Why Design Matters

Why Design Matters

Will TschumyUser Experience Evangelist

www.ux-strategy.com415.420.3746

Maybe you’ve noticed recently that Design seems like it’s the new

Maybe you’ve noticed recently that Design seems like it’s the newBlack

Why?

“I thought design was just about making it pretty”

Turns out, No

Turns out, NoDesign makes business sense

The proof is in the returns

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Year 1Year 3

Year 5

Design Organizations

S&P 500

Stock performance of 63 “Design Oriented Companies” versus the S&P 500 over 1, 3 and 5 years 

Courtesy, Peer Research 2007, Fast Company, October 2007

A Valuable Investment• “Every $1 invested in usability returns

between $10 and $100” -- IBM, Cost-Justifying Ease of Use

• Investing 10% of a total project budget yields:Metric ReturnSales/ Conversion rate  100%Visitors/ Traffic

150%

User Performance / Productivity 161%

Use of (Key) Features 202%

Jakob Nielson, Return on Investment for Usability

Tales from my own career• A mid-western utility was able to cut average customer

support call cost from ~$10 to less that $1.00 per incident as a result of redesigning their web presence

• A major eCommerce retailer saw a 45% increase in average order size as a result of redesigning their shopping experience

• The same retailer saw a 10% conversion increase as a result of better organizing product information

• Implementation / customization costs for an Enterprise Software Vendor were cut by 40% as a result of a better “out-of-the-box” experience

It also turns out, our old measures of our customers weren’t so good…

“In business after business, our research has shown that 60-80% of customers who defected said on a survey just prior that they were ‘satisfied’ or very ‘satisfied’…”

--Frederick F. Reichheld, The Loyalty Effect: The Hidden Force Behind Growth, Profits, and Lasting Value

“Brands have run out of juice. More and more people in the world have grown to expect great performances from products, services and experiences.”

--Kevin Roberts, CEO Saatchi & Saatchi Lovemarks

So what is Design?

So what is Design?Design is a process that balancesconflicting sets of constraints

A Model…

The Experience Preference Model™

Rejection

• Negative Differentiation

• Warns against• War Stories

Acceptance

• No Differentiation

• Commodity Zone

• Who?

Preference

• Positive Differentiation

• Willing to recommend

• Personal Identification

“It’s not the function of the business, but the effect of business that creates the value…

The world has changed from making and selling product to sensing and responding to how the customer feels”

‐‐ Lou Carbone, CEO Experience EngineeringClued In: How to Keep Customers Coming Back Again and Again

How your users feel is the new

How your users feel is the new Black

The User Experience Lifecycle

Attract

Orient

InteractRetain

Advocate

How do users find you?

Do they know what to do?

Do you make them feel good?

Will they use you again?

Will they tell their friends?

Put a different way

Put a different wayAdvocacy is the key indicator of long term customer value and retention

How do I do it?

Maslow’s Hierarchy

Self‐Actualization

Esteem

Love / Belonging

Safety

Physiological

A Design View of Maslow

Desirable

Efficient

Usable

Useful

Functional

Courtesy of Rob Girling, Artefact Group

So if I’m desirable, I’m all set?

So if I’m desirable, I’m all set?Not exactly. There are other considerations…

So if I’m desirable, I’m all set?Not exactly. There are other considerations…Design is a process that balances

conflicting sets of constraints

What’s Viable?

What’sPossible?

What’sDesirable?

For every problem, 3 Constraints

Larry Keeley, Doblin Group, among others

What’sPossible?

What’sDesirable?

Business: What can I bear?• How much can we sell it for?

• How much can it cost?• Is there acceptable ROI/NPV?

What’s Viable?

For every problem, 3 Constraints

Larry Keeley, Doblin Group, among others

What’s Viable?

What’sDesirable?

Technology: What can I do?• With my technology?• Within regulatory constraints?• Within business constraints?

What’sPossible?

For every problem, 3 Constraints

Larry Keeley, Doblin Group, among others

What’s Viable?

What’sPossible?

Design: What should I do?• Who are my users?• What are their needs?• What is their mental model?

What’sDesirable?

For every problem, 3 Constraints

Larry Keeley, Doblin Group, among others

What was the first MP3 player in the US market?

Diamond Rio PMP300Introduced November 1998

So why do most of us have…

Apple iPodIntroduced October, 2001

Why didn’t the Diamond Rio win?• It had better battery life• More storage• Could play more formats• It was the first on the market by almost 2

years• It was more functional

It solved the wrong problemIt balanced the wrong constraints

Different Scales of Problems

Pattern Optimizing

Pattern Breaking

• Incremental Refinements

• Evolutionary

• New Mode of Interaction

• Revolutionary

A less Abstract view

Existing Market, Offering or Activity

New Market, Offering or Activity

Existing CustomersPattern

Optimizing?

New Customers ?PatternBreaking

So what’s different?

Apple iPodOctober, 2001

Apple iPod & iTunesOctober, 2001

The Results• Apple is no longer “Apple Computer”• #1 Music retailer in the world (surpassing

WalMart stores)• Controls approximately 80% of the MP3

player market• Just sold their 5 Billionth sold

So what skills do I need?

