open plans user testing workshop

Testing & User ResearchWorkshop

Photo Credit: kaboodle.com

“The best tool for resolving disputes within a

design team, for making design decisions based

on data rather than opinion, is sitting next to

someone who is a real person who wants to

accomplish something as they use your design to

do it.”

--Dana Chisnell, August 2, 2010

Btw I’m Cyd Harrell

I’m UX Evangelist at Code for America

My favorite tools: empathy and duct tape

Today’s Agenda

10:00-10:15: intros

10:15-11:30: core user research technique

11:45-12:30: your research set-up

1:30 - 2:45: recruiting participants

3:00 - 4:00: going beyond usability

#1 Find out about the people who will use your thing#2 Align your core team around what you’re doing to do#3 Find out what your core team is up against in their work

Research

The hardest two things about research:‣ providing the prompt‣ collecting the response

Oversimplification Alert

The hardest two three things about research:‣ providing the prompt‣ collecting the response‣ getting everyone to buy in

Oversimplification Alert

The hardest three four things:‣ getting the right participants‣ providing the prompt‣ collecting the response‣ getting everyone to buy in

Oversimplification Alert

o.k. so a few things are hard

Let’s jump right in

What’s the latest with UX Research?

WHAT’S DIFFERENT IN 2014

Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project, January 2014

WHAT’S DIFFERENT IN 2014

Source: Knight Foundation Digital Access Update, February 2014

TOOLKIT

TOOLKIT

REMEMBER!BEgraceful

When All Your

TECHNOLOGY

BREAKS

uximresearch.tumblr.com

Now we do a little experiment

EXERCISE #1“Giraffe”

‣ 2 groups per table

‣ Pick one moderator and one participant

‣ 10 minutes of observation

MODERATOR Instructions

Your participant has a sheet of paper and that’s it

Goal: find out what kind of physical task instructions work

Hint: ask them to give you a play by play of what they are doing

Try and follow along with your own paper

NO helping, even if you could.

It’s A RACE

You only have 10 minutes to do this max.

Surprises?

Useful phrases 1the approach

“Hi, would you like to participate in a study today?”“I’m working to improve XXXX for citizens and I’m collecting feedback.”

Useful phrases 2reassurance

“This isn’t a test of you, it’s a test of the system”“There are no right or wrong answers”“Positive and negative feedback is equally valuable”“Nothing you say is going to hurt my feelings”

Useful phrases 3instructions

“I just need you to be yourself and act as you naturally would”“One little thing I’d like you to do differently is talk aloud as you use this today”

Useful phrases 4,5,6,7keeping the conversation going

“mm-hm” “oh interesting” “sure, I hear you” “right” “ok” “uh-huh” (lather, rinse, repeat)

Useful phrases 8probes

“Can you tell me a little more about that?”“When you did X a minute ago, can you tell me how you made that choice?”“Talk me through what happened there.”

Useful phrases 9ratings

“If you had to give this a letter grade, you know A, B, C, D, F like we used to get in school, what would you give it?”

Useful phrases 10self-explanatory

“Thank you so much, I really appreciate your taking the time to talk to me.”

DESIGNINGUSER STUDIES

FIND THE RIGHT PARTICIPANTSuximresearch.tumblr.com Photo Credit: Ed Yourdon

Photo from blog post by Dustin Larimer http://www.dustinlarimer.com/design-management-summer-camp/

OFFER A TASK

SCRIPT FOR CUSTOMIZATION

“Please look for a pair of pink pumps in your size.”

“Please look for a pair of shoes you’d like to buy”

MODERATED must-haves

Consent

Tech set-up

The beef

De-installation

Thanks & incentive

AUTOMATED must-haves

Expectation setting

Instructions

The beef

Thanks & incentive

Photo from blog post by Dustin Larimer http://www.dustinlarimer.com/design-management-summer-camp/

STREAM & RECORD WHAT HAPPENS.

BREAKPhoto Credit: Sorin Petcu

Testing & User Research

Part 2: your set-up

What’s New with Research Tools?

Remote Design Research

Definition:

Research where the participant is not sharing physical space with the researcher.

% of qualitative research done remotely*

* Source: My wild guess

In personRemote (2008)Remote (2012)

ScreenEasier

Sharing

Awesome compared to this!

PrototypeSo Many

Tools

Flinto

Experience SamplingTask-driven

iOS & Android

Mobile ClientSimultaneous

Website Testing

WHOSE DEVICE?

Photo Credit: groundsel, inju

Pro:‣ better context‣ more comfortable users

Con: ‣ extra installation time‣ less control

Pro tips for working with users’ own phones:

‣ Have a backup iPhone and backup Android device on hand.

‣ Make a power strip part of your testing station

‣ Have chargers for all the phones you’re expecting

‣ Instruct participants to install necessary apps in advance, but leave time in case they don’t

‣ Adjust the screen brightness before you start each session

Pro tips for offering lab devices:

‣ Have a backup iPhone and backup Android device on hand.

‣ Charge devices between every session.

‣ Remove passwords, lock screens, etc.

‣ Dry-run every aspect of the test, since you have the opportunity.

uximresearch.tumblr.com

Physical Setup for Mobile Tests

Photo Credit: Diane Loviglio, Mozilla

Real Talk About Holding Phones

Source: Steve Hoober in UX Matters, February 2013

Test Targets

PROTOTYPES, WIREFRAMES, SKETCHES?

HECK YES.

Photo from blog post by Dustin Larimer http://www.dustinlarimer.com/design-management-summer-camp/

PAPER PROTOTYPES, POST-IT STYLE

Photo from UX Magazine article by Tania Lang

PAPER PROTOTYPES, WITH SCROLLING

Lo-ficlickable

prototypes

Photo from UX Magazine article by Tania Lang

Prototyping Apps for Higher Fidelity

Proto.ioFluidFlinto

PhoneGap

Photo from UX Magazine article by Tania Lang

Cool Hack:

Screenshots in an album or photostream

The hardest two things about research:‣ providing the prompt‣ collecting the response

In The Lab

Photo Credit: Hans Makkee

high resolution portable

streaming camera

Mobile ScreenRecording

Source: OpenDeviceLab.com

Device Labs

uximresearch.tumblr.com

EXERCISE #2“Roll Your Own”

‣ Share out

Taking Notes

Second monitor if possible

Excel Hack (remoteresear.ch/samples)

Observer Involvement

IM

Campfire (!)

Integrated Chat

Passing Notes

Questions?

Let’s do lunch

Testing & User Research

Part 3: recruiting participants

RECRUITING OPTIONS

‣ Grab someone in the hallway

‣ Grab someone who isn’t involved in your project

‣ IM your outside friends for a quick look

‣ Panels and recruiting agencies

‣ Real citizens from email & consent lists

‣ Physical & web intercepts

realness

TWITTER RECRUITING

ANATOMY OF A RECRUITING TWEET

@person we’re interviewing [job or characteristic] about [topic] on [dates] (paid research) -interested? [LINK]

I’m looking for [job or characteristic(s)] for a [research activity] on [dates] incentive $X [LINK] please RT

Pro tip: edit your profile to mention “UX Researcher” and “Current Study: Martian Life”

BIGGER THAN A TWEET

‣ Why are you doing this work?

‣ What exactly are you asking? (How much time, where, when)

‣ Who do you need? (tasks or demographics)

‣ Who is asking?

‣ Who vouches for you? (official sponsor or trusted leader)

‣ Will there be a reward or incentive?

‣ Can this be confidential or anonymous?

Screener constraints

Keep it short

Always ask an open-ended question

Different from surveys

Who gets paid?

MOBILE FORMS ARE GETTING WAY BETTER!

PANELS

“ What happens when you let go of a balloon?”

PRO TIP: HOW TO FIND ACTUAL SPEAKERS OF A LANGUAGE:

“ Qu'est-ce qui se passe quand vous lâchez un ballon? ”

WHAT PARTICIPANTS WORRY ABOUT

Who are you and who sent you?(can I trust you?)

Will participating affect my actual outcome?

Is this going to end up onYouTube?

remoteresear.ch/samples“Online Consent”

Paying Incentives

Collect minimal personal info

Deliver quickly

Appropriate for location

Paying Incentives“Free cookies and lemonade for your city feedback”

EXERCISE

‣ Consider format (poster, landing page, online form)

‣ Cover the questions

draft a recruiting appeal

‣ Why are you doing this work?

‣ What exactly are you asking? (How much time, where, when)

‣ Who do you need? (tasks or demographics)

‣ Who is asking?

‣ Who vouches for you? (official sponsor or trusted leader)

‣ Will there be a reward or incentive?

‣ Can this be confidential or anonymous?

share out

BREAK

Photo Credit: Mrs Magic

User Testing & Research

Part 4: going beyond usability

WHAT IF IT’S NOT USABILITY?

EXPERIENCE SAMPLING

EXPERIENCE SAMPLING

uximresearch.tumblr.com

Cyd ’s Results

Cyd ’s Results

CONCEPT & NAVIGATION TESTING:EXERCISE

UNMODERATED STUDIES

3 parts

Provide test target

Record user behavior

Capture comments (optional)

PrototypeUnmoderated

Testing

Mobile Diary Studies

iOS & Android

Results

Results

Results

CAPTURE WHAT HAPPENS.

Surveysvia SMS

About getting buy-in

A Few Words

How “Testing” Is Perceived

Numbers (& Numbers People) Are Your Friends

Photo Credit: Search Influence on Flickr

Video Is Another Friend

Photo Credit: Search Influence on Flickr

Try asking for

One Day$200

People To Watch

Photo Credit: Search Influence on Flickr

“Fix the machine, not the person” -- Aaron Swartz, 9.25.12

Actual Advice

There’s always a way

Questions?

cyd@codeforamerica.org

@cydharrell

Thanks for coming.

Go run some awesome research.Photo Credit: Wade Rockett on Flickr