Lean UX Secrets: 5 UX Hacks to Build Better Experiences, Faster

Sarah Weise, UX Director, Booz Allen Hamilton @weisesarah

Lean UX Secrets

UX Hacks to Build Better Experiences, Faster

I want to tell you a story about the first UX project I ever worked on. It was over a decade ago, and it lasted a full year…

We analyzed customer segments, and idenBfied and recruited a ton of users in each of those segments. We made sure to select a staBsBcally significant number of parBcipants from each group so that we could report our findings with scienBfic precision – confidence intervals and margin of error. I was doing t-‐tests and z-‐tests to find out which recommendaBons should go in Phase I versus Phase 2. I even remember bringing my old college staBsBcs textbook to work with me!

We conducted our research in a lab with a two-‐way mirror. We filmed the test parBcipants and went back and watched the tests mulBple Bmes, scruBnizing facial expressions and body language.

By the end of the year, we had a big honkin’ report. There were over 100 findings. We actually had tables to group and categorize all of the findings. It was in a binder like this. With a cover page slaved over by a graphic designer. This was my first UX job, and at the Bme I was so proud of this report. It was massive. It showed off all the hard work we did.

The best part…

Over 10 years later, their website is largely the same. Only 2-‐3 recommendaBons had been implemented out of 100+, and those were preRy much low hanging fruit.

This process stole a year of my life. Countless billable hours, your taxpayer dollars, painstaking work, meeBngs and staBsBcal nonsense. Are you familiar with this heartbreak?

“The biggest lie in software is Phase II.”

Jeff Gothelf

Over a decade later, the organizaBon re-‐engaged us. Some of the very same clients, actually. But this Bme, our process was lean. In under a month, we had a substanBally beRer product. With far less work and hassle. Clients parBcipated in the process, and became our advocates. It leW me thinking… Why can’t it always be like this?

PRIX FIXE MENU

Data Gathering :: choose one

Usability testing Create scenarios based on top tasks, craft post-test survey, and conduct 6 hours worth of one-on-one usability testing*

Web survey Create survey questions to solicit preference data and discover more about target audiences*

Existing data trends Evaluate existing data such as help desk tickets, web analytics, and/or survey data

Focus group Plan and lead 6 hours worth of focus group sessions*

Analysis :: choose one

Expert review SME evaluation of select screens from a website or application

Visual evaluation Analysis of branding strategy, colors, images, typography

Task analysis Evaluate paths to streamline information architecture

Persuasion, emotion, trust evaluation Evaluate how to more effectively move customers to take action

Stakeholder analysis Based on a web survey, focus group, or existing data if available

Pattern analysis Identify trends in existing data

Benchmark Compare my site to my competitors’ * Recruiting/scheduling not included

Presented in 2010 by Sarah Weise & Linna Ferguson, User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA)

Now this is not the first Bme I’ve asked myself this quesBon. In fact, I’ve spent my career trying to make UX as simple and effecBve as possible. 5 years ago, Linna and I even coined the term “Express Usability” at a UXPA conference in Munich, where we convinced a whole bunch of people to implement UX strategies in just 1 week with a fixed price menu approach, an idea that came to us aWer drinking heavily at a fixed price restaurant.

PRIX FIXE MENU

Deliverable :: choose one

Recommendations report Details top recommendations based on our analysis in a finding-rationale-recommendation format

Screen-by-screen findings report Points out areas on each page that can be improved

Design concepts Pair with the visual evaluation: two alternate design concepts

Information architecture recommendations Navigational outline or flow chart detailing enhancements to organization and page flow

Wireframe(s) Visually displays layout recommendations; interactive prototyping may be an option if time permits

Trend report Pair with the pattern analysis or benchmark; couple with stakeholder analysis if data is available and time permits

Presented in 2010 by Sarah Weise & Linna Ferguson, User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA)

TOP UX HACKS Time-saving, inventive techniques

1 Play Mad Libs

2 Personas (Lite But Deep)

3 Start with Heuristics

4 Quick & Dirty Usability Testing

5 Journey Mapping… Just Sketch It

HACK 1 / PLAY MAD LIBS

HACK 1 / PLAY MAD LIBS

•  There’s no dial-in number Maximize human connection with pure attention and focus. 4 – 20 people.

•  No phones, tablets, laptops We have a short time with you. We have to focus!

•  Goal is to generate a lot of ideas quickly There are deadlines and timers for each activity.

•  ELMO Pretend your in an elevator. Talk quickly and stay on topic. Call ELMO. Parking lot for off-topic ideas.

•  We are not in the idea or ego squashing business We succeed through a breadth of perspectives and concepts. Not just execs.

Step 1: Schedule a “Hands-On Strategy Session”

HACK 1 / PLAY MAD LIBS Step 2: Mad Libs

FOR: target customer WHO NEEDS: services/features UNLIKE: competitors/alternatives WE ARE A: business type WE PROVIDE: emotional benefit WE STAND OUT BY: key differentiator

HACK 1 / PLAY MAD LIBS Step 3: Wall Voting

Retirees

Entrepreneurs

Lottery Winners

Busy CEO’s


Retirees

Entrepreneurs

Lottery Winners

Busy CEO’s


Retirees

Entrepreneurs

Lottery Winners

Busy CEO’s

When everyone adds their votes, which ones do we need to discuss? VoBng saves Bme!

HACK 1 / PLAY MAD LIBS Step 4: Move popular stickies to top. Read vision statement across.

HACK 1 / PLAY MAD LIBS Step 4: Move popular stickies to top. Read vision statement across. Write it out.

Why would a UX director tell me to start by talking to internal staff (not users)?

In my opinion, the key difference between Lean UX and tradiBonal UX is the idea that UX professionals are NOT just advocates for the user. In Lean UX, we work to understand and define the business and product vision, and find where that intersects with customer needs. Let’s say we find out that users need bicycles, but the goal of the business is to sell unicycles. If we don’t take that into account, we’re going to be fighBng every step of the way, and our recommendaBons will never be implemented.

HACK 2 / PERSONAS (LITE BUT DEEP)

Hashtags are big. Let’s make sure there

are at least 4-5 on our homepage.


When I was 10 my father had a heart attack in front of me. From then I vowed to be prepared if that situation ever happened again. - Bill Winters


Personas instantly create empathy because it’s much easier for humans to relate to other humans.


Have people create personas in the strategy session. Instant empathy! It’s much easier for humans to relate to other humans.

Hi! My name is…

Description

Goals & Needs

Tech Usage (laptop, tablet, phone, wearables, favorite apps…)

Picture (yes, draw it!)

Age / Gender: Occupation: Key Emotional Driver:

1 page is more than enough Bullets are great. Quickly state what resonates

(and what doesn’t) for a customer.

Role play Stubborn exec or client? Have them role play. Ask

them to take on a persona and then ask a bunch of questions.

Hack of a hack

Only have 10 mins? Give a team a half-started persona and have them fill in the rest.


Can be visual Check out what’s on Amy’s

work station!


Deepen with image-based projective interviews

Want to see if your hypothesis is right? Image-based projective

interviews identify deep feelings behind behavior.

Talk about images

Ask participants to bring 10-15 images to the interview that reflect how they feel about your product /

problem you are trying to solve.


FEAR Of the unknown

For my life (helplessness) For my health and body For my family and kids

For my home. For nature, environment, planet

PROTECTION

For loved ones, especially kids

ANGER At the government


HACK 3 / START WITH HEURISTICS

For me, the site might work better

with a search.

No shit.

There’s nothing worse than wasting your time with users validating things you already know. Standards can be your friend. Identify best practices Don’t conduct user interviews until you’ve fixed the basics. Focus on patterns •  Presentation – Especially first impressions •  Navigation – Information architecture, page flow •  Top Tasks – Findable, action-oriented •  Content – Value, structure, timeliness

HACK 3 / START WITH HEURISTICS

HACK 4 / QUICK & DIRTY USABILITY TESTING

Bare minimum “tools” You can use a free screen share software like join.me, Google Hangout or WebEx and the phone. You don’t need pricey tools. Keep it small, then iterate! You’ll see trends with just 3-5 users. Make a few key changes, then test again with 3-5 users. Forget unmoderated testing Sounds tempting, but you’ll learn more qualitative data in less time from just a couple moderated sessions. You don’t need scenarios If you don’t have time or aren’t sure what to ask, have users walk you through what they generally do on the site. Don’t wait. Test wireframes or even sketches!

HACK 4 / QUICK & DIRTY USABILITY TESTING

HACK 5 / JOURNEY MAPPING… JUST SKETCH


30+ screens to apply for a job???

We streamlined it to 9 screens on the first pass using this technique.


TOP UX HACKS Time-saving shortcuts to bring back to your team 1 Play Mad Libs

2 Personas (Lite But Deep)

3 Start with Heuristics

4 Quick & Dirty Usability Testing

5 Journey Mapping… Just Sketch It

You now know new techniques to build better experiences, faster

BUILD. AWESOME. THINGS.

Sarah Weise @weisesarah linkedin.com/in/sarahweise/ [email protected] Slides from the full workshop If you liked this, you might also enjoy the 4-hour workshop version, conducted at Digital Summit conferences in 2014 – 2015. Workshop slides >