4 key Skill Areas• Effective Brainstorming• Solving the Right Problem• User Research• Prototyping & Evaluation

Brainstorming is a free-for-all

Brainstorming is a free-for-allThis is why most brainstorming fails

Dr. Min Basadur

Author of The Power of Innovation, and Simplex: A Flight to Creativity

GK Van Patter

Elizabeth Pastor

Brainstorming is a process

Brainstorming is a processit takes skill

Brainstorming is a processit takes skillit must be explicitly described

Brainstorming is a processit takes skillit must be explicitly described and must be managed

Two Key Concepts

• No Judgement• No Logic• Relax• Quantity• Stream of Options• Radical Options• Think in Pictures• Be impractical!• Build on ideas

• Judgement on Explicit Criteria

• Yes Logic• Clarify Meanings• Avoid Tribal Language• Use Relevant Criteria• Consider Risky Options• Modify & Refine• Move Towards Action

Diverge<

Converge>

The Most Critical Brainstorming Skill

Diverge<

Converge>

Deferral of Judgment

Separate divergent and convergent

thinking

Quick Exercise 1: Build a better…• I need two vict… err volunteers

• Person 1: Start coming up with ideas to improve a cell phone

• Person 2: Begin each of your replies with “but…”

Ouch! Phrases that kill• A good idea, but…• Against company policy.• Alright in theory• Be practical• Costs too much• Don't start anything yet• It needs more study• It's not budgeted• It's not good enough• It's not part of your job• Let's make a survey first• Let's sit on it for a while• That's not our problem

• The boss won't go for it• The old timers won't use it• Too hard to administer• We've been doing it this

way for a long time and it works

• Why hasn't someone else suggested it before if it's a good idea?

• Ahead of the time• Let's discuss it• Let's for a committee• We've never done it that

way• Who else has tried it?

Quick Exercise 2: Build a better…• I need two more vict… err volunteers

• Person 1: Start coming up with ideas to improve a cell phone

• Person 2: Begin each of your replies with “and…”

Other tools for Brainstorming• Explore Tangents• Invert• Break apart• Combine• Build on other ideas• Transpose structures• Look for parallels

Quick Exercise 3: Add a line…

…And make 6

Great. Now I can solve my problem.

Great. Now I can solve my problem.What problem?

Great. Now I can solve my problem.What problem?Are you sure?

Solving the right problemStart with our brainstorming skills

“Fuzzy Situation” Problem

Problem Solution

Solution  Action

The process is cyclical

Solving the right problem: A Tale of two products

Colgate‐ Palmolive’s iPod

“A better striped green bar…”• Dial spent 3 years looking for a better

striped green bar• They tested dozens of different

formulations, but never found one that consumers preferred to Irish Spring

• By the end of 3 years, the team was ready to quit

What if that’s the wrong question?

Challenge MappingA tool for Problem Definition1. Ask “Why” or “What’s stopping us” from

solving the challenge2. Answer the question in a complete,

simple statement3. Reframe the statement into a new

challenge: “How might we…”

The most powerful tools available

Challenge Mapping

Why?

How Might We make a better green striped bar?

Challenge Mapping

Why?

How Might We make a better green striped bar?

How Might We regain market share?

Check the relationship by asking “What’s Stopping Us?”

Challenge Mapping

How Might We make a better green striped bar?

How Might We regain market share?

How Might We make a more refreshing 

bar?

Why?

What’s Stopping?

Why?

What’s Stopping?

Dial’s iPod‐killer

User Research: Knowing who you’re designing for

Two basic categories of researchQualitative• Low number of participants• Open ended questions• Can be time intensive• Direct observation• Good at helping to frame

unbounded questions• Not statistically significant• Targets unknown unknowns• Good for Pattern Breaking

problems

Quantitative• High number of participants• Closed questions• Tend to be faster• Indirect study• Good at investigating

specific areas or comparisons

• Statistically relevant• Targets known unknowns• Good for Pattern Optimizing

problems

Qualitative: Immersive research

Intercept interviews on the street…to get quick reactions to questions

Camera studies allow people to interpret their

environment and activities when we can’t be there

What People Say and Make

Semi-structured interviews in customers’ workplaces to gather information on their daily activities and needs

• Ethnography is the study of customers in the natural context of their everyday lives.

• We may meet participants at their workplace, on the street, or in their home, combining interviews with observation of what they normally do.

• This research captures what people actually do, not what they say they do, or what they think they do.

• Understanding of their social environment reveals unmet user needs, motivations, beliefs, frustrations, and decision-making processes.

Qualitative: Ethnography

• In order to validate the hypotheses we form based on ethnographic research and/or benchmark and comparative usability tests, we may conduct online or phone surveys, or focus groups

• Both surveys and focus groups provide self-reported qualitative and/or quantitative data that informs market/user segmentation as well as the business strategy

online focus phonesurveys surveysgroups

Quantitative: Surveys & Focus Groups

I’ve done my research, now what?

