this product sucks! for midwest ux conference

“This Product Sucks!”A Sampler of Product Design Issues

20-minute version for Midwest UX 10Apr2011

Darren Kalldarrenkall@kallconsulting.com

@darrenkall#midwestux

KALL ConsultingCustomer and User Experience Design and Strategy

© Kall Consulting 2011

Where was this?

Audience Test

Does this product suck?

This product

is disturbing

but

does not suck.

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This product

is broken

but

does not suck.

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This product

is annoying

but

does not suck.

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This product

is ugly

but

does not suck.

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• .This product

is a lie

but

does not suck.

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YES.

This product sucks.

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One Dozen Products that Suck

Problem

Root Cause

Prevention

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Problem 1: Triathlon scenario = running, biking, swimming.

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Watch is ruined if you press buttons underwater.

Root Cause: Implementation or technology did not meet up with user scenario.

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Prevention:

•User scenarios

•Task flow analysis

•Usability test

•Beta test

•Customer concept validation

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Problem 2: Adaptive transmission not designed for a shared car or variable driving style.

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Root Cause: Designed for ideal-world case not real-world case.

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Prevention*:

•User research

•Workflow

•Task flow

•Activity cycles

•Beta test

* To credit VW, they redesigned and eventually dropped this feature.

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Pull or Push? Can you tell?

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Problem 3:

Even with signs users bang into doors.

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Root Cause:

Handle affordances not distinguishable.

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Prevention: Design for affordances. Things that look the same should act the same.

•Heuristic evaluation

•Usability checklist

•Remembering your own experiences

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Problem 4: Frustrating experience to pay for parking.

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Root Cause: Bad information architecture, bad visual design, bad task flow …

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Prevention: •Intentional IA design

•Task flow analysis

•Usability study

•Participatory Design

•Guerilla UX

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Problem 5: Scalding or freezing shower.

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Root Cause: Fixing bad UI in help, the manual, or in training.

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Prevention: Fix the product, not the user.

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Problem 6:

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Root Cause:

•Did not anticipate expected user behavior.

•Did not prevent fatal errors.

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Prevention:

•Do not design against engrained user behaviors

•Usability test

•Task flow analysis

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Problem 7: Believing “Don’t worry, we’ll fix it later.”

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Root cause: “Later” never happens.

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Prevention: Prioritize user-impacting “bugs”.

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Problem 8: Breaking user trust.

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Root cause:

•Telling lies

•Making mistakes

•Assuming customers can’t do math

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Prevention:

•Don’t lie

•Correct even minor mistakes – they accumulate

•Remember users are smarter than you think

Problem 9: The self-locking hotel internal bedroom suite door.

Photo Credit: Darren Kall

Root Cause: Things are not used in a vacuum – missed system design.

Photo Credit: Darren Kall

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Prevention:•Interactive system analysis•Beta testing•Fix stuff customers complain about

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Problem 10: No sidewalk where people want to walk.

“I’m the user damn it!”

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Root Cause: Prohibition does not work.

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•Prevention:

•Participatory design

•Catch the user

•Democratize design

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Problem 11: Can’t set alarm. Can’t follow directions. Don’t trust product.

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Root Cause: Product not designed for use. Instruction is a poor substitute for good design.

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Prevention: Usability test. Products should be easy to use.

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Problem 12: Unintended Acceleration

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Root Cause: “We lost sight of our customers” James Lentz

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Root Cause: “Complaint investigations focused too narrowly on technical without considering HOW consumers USED their vehicles.”

James

Lentz

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•Prevention: •Listen to customers

•Check if solution explains the user data (70% not the pedal)

•Test for worked “as used” not “as designed”

•Ethnographic research into drivers

•Analytics on real users to build test scenarios

•Listen to experts

• …

In Conclusion:

Don’t tolerate products that suck.

Don’t buy products that suck

And …

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Don’t

design

products

that

suck.Photo Credit

Don’t design products that suck:

1. Meet (advertised) user scenarios with capabilