effect mapping: a better way to get really usable results out of it projects

Effect Mapping: A Better Way to Get Really Usable Results Out of IT Projects

Jonas Söderström

InUse, Sweden

#effectmap

#ias11

@jonas_blind_hen

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at IA Summit

2010!

1994

Swedish governmentSwedish parliamentIKEASonyEricsson

Case #1:Örebro Municipality

Photo: Joakim Johansson (Alendri)/ flickr

Full focus on user’s needs

Among top 3 municipality web sites (of 290) in three different evaluations

No traditional specifications document

Case #2:The Swedish Pensions Agency

Photo: Tobias Bjorkgren/ flickr

Voted”Best public sector web site 2010” by the users

The Web Service Award

effect mapping

{methodology

effect mapping{artifact

Plug in for project models

Project models focus on time and budget, but in fact

ignores the quality of the delivered product.

tweetable

Effect mapping puts focus on the quality-in-use of the end product.

tweetable

effect mapping

Effects

Effect agents

Usage goals

Actions

1

2

3

4

Effects1

effect mapping

”Userfriendlyness”

resultsvalue

benefits

effects

Desired benefits arise only in use.

If it isn’t used, it won’t have any effect whatsoever.

desired effects

meansmetrics

”implement version 2.0 of system X”

”get more visitors to the web site”

”shift to a more modern CMS”

”need a muchmore stable

platform”

”must increase revenue from

ads and sales”

”want to publish faster,

with less effort”☞

☞

☞

”need a muchmore stable

platform”

”must increase revenue from

ads and sales”

”want to publish faster,

with less effort”☞

☞

☞

”downtime less than0.1 %”

”conversion rate up from x to y %”

”decrease time to publish page from 10 to 2 min”

• Interviews with stakeholders

• 2 – 3 workshops with decision makers

• ”Why? Why? Why? Why?”

• What should be the lasting improvement, after the project is over?

• Buy-in on desired effects, KPI / metrics

effect mapping{artifact

✘ #

#Effects More efficient order management

time/order -30 %

mistakes -60 %

This is not entirely new.

What has proved succesful is the way to tie the goals to users and their usage goals.

Effects1

effect mapping

effect mappingEffect agents2

✘ #

#Effects More efficient order management

time/order -30 %

mistakes -60 %

? ? ?

(If it isn’t used, their will be no effects.)

Which users can create the desired effects?

User research

Interviews

Observations

Log analysis

Contextual analysis

Whatever!

demographics

People with similar needs, expectations or behaviour when using the product.

What interface do you like? Are you computer literate?

Can you help us to reach the goal? How?

✘ #

#Effects

Effect agents

More efficient order management

time/order -30 %

mistakes -60 %

Order recipient

Real-world examples

Case #3:The National Board of Health and Welfare’s web site

✘Follow our rules!Effects

Effect agents

nurses doctors health admins

Case #3:The National Board of Health and Welfare’s web site

Traditional web site with ”news”

Interviews with +40 users

Noone was interested in news or read them!

Case #3:The National Board of Health and Welfare’s web site

Get answers!

Medical questions, specific

Advice on malpractice issues

✘Follow our rules!Effects

Effect agents

need fact

want advise

Case #3:The National Board of Health and Welfare’s web site

Get answers!

Medical questions, specific

Advice on malpractice issues

Have my say!

Want to influence, critizise, suggest

✘Follow our rules!Effects

Effect agents

need fact

want advise

want tospeak

effect mappingEffect agents2

effect mappingUsage goals3

What are the user’s goals? Why would they use it?

The key to success is

Understanding user’s goals

... and aligning them with business goals.

Usage goals

✘ #

#

#Usage goals

More efficient order management

time/order -30 %

mistakes -60 %

Order recipient

Effects

Effect agents

incomplete orders -75 %

Want fewer incomplete

forms

Usage goals

Want Must

Need

The solution must satisfy all goals

✘Follow our rules!Effects

Effect agents

• need fact

• want advise

• want to speak• must

follow rules

• must follow rules

• must follow rules

Usage goals

Real-world documentThe Swedish Social Insurance Agency

effect mappingUsage goals3

effect mapping

Actions4

✘ #

#

#Usage goals

More efficient order management

time/order -30 %

mistakes -60 %

Order recipient

Effects

Effect agents

incomplete orders -75 %

Want fewer incomplete

forms

✔ ✔

✔ ✔Actions

Simplify order formValidation

✔ ✔

✔ ✔Actions

Simplify order formValidation

✘ #

#

#Usage goals

time/order -30 %

mistakes -60 %Effects

Effect agents

incomplete orders -75 %

More efficient order management

Order recipient

Want fewer incomplete

forms

✔ ✔

✔ ✔Actions

Simplify order formValidation

✘ #

#

#Usage goals

time/order -30 %

mistakes -60 %Effects

Effect agents

incomplete orders -75 %

More efficient order management

Order recipient

Want fewer incomplete

forms

Input to IA, interaction,

graphic design

Case #4:Big pharma: retro-fitting effects

IT system tracking samples

After 3 years:+300 change requests

Go back:What were the original benefits expected?

IT system tracking samples

90 request were irrelevant to the desired benefits

Saved: 1,5 years of system development

To summarize:Increased buy-in

Unified document

Goal in sight

Tracability

Built-in measurements

Focus on benefits for the organisation ...

... and qualities of use for the user

Questions?• Effect managment?

• UX/IT in Sweden?

• My book ”Stupid bloody system! – UX as a cause of stress in the workplace”?

• The welfare state?

• The Swedish Bikini Team?

jonas.soderstrom@inuse.se

Twitter:Jonas_Blind_Hen

Slideshare:Jonas_inUse

In English:www.javlaskitsystem.se/english

Cell:+4673–660 32 14

Be in touch!

Photo: Björn Falkevik