I’ve done my research, now what?Find a big, big wall or whiteboard

Playing with Post-its1. As you write and place post-it notes,

patterns begin to emerge2. Move the post-its into related groups3. These groups will become the basis of

your personas

Persona? What’s a persona?

A Persona is…• A research-based fictional proxy for a

specific segment of your user population• Unique representation of user needs• Stand-in for your users during design time• Not a marketing segment• Not a creative writing exercise (GIGO)

Some challenges with Personas• The “Magic happens here” moment• Tends to be limited to the design team• Personas are great for teams that have

bought in. For teams that are new to this process, other methods may be preferable

• The Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology (IID) has created an alternative method called Elito

More information is available at: http://trex.id.iit.edu/ideas/elito/ElitoPrototype.html

Elito: Process & FrameworkA cross-disciplinary process where the team records their findings in a common format:

• Observation: What objective reality did I observe: Photos, Videos, Audio recordings

• Insight: What “ah-ha” moment did I derive from this? How do I understand the problem space more deeply as a result

• Value: Why is this insight / observation important to the user? • Design Concept: What is starting point for my solution as a

result of these?• Metaphor: What is the simple, compelling narrative that

explains the above?

Elito benefits• Democratizes the design and research

process. With training, any member of the team can easily work with the framework

• Provides ‘traceability’ for the design solution. In the event scope changes, Elitoprovides guidance on what elements are impacted

Prototyping: Build to Think

Courtesy, IDEO

Courtesy, IDEO

“…’demo or die!’ … it’s not enough to have brilliant ideas; you have to be able to demonstrate them. You have to get people to want to play with them.”

--Michael SchrageSerious Play

“In the real world, prototypes quickly become tools for negotiating trade-offs… What features must be sacrificed to reduce costs 20%?... Should we ship with 85% finished…or wait 10 weeks to get quality to 98%?”

--Michael SchrageSerious Play

A Prototype is…• An abstraction that explores a specific

aspect of your design• A communication medium that clarifies

concepts• An ambiguity reduction machine• Iterative• Of different levels of detail, depending on

where you are in the design process

Rough sketches - or paper-base prototypes - shared with customers early in the design process to get their feedback on various homepage concepts. The team was able to “test” the concepts while exploring their needs and expectations in greater depth.

Prototypes can be valuable at any level of detail, depending on where you are in the process

Scenario outlines the major features of the business or application

Profiles are based off of user research, and are consistent with both the value map and the business model

Light-weight prototypes allow for testing the interaction design of

applications

Because prototypes are tools for evaluating concepts, the value of a prototype is directly proportional to the time it take to go from N to N+1

R.I.T.E: Rapid Iterative Testing & Evaluation

Testing Hierarchies

Site Map 1. My Tools

Added by Chris

electronic messagingmanager selectionportfolio management toolsresearch datainvestment managementinvestment mgmt. Firms

Chris McNiellie-- BellSouth/Atlanta-- Aug. 14 2000

3. Communication

global market informationspeaker eventsannual reportwhite paperschairman’s viewpointpublicationsexecutive speechespress releasesmarket datawebcasts (llive & archived)chat rooms/disc. Forumsexternal news feedindustry newsPresident/CEOs viewpoint

2. Industry watch

product informationproduct demosonline product traininghelpFAQSTT associated websites

3. Customerservice

account maintenanceaccount reportingportfolio accounting

1. Accounting2. Performance &

analytics

analysispoliicy monitoringERPrivate EdgeSecurities Lendingfundamental dataaccount information downloadsperformance & analytics

equity executionfixed income executioncredit servicestrusts & investmentscustodysecurities lendingbrokerage servicescurrency managementtrade order management toolscorporate trustcurrency executionasset servicingcash management

4. Servicesoffered

Respondents can work as teams, discussing individual views of the information hierarchy aloud.

Card sorting is useful in early stages of development to prioritize and cluster potential content offerings, find new content areas of value, and identify new areas of functionality.

This technique helps identify a user-centric view of the information architecture and nomenclature.

Users make word-to-image associations when describing their collage to the group / facilitator, and articulate what a product / brand / interface SHOULD be as well as what it SHOULD NOT be.

Users can voice tacit perceptions that would otherwise not emerge in a focus group setting through non-verbal exercises. Collaging helps to elicit metaphorical associations or attitudes users have with specific topic areas.

Testing concepts

Testing InteractionsHTML-based prototype (without final visual design) test the navigation and site functionality. Testing highlighted opportunities to streamline the site structure and overall user experience.

Usability testing identifies quick fixes that could be made before launch and those that would be addressed in subsequent launches.

Collaborative sessions with constituents co-design possible screens. Constituents provide immediate input and feedback -developing and revising paper-based prototypes on the fly.

One final thought

One final thoughtStay focused, and remember…

“A Designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away”

Antoine de Saint-Exupery Author: The Little Prince

Thank You!

Will TschumyUser Experience Evangelist

www.ux-strategy.com415.420.3746