A thing or two about User Experience

A THING OR TWO ABOUT

UXYael KerenUX Expert

Feb 2013

50% chance of putting it in right

Get it wrong 89% of the time

Agenda

The UX process

Key points to remember

What is UX

Who am I

Who am I

Yael Keren

BSc. Industrial Engineering & Management

Business analyst & Production planner @ HP Indigo

Software Developer @ SAP

MSc. Human Factors Eng. (Human Computer Interaction)

Usability Researcher @ Deutche Telekom Labs

UX Consultant @ Aman UI & Design

UX Architect @ HP Software

WHAT IS UX

Our Goal

and be happy

People will use the system

A user will be happy when…

The system helps the user finish his task quickly without errors

• He feels in control

• He understands how to do what he wants to do

• He does not have to think to much

• No memory/visual load on the user

• He does not make errors

User Centered Design

User Centered Design is a development methodology that focuses on the real needs of the user throughout the development process.

User Centered Design

“What functionality should the app provide?”

“Which user goals should this app support?”

“What features are we able to add?”

“What is Alice’s primary goal in this scenario?”

“Someone may want to…”

“How important is it for Alice to…?”

What is UX

User experience (UX) is how a person feels when interfacing with a system.

What is UX

What is UX

• Learnability• Efficiency• Affordance• Mapping• Visibility• Simplicity• Performance• Information architecture• Navigation• Feedback

• Mental models• Intuitiveness• Consistency• Familiarity• Accessibility• Fun • Prevent errors• Interaction• Aesthetic• Predictable

Some interesting findings

Users don’t read!

Some interesting findings

Users don’t read!

• Avoid long texts• Emphasize key words• Start with conclusion• Don’t rely on “Help”• Use Images

Some interesting findings

8% are color blind

Some interesting findings

8% are color blind

• Color should not be the only indication

For all population – • Good contrasts• Readable fonts (San serif)• Large enough fonts• Consider lighting

Some interesting findings

Short term memory = 7 +- 2 items

• Recognition instead of recall• Use categories• Few items in menu dropdowns• Few icons• Reduce memory load

Some interesting findings

• Aesthetics matter! • Users do not change the default options

Reaction times• Up to 0.1 sec – No need for feedback• Up to 1 sec – Slight delay but attention is not affected• Up to 10 sec – Must act to keep user’s attention• More than 10 sec – User will give up

THE UX PROCESS

User Centered Design

Task Analysis

Research• Who are the users? (personas)

• Computer experience?• Expert/Incidental users?

• What are their goals?• What are their tasks?• How frequently do they perform each task?• What is the workflow?

Observe the users!

Task Analysis

"If I'd asked my customers what they wanted, they'd have said a faster horse…"

Henry Ford

We are not the users!

70% more users left the site after getting the new tab

Task Analysis - Example

Task Frequency (1-4)

View objectives and KPI 1

View the overtime trend 2

View formula 3

View threshold values 3

Change settings 4

In XS:

Conceptual Design

Defining the window layout and a navigation flow

No graphic design!

No Details!

Conceptual Design

Scorecard

KPI KPI

KPIKPI

Historical View

Many KPIs

CIOFinan

ceVP

People

Customer

Scorecard

KPI KPI

KPIKPI

Historical View

Many KPIs

CIOFinan

ceVP

People

Customer

Explorer

Detailed Design

Detailed definition of the windows and components

Keep in Mind• Does it support the main use cases?• Time to complete the main tasks?• Prioritize (80-20) according to frequency of use

Prioritization (80-20)We best support the actions that the user performs 80% of the time

Task Frequency (1-4)

View objectives and KPI 1

View the overtime trend 2

View formula 3

View threshold values 3

Change settings 4

1

2 3

Graphic Design“Attractive things work better” (Donald A. Norman)

Validation• Usability tests

• A/B testing

• User observations

• Think aloud

• Eye tracking

• Focus groups

• Surveys

• Forum discussions

• Expert review

Validation goals• How customers use the system (workflows)• Who are the actual users• What is their purpose of using the system• Which components are used• Which components are not used (why?)• What is the frequency of use• Unclear processes/elements/components• What customers believe would help them perform their

work better

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Agile and UX

KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER

Look and Feel• Looks like XS

Look and Feel• Alignment

Look and Feel• Contrasts

Clear Errors

Feedback

Short texts

Consistency• Use same terms / locations / icons / behavior

User in control• The user knows

where he is

• The user knows what to press

• The user knows what will happen when he presses the link/button

Defaults• Use defaults to save time for the user

No un-necessary elements • No buttons the

user will never press

• No un-used space

What we discussed today

• Hi, I am Yael• What makes a good user experience• What does the user really need? • Things to watch out for in XS

Some interesting findings

Gestalt• Proximity – Objects that are close to each other are

perceived as a group

• Similarity -  Objects that are similar to each other are perceived as a group

• Closure – Objects (shapes, letters, pictures, etc.) that are not complete are still perceived as being whole.

• Symmetry - The mind perceives objects as being symmetrical and forming around a center point