from usability to user experience

www.UsabilityOne.com

Background

From Usability to User Experience2011

Copyright & Confidentiality

The concepts, ideas, strategies, information, materials, plans and copy contained in this document are presented in absolute confidence and are the property of UsabilityOne and must not be reproduced, adapted or communicated to third parties in anyway without express permission of UsabilityOne.


Melbourne Trams – a short story


INTRODUCTIONS

• Organisation

• Role

• Current Project


SCOPE

Introductions

Definitions

Historical Context

Heuristics

Background Key Principles

Information Architecture

Forms/transactions

Search

Multimedia

Social Media

Mobile and other Platforms

Writing for the web Techniques and Tools

Why writing for the web is so important

Top 12 writing tips with examples

Website style guides

Contextual analysisConcept TestingCard SortingUsability Testing (Moderated/Online)Website Analytics


Background


WHAT IS USABILITY?

• ...A term used to denote the ease with which people can employ a particular tool or other human-made object in order to achieve a particular goal [Wikipedia.org]

• ...How well users can learn and use a product to achieve their goals and how satisfied they are with that process [Usability.gov]

• The effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which specified users achieve specified goals in particular environments. [ISO]


WHAT IS USER EXPERIENCE?

User experience (UX) is about how a person feels about using a product, system or service. User experience highlights the experiential, affective, meaningful and valuable aspects of human-computer interaction and product ownership, but it also includes a person’s perceptions of the practical aspects such as utility, ease of use and efficiency of the system. User experience is subjective in nature, because it is about an individual’s feelings and thoughts about the system. User experience is dynamic, because it changes over time as the circumstances change. [Wikipedia.org]


MATCHING THE SYSTEM WITH THE USER’S NEEDS

• Developers usually build a system to meet a certain workflow

Viewproducts

Selectproduct

Checkout Credit cardPurchasecomplete

• Users often take a different workflow to reach their goal

Viewproducts

Make comparisons

Selectproduct

Check shipping costs

Checkout

Look for discounts coupons

Credit cardPurchase complete

• Users needs are often different to business and designer’s needs


MATCHING USER NEEDS WITH BUSINESS OBJECTIVES

Find form easilyComplete form quickly

Sense of securityEasy to find information

User needs

Business objectives

Collect customer informationSecure transaction processEasily updatable siteWork with existing stock management system


WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT USABILITY AND USER EXPERIENCE?

• Ensures users can complete their goals as quickly and simply as possible

• Encourages users to undertake new activities using the product

• Ensures greater efficiency• Less calls to help desks

• Faster task completion for staff

• Greater spend per sale

• Improves user’s perception of the brand

• Increases repeat use of the product

• Competitive advantage


CASE STUDY

Metlink wanted to increase awareness and usage of their late night bus service


CASE STUDY

Users did not associate the Nightrider links with late night bus services


CASE STUDY

• We suggested a more descriptive label

• This small change increased visitation to this area of the site by 128%


http://whichtestwon.com/


How far we’ve come


COMPUTERS FOR PEOPLE

Xerox Star Apple LisaCirca 1981 Circa 1982

Microsoft WindowsCirca 1985

NOTE: Internet comes to Australia June 198956 kb/s connecting the University of Melbourne and the University of Hawaii


ACCESSING THE INTERNET

1990s

• Desktop software• Growth of the internet• Email for communication• World Wide Web for

information• Online shopping


ON THE MOVE

2000s

• Online software• Mobile computing• Social networking• Touchscreen interfaces• Online collaboration


TODAY

2010s

• Ubiquitous and Pervasive technologies• Mobile computing

• Location based Technologies• Voice Recognition software

• Tablets, eReaders• Social Networks platforms for Mass

Movements


MORE OPPORTUNITIES

• As technology advances, so too do the opportunities• However, with each new opportunity comes potential

difficulties for users

“How do I move or delete my apps?”

“What does the RSS button do?”

“What is my securitycode?”


The basis of usability


NIELSEN’S 10 HEURISTICS

• Visibility of system status

• Match between system and the real world

• User control and freedom

• Consistency and standards

• Error prevention

• Recognition rather than recall

• Flexibility and efficiency of use

• Aesthetic and minimalist design

• Help users recognise, diagnose, and recover from errors

• Help and documentation


1. Visibility of system status

Keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time


2. Match between system and the real world

Speaking the users' language, with words, phrases and concepts familiar to the user, rather than system-oriented terms. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.

Useful techniques to help you match the system with the real world

• Metaphors

• Natural Mappings

• Affordances

• Direct Manipulation


2. Metaphors

Desktop Folders Files

Online book Vcr


2. Providing natural mappings


2. Affordances

Chairs – For sitting

Knobs – For turningTables – For putting things on

Slots – For insertingHandles – For spinning Buttons – For pressing Switch – For

toggling


2. Affordances

Using standard affordances, users know what they can do

Drop down list Type here Button to be pressed

Clicking here does nothing

Must click here

What to do with this?


2. Direct Manipulation

Drop

Drag

Sorting by column headers


3. User control and freedom

Users often choose system functions by mistake and will need a clearly marked "emergency exit" to leave the unwanted state without having to go through an extended dialogue. Support undo and redo.


4. Consistency and standards

Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform conventions.

Web conventions

• About Us• Contact Us• Home

Desktop conventions

• File• Edit• Menu

Yahoo! Design Patterns


5. Error prevention

Even better than good error messages is a careful design which prevents a problem from occurring in the first place. Either eliminate error-prone conditions or check for them and present users with a confirmation option before they commit to the action.

• Prevention is always better than the cure


6. Recognition rather than recall

Minimize the user's memory load by making objects, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the dialogue to another. Instructions for use of the system should be visible or easily retrievable whenever appropriate.


7. Flexibility and efficiency of use

Accelerators -- unseen by the novice user -- may often speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the system can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions.

Quick links for frequent tasks

Shortcut keys


8. Aesthetic and minimalist design

Dialogues should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in a dialogue competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility.


9. Help users recognise, diagnose, and recover from errors

Error messages should be expressed in plain language(no codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution.


10. Help and documentation

Even though it is better if the system can be used without documentation, it may be necessary to provide help and documentation. Any such information should be easy to search, focused on the user's task, list concrete steps to be carried out, and not be too large.


Don’t use documentation unless needed

Poorly written documentation can make a simple task harder


REFERENCES

• Heuristics (Jakob Nielsen) http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html

• Book - Usability Engineering (Jakob Nielsen)

• Affordances - Design of Everyday Things (Donald Norman) http://www.jnd.org/books.html#DOET

• Direct Manipulation (Ben Shneiderman)• http://www.interaction-design.org/references/authors/ben_sh

neiderman.html

http://www.useit.com/papers/heuristic/heuristic_list.html

http://www.jnd.org/books.html

http://www.interaction-design.org/references/authors/ben_shneiderman.html

http://www.interaction-design.org/references/authors/ben_shneiderman.html

from usability to user experience

Technology

user experience ux

complete users needs

matching user needs

product ownership

product checkout credit

complete form

particular goal

specified goals