User Experience for the Web (WebUX) by Amir Ansari

Module 1: Overview of User ExperienceTopic 1: Introduction0:10Hi, and welcome to the first module.0:11In this module, I'm going to cover user experience, and0:14give you an overview of the design discipline.0:17I'll talk about the evolution, where it's come from, and0:19where it's going.0:20I'll also focus on understanding user needs and0:24business needs.0:24It's all about a balancing act.0:27Finally, I'll talk about user experience in other0:29disciplines, and some of the characteristics you need to0:32have to become a user experience practitioner.0:35User experience is, in effect, designing all aspects of a0:38person's experience with a product or service.0:41It's really fast moving, so if you actually ask five0:44different people, you're bound to get 10 different0:46explanations.0:48So now I'm going to talk about the fact that user experience0:51is multidisciplinary.0:54So it's been influenced by disciplines such as graphic0:58design, psychology, research, and anthropology,1:16just to name a few.1:22Now this is isn't a definitive list.1:24There's a lot more disciplines that have either impacted user1:27experience or vice versa.1:29But if you have a look at this, you realise that it's1:31all about the end user, so about human behaviour.1:34It's about how a user perceives1:37something that's visual.1:38It's about the cognitive behaviour as well, and also1:41user experience is underpinned by research, research being1:45researching what the user needs, and how they'll go1:47about interacting with new products and services.1:50To give you a real example of what I mean by user1:52experience, let's take an everyday toaster.1:55The majority of toasters are functional, right?

1:57You put a toast in, you press the lever down, it toasts.2:01You keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't burn it.2:04The toaster serves a function, but it definitely doesn't put2:06a smile on your face.2:08Now imagine the ultimate toaster--2:10the one that has had user experience design sprinkled2:13over the top.2:14You press a button instead of a lever.2:16The toast slowly moves down.2:18Once it's finished, it gives you a bit of a reminder that2:21it's about to finish, and it's cooling the toast down so you2:24don't burn your finger.2:25As it moves up, it presents the toast to you.2:28You take it off and it's evenly toasted.2:31Now, that puts a smile on your face, right?2:34That's designing the experience of a toaster.2:36Now let's talk about the online space.2:40A website is typically influenced by many factors.2:44So one of the things that influences the user experience2:47of the website is the content-- the actual2:49information of the website.2:52Also the tone of voice and the language of the website is2:55really important.2:57Obviously, usability--2:59the ability for you to actually complete your task on3:01the website-- impacts your experience.3:04The branding--3:05how the website makes you feel.3:08And also the look and feel of the website itself.3:11The visual elements and the aspects in the graphic design.3:16Which content such as images and animations will also3:19impact your experience?3:22And also, finally, the processes that you follow when3:25trying to complete your task, and the fact that the website3:27tries to anticipate what you're trying to do will3:30impact your user experience.3:32Now, considering that this subject is all about user3:35experience in the online space, I thought I'd give you3:37a real-life example of an online website.3:40So I've got a dog.3:41His name's Obie.3:42He's a big dog.3:44He's about 40 kilos, but he's not fat.3:46He's just big boned.

3:47And I purchase food for him once a month.3:50I go to the same online store.3:52I often forget my username and password, so I have to search3:55around through my emails before I find it.3:57I log in, I know the product I want, so I have4:00to search for it.4:01I search for it, I find it, I go through the checkout4:04process, enter my credit card details and address details,4:08and I check out.4:10Now, imagine that same website with that same amount of user4:13experience sprinkled on top.4:15Imagine if I logged in and I only have to put in a four4:18digit PIN, because it remembers my credentials.4:21And as soon as I log in, the product that I buy every4:25single month is right there in front of me, with a single4:28button that says, one click to check out.4:30Lovely.4:31I press it, it checks it out, it assumes and it asks if I4:34want to use the same credit card details and address, I4:37say yes, and voila!4:38My job is done.4:41It anticipates, it supports me through the process, and it4:45really helps solidify and put a smile on my face, helping me4:49to come back to that same website over and over again.4:52Remember, user experience isn't a checklist.4:55It's not a set of deliverables.4:58It's an overall principle and an4:59understanding of group design.5:01User experience goes beyond the interface.5:04It helps to design the experience of the customer,5:07and the way they interact with the product or service.5:10In effect, a happy customer means a happy business or5:13organisation.5:15In this topic, I've talked about user5:17experience and what it is.5:19Hopefully you have a better understanding, and I'd love to5:22know if you've got a toaster that you really love, or a5:25website that you really love, and why you love that website.5:28Perhaps jump into the forum and discuss it with your5:31fellow students.5:32In the next topic, I'm going to talk about the evolution of5:34user experience.5:35Where it's come, and where it's potentially going.

Pop Quiz 1:

What is User Experience Design?

A discipline that encompasses all interactions and events, physical and digital, between users/customer and a product, service or organization.

Topic 2: The Evolution of UX as a discipline00:00[MUSIC PLAYING]00:10In this topic, I'm going to talk about the evolution of00:12user experience, where it's come from and potentially00:15where it's going.00:17As a design discipline, it's reasonably new.00:20The term user experience was coined in the mid-1990s by a00:23gentleman, Don Norman, who is a usability and user00:27experience expert.00:29However, it actually dates back to the mid-1940s, when00:33the design of interfaces was all to do with military00:37equipment, designing assistant to fit the user.00:41So things like human factors engineering and ergonomics00:44played a big part.00:46So ergonomics was about the study of the human, their00:49physiology, and the system that they use and work with.00:52So things like height of chairs,00:55tables, length of levers.00:57It was all about fitting the system to meet the user.01:01Then came the age of computers in the 1980s, and ergonomics01:04became obsessed with designing computers for humans.01:08Now we're in a new era.01:10There's multiple channels of interface for users--01:13mobile phones, tablets, websites, kiosks.01:17Technology is everywhere.01:19So it's no longer about ergonomics or human-computer01:22interaction.01:23It includes motivations, experiences, and the overall01:26feeling a person has when they're engaged or use a01:29product or a service, such as a website.01:32User experience now is helping to bridge the gap between the01:36customer and the business.01:42Now, with the speed at which technology is improving, who01:44knows where user experience will be.01:47But for now, it's all about making sure the customer is01:50happy with the product or service they're using, and01:52therefore the organisation or the company is happy because01:55they're successful.

01:57So in this topic I've given you a bit of a summary as to02:00where user experience has come from and where it's going, and02:03the fact that it was something that was underpinned by02:05ergonomics, human-computer interaction, and now user02:08experience.02:08In the next topic, I'm going to talk about usability.

Pop Quiz 2:

Option B

Topic 3: Usability00:10Welcome to topic three.00:11In this topic I'm going to talk about usability.00:14Now many people interchange usability and user experience,00:17it's not actually quite right.00:19Usability is about efficiency of use, ease of use, and00:31satisfaction.00:38The way I typically explain it to people is that imagine if00:42usability is here.00:46It's actually a subset of the user experience.00:52So usability simply looks after the efficiency of a00:56user, the ease in which the user can complete their task,00:59and how satisfied they are with that task.01:02So user experience is actually more than01:04just these three terms.01:06It includes the experience the user has, the emotions and01:09motivations that come with the user using an interface.01:13There's an international standard for usability.01:16It's ISO 9241 part 11.01:20So the standard talks about the user, the task, the

01:23equipment, and the environment.01:26Here's some bad examples of usability in01:28your everyday life.01:30I'm sure you've come across a parking sign where you've01:32stood in front of if for 10 minutes, trying to decipher if01:35you can park there or not?01:36Or how many times have you been into a store where you've01:39tried to swipe your credit card in the credit card01:42swiping machine, just to be told, sorry, your card must be01:44the other way around.01:46Have you ever seen a door handle where you've pulled01:48where, in effect you had to push?01:51And finally on the online space, how many times have you01:54seen an error message where you just don't know what it01:57means, and you don't know what to do next?01:59Those are all bad examples of usability.02:03Now, the most effective way of improving the usability of a02:06product or service is involving users, There's a02:09methodology known as user centred design, which is all02:12about putting the user at the centre of the design process.02:16That's what I'm going to talk about in the next topic.

Pop Quiz 3:

Option A

Topic 4: User Centered DesignIn this topic, I'm going to talk to you about00:11user centred design.00:13In the previous topics, we've covered off user experience,00:16and we talked about usability being a subset of user00:19experience.00:20So in this topic, I'm going to talk to you about how you00:21actually drive user experience design, and improve usability00:25of interfaces.00:27There's three core elements to user centred design.00:34The first element, or the phase, is about research.00:42The second phase, which is a core phase, is design.00:49And the third and final phase is evaluation.00:57Just before I talk about these elements, though, let me00:59mention a few things.01:01The benefits of user centred design is that it's scalable,01:06it's flexible, and it's repeatable.01:09And you can actually repeat it throughout the life cycle of01:13the project.01:14It's also worth noting there's also an ISO standard for human01:18centred design.01:19It's 9241 Part 210, and it comprises of six key01:24principles.01:25It's about being a user the task, and the environment.01:29Users are always involved in the process.01:31The fact that the design is driven and refined through01:34evaluation, it's an iterative process, it addresses the01:39whole user experience, and the team is multidisciplinary.01:45Now, going back through the three elements of user centred01:47design, what you see is that each of them have a set of01:51activities.01:52So within the research phase, and understanding user needs,01:56there's a few techniques that you can use.01:58Same with business needs.02:01The idea here is, in the research phase, for you to02:04really understand the needs of the user, and also understand02:07the objectives of the business, and what they're02:09trying to achieve.02:10But also, don't forget, you need to be able02:12to prioritise both.02:14It's a balancing act.02:16In the design phase, there's three core design elements.02:20There's information design, which is all about designing02:23the information and content; interaction design, which is

02:27about how the user actually interacts with the content;02:31and the visual design, putting the layer of the look and feel02:34of the website together.02:35And finally, there's the evaluation phase.02:38Your design might be finished, and you might feel confident02:41about it, but unless you evaluate the design to ensure02:43it's fit the purpose, you haven't finished the process.02:47So you can actually bring users in to test the design,02:51or bring in usability experts or user experience experts to02:55review the design for you.02:58Imagine you've got an organisation.03:01They've got about 30,000 staff, and the website is03:04large-- about 10,000 pages.03:07Now, a user centred design project might involve almost03:11every one of these activities within every03:13one of these streams.03:14But at the same time, a small organisation with a very small03:18subset of users could actually use some of03:21these techniques only.03:23So they might decide to use two of the techniques with03:26their user needs.03:26They might talk to the business once.03:29They might do their own final prioritisation.03:32When you come to the design phase, they might only want to03:35concentrate on the interaction design, because they already03:37have a look and feel, and are looking to actually improve or03:40tweak the design of their website.03:42And finally, regarding evaluation, they might not03:45have the luxury of accessing their users, so they might03:48just want to do a quick review to make sure03:51it's fit for purpose.03:53In this topic, I've talked about user centred design.03:56I hope now you have a clear understanding of the three03:59elements of the user centred design process, and the fact04:01that user centred design puts the user at the centre.04:05In the next topic, I'm going to talk about what affects the04:08design of an interface.

Pop Quiz 4:

Option B

Topic 5: Factors Affecting the Design00:10In this topic I'm going to talk about what effects the00:12design of an interface.00:15There's five core elements, although it is not a00:18definitive list.00:20So one of the factors is users.00:23The sort of things I mean by that are who are the users,00:26where are they, what are they doing, and00:28what are their goals?00:30The next one is about their tasks.00:32So why are they performing those tasks?00:35Why are they visiting the website?00:37What task are they performing, and how often?00:40The third factor is environment.00:42So where is the user and what context are they in?00:45Are they in a public transport or are they in a busy office00:49completing their task?00:51The fourth factor is platform.00:53For example technology.00:55What device are they using to complete their task, a tablet,00:59or a mobile phone or maybe they're at a kiosk?01:02And also, what technology is actually being used to deliver01:05that product or service to the user?01:08And finally the business need.

01:10It's about the business's objectives and goals.01:12So are they trying to generate revenue.01:15Are they delivering a service?01:17Are they to increase engagement with the user.01:21Now these are just some of the factors, although they're01:23core, that influence an interface and deliver a01:26product or service to the end user.01:29So, on this topic I've talked about the factors that01:32influence the interface.01:34In the next topic I'm going to talk to you about business01:36needs, users needs and the key being that01:39you to balance both.

Pop Quiz 5:

Option A

Topic 6: Users, business and balancing the Needs of BothSo far I've talked about user experience, usability, and a00:13user centred design process.00:15In this topic I'm going to talk to you about user needs,00:18business needs, and the fact that you need to balance both.00:22Let's talk about users first.00:24The key to the user centred design processor is all about00:28observation.

00:33Let's talk about why observation is so important.00:35This is a true story.00:37Back in the day when Sony was producing their first Walkman00:41they had a dilemma about which colour the first00:43Walkman should be.00:45They couldn't decide between yellow or black.00:48So the thought they'd actually bring in some participants and00:51talk to them.00:52Almost every participant said yellow, because they thought00:55it was fun and exciting.00:57As a thank you gesture Sony then decided to offer a01:01Walkman for the customers, at the end of the exit they had a01:05bag with yellow Walkmans and a bag with black Walkmans.01:09Everybody but one participant took the black Walkman home.01:13So this really highlights the point of what users say is not01:17necessarily what they do.01:19We've talked about user needs, let's not forget about the01:22business needs.01:23In order to follow a consistent and successful user01:26experience and user centred design process we need to01:29understand what it is that the business wants to achieve.01:33Do they want to generate revenue?01:35Are they there to engage their costumers?01:37Are they there for political reasons, or is simply about01:41providing a service to the end users?01:44A good user experience essentially balances the needs01:47of both business and the users to provide the best outcome.01:53Now, I'm going to talk to you about a real story.01:54A real project that I worked on where there was a big01:57conflict between user needs and business needs.02:00The project was all about designing02:02a new tourism website.02:04The tourism website was owned by the marketing department.02:08Now, from the users perspectives that website was02:10all there for them to be able to look at offers, look at02:13places to go and visits and accommodations where they02:15could stay.02:17So the users had clear tasks they wanted to perform.02:20However, from the marketing perspective, they pretty much02:24wanted to highlight all the visual elements and the02:28marketing material, just to highlight the sort of work02:30they were doing.02:32Now, there's a big conflict here.02:34The user doesn't care about the marketing information.

02:37They just want to complete their tasks.02:39Whereas for the marketing department, it's all about02:42highlighting their glory.02:44So how did I go about resolving that?02:46I tried to bring the business along the journey.02:49I try to highlight what the users' tasks were and give an02:53idea of what they wanted to achieve on the website.02:56I also try to understand why the marketing department02:59wanted to have the website the way they did.03:01Maybe there was a reason that I wasn't familiar with or03:04didn't understand.03:06End of the day, the conflict was resolved by me bowing03:08down, and that's actually OK.03:11The whole idea is that you can't ignore what the business03:14wants even though you're putting the user in the centre03:16of the process.03:19I now hope you have a really good understanding of why it's03:21important to understand users needs and the business needs03:24and the fact that you sometimes03:25need to balance both.03:27In the next topic, I'm going to talk about user experience03:30and some other disciplines.

Pop Quiz 6:

Option B

Topic 7: UX versus Similar Disciplines00:00[MUSIC PLAYING]00:10In this topic I'm going to talk about user experience as00:12a discipline, and the fact that it overlaps with many00:15other disciplines you may be already aware of.00:18So web design, or website design is definitely a00:21discipline that overlaps with user experience.00:24Advertising.00:25A lot of advertising agencies are starting to see the00:27importance of user experience and factoring that into the00:31methodology.00:33Business consulting and analysis.00:36That's an industry where people are constantly talking00:38to business, end users, and prioritising.00:41And also strategy.00:43The whole idea being to help an organisation create a road00:47map of where they want to go to.00:50Social science.00:51It's all about researching, researching humans.00:53And therefore user experience and social science00:56have a lot in common.00:58Market research.01:00A lot of organisations use market research to get some01:03insight into what's happening in the market and potentially01:06what the behaviours of the consumers are.01:08Graphic design, which overlaps with web design to a certain01:11extent in the online space.01:13Also makes use of user experience and visual design01:16to communicate the product or the service, or in this case,01:19the website to the end user.01:21And finally, front end and back end website system01:24development.01:26That's another area where user experience is helping to01:30ensure the product that's being built-- the website or01:32the system-- is fit for use, and also engaging.01:36User experience is all about insight-driven design.01:39So in fact, any discipline can make use of user experience01:42and its methodologies.01:44Now, there's another word that's come into the market,01:49and it's called customer experience.01:53Many use that interchangeably, but there's a slight bit of01:56difference between the two.

01:58User experience is about all aspects of an experience a02:01user has with a single product or service.02:05However, customer experience goes up one level.02:09It's about the customer, about the consumer, and all their02:12experiences with the service or product that the02:15organisation [INAUDIBLE].02:17And finally, service design.02:24Here's another discipline that's overlapping with user02:27experience and customer experience.02:29And service design is about looking at the holistic02:32service an organisation provides to their customers.02:36So anything from the website to a mobile phone application.02:41In fact, anything that a customer uses that engages02:44them with the organisation can fall under the bucket of02:48service design.02:49Now, one final thing.02:51I've got a background in industrial design, and that's02:53all about designing products.02:55So I can see that industrial design is coming to overlap03:00with user experience.03:01The fact that now you have products that have one big03:04interface means that user experience and industrial03:07design need to form together to design the product to give03:11that end user experience to the user.03:14I hope now you have a better understanding of what user03:17experience is as a discipline, and how it overlaps with other03:20disciplines you may already be aware of or you might be03:23working within.03:24You now also understand that user experience, customer03:27experience, service design, and potentially industrial03:30design are other disciplines that are working very closely03:33with the notion of user experience.03:35In the next topic, I'm going to talk about some of the03:38characteristics you need to have to practise user03:41experience.

Pop Quiz 7:

Option B

Topic 8: Characteristics of a UX-erIn this topic, I'm going to talk to you about the00:12characteristics that make up a user experience practitioner.00:15Now, we like to call them a UXer, but at the same time,00:20they're known by many different titles--00:23information architect, graphic designer, designer, experience00:28architect, usability practitioner, human factors00:32specialist, and also customer experience designer.00:36So as you can see, the role of the title00:39doesn't really matter.00:40Having worked with these people, it's clear that we're00:43all following the same methodology.00:46Some of the key characteristics a UXer has00:48include obviously if you need to communicate clearly about00:53your research, about your design, and about your00:55findings from your evaluation.00:58Having an open mind.01:00As a designer you will often sit between the business and01:02the user, so you need to make sure that you look at every01:06perspective before you make a decision.01:08It's important to understand the design in the technology.01:11If you're designing websites it would be goo if you01:14understood how websites are put together, and some of the01:17limitations and opportunities that come

01:19with designing a website.01:21and being a problem solving some of the day you're looking01:25for problems designed to go to school also01:29putting the users first.01:30You should always think of the user first and foremost before01:33you actually put any designs to paper or make any decisions01:37that would impact how they will use your product.01:40Many people ask me how I got into user experience.01:44Well, it was accidental.01:45Most people tend to fall into user experience.01:48However, there's a few things you could do.01:50Considering it's multidisciplinary, you could01:53consider marketing, web design, market research,01:58anthropology, psychology, or some of the other disciplines02:02I talked about earlier in the topic.02:05The most important characteristics that I think a02:07user experience practitioner should know and02:10have is being flexible.02:12For me, it's all about the soft skills.02:14Because often you'll find yourself in between the user02:18and the business and it's a balancing act.02:24And as a practitioner, you will always end up finding02:27yourself being stretched and pulled on either side.02:30What I mean by soft skills is the things to do with02:33communication, understanding behaviours, rather than some02:37of the harder skills like technique.02:39End of the day, techniques are easy to understand.02:42However, if you can't communicate clearly, or you02:45can't rationalise your thoughts, you're going to02:47struggle to be fitting in to this middle position.02:50As the discipline evolves, I'm seeing more and more that UX02:53practitioners are starting to take on other roles,02:56specifically around coding of websites as well as doing the03:00graphic or the visual design.03:02But one thing you need to be aware of is that as a03:04practitioner you will sometimes be working alone,03:07but at the same times you may be working in bigger groups.03:10So being able to work within a team is key.03:14So, in this topic I've talked about some of the03:16characteristics of a UX practitioner.03:18Hopefully, you have some idea of the sort of things you03:21need, and hopefully you're already doing some of the03:24things within your workforce that can allow you to03:26transition into UX as a discipline.

03:30So this is the end of the module.03:32We've covered quite a bit, so let's do a quick recap.03:36So I've talked about user experience, what it is.03:39I've talked about usability and user centred design.03:43I've talked about what effects design of an interface.03:46I've highlighted the importance of knowing the03:48users, their needs, and business needs and sometimes03:51you have to balance both.03:52We've also discussed where user experience fits within03:55other disciplines and the overlap between them.03:58And finally I hope you have some idea of the04:00characteristics of a user experienced practitioner.04:04Hope to see you in Module 2.

Pop Quiz 8:

Option A

Assessment 1: Module 1

Ques 6: True

Ques 7: All of the given responses

Ques 9: True