The too-easy information seeking model
User asks question
MAGIC HAPPENS
User received answer
Context
UsersContent
why users challenge us
• Every user has different experiences and abilities to draw from
• Every user has different needs and wants
• Every user learns at a different pace and by different methods
why user adoption doesn’t succeed
• We never ask
• We never understand
• We never learn
• We never enjoy this
technology today is challenging for users
• Modern interfaces are trending toward sacrificing user experience for ‘cool’ user patterns
• People are working to an older age – we cannot discount their opinions
• Social is popular, but people cannot filter out the ‘noise’
what losing weight reminded me
about how to understand users
to be successful: set expectations
there is no secret sauce
• For every project, gaining user acceptance ‘depends’ on a lot of variables
• Different organizations need to use different methods to be successful
adoption cannot be an after thought
• You must have time to work on adoption activities as part of every aspect of a project
• Set a timetable of adoption activities upfront in a project plan
• Remember different projects may need different adoption strategies
sample adoption timeline
• 6 months before project rollout• Identify adoption strategy
• Communicate initial project goals and timeline
• 3 months before project rollout• Start communicating specific features
and phases
• Advertise training opportunities
• Project status
• 1 month before project rollout• Present project sneak peak
• Start communication campaign
• Begin power user training
• 1 week before project rollout
• Full communication campaign rollout
• End user training / information sessions
• Community site set-up
• Rollout• Continue communication campaign
• Rollout support channels
• Create moderated Q & A forums
• Continue training
• Post launch• Communicate out project success /
challenges
changing behaviors is the hardest
• People have their own reasons for wanting things
• Changing behaviors is a constant process
• People need a ‘reason’ to adopt
• Quick change is ok as long as you understand what you are getting yourself into
• Just because you changed doesn’t mean anyone will believe you
to be successful: plan
be realistic with your goals
• Pay attention to what features will ‘truly’ benefit users
• Phase in a project to roll out features to users at a manageable pace
major projects may need to go on a diet
• Big systems tend to be over designed
• What you thought you heard from user requirements usually changes after launch
• The rule of thirds (Microsoft Word)
sometimes cheating is ‘ok’
• There are a lot of good ideas that have worked for others
• Make sure to use ideas but still understand your own user’s needs
• Focus on good user interactions
to be successful: communicate
put yourself out there
• Communication is key
• Tell the world
• No more projects ‘under the radar’
solid communication ideas
• Be creative
• Be consistent
• Be early
• Be often
• listen
vary communication avenues
• Tailor communication to unique audiences
• Continually enforce need for change
• Use multiple channels• Social strategy
• Email campaigns
• In-person sessions (lunch-n-learn) / webinars
• Knowledge centers
• Project status updates
to be successful: educate
learning is a life long endeavor
• Every project comes with new needs and understanding
• Put together a training plan that makes sense
• Train the ‘why’ not just the ‘how’
• Get users involved
solid training ideas
• Create a learning hub
• Community sites /build your grapevine
• Share real lifecase studies
• Just-in-time training
• Technical skills =business skills
to be successful: improve
track, track, track
• Track your successes and failures to improve your next project
• Share your progress
• Publish lessons learned
increased success = increase effort
• After successful roll out of a project, you must continue to improve and refine your adoption practices
• Once expectations have been set, they will be greater next time
not everything is a win
• You will never please everyone
• Sometimes something you try does not work
summary
• Set expectations up front
• Plan your user adoption activities early
• Communicate your project to the world
• Educate
• Improve and refine after each success / failure
questions??
Virgil Carroll, President
High Monkey Consulting
763-201-6040
Blog: http://monkeyblog.highmonkey.com
Twitter: @vcmonkey
SharePoint 2010 vs 2013
• Performed a heuristic usability test on both SharePoint 2010 and 2013 team site OOTB template
• Both end user and administrative tasks
• Shows usability issues and challenges
http://monkeyblog.highmonkey.com
101 SharePoint usability tips
For more usability tips, check out my blog series
• 101 usability tips recorded over 101 days around SharePoint 2010
• Covering design/layout, navigation, content management, forms and more!
http://monkeyblog.highmonkey.com
Mobile: http://www.lowmonkey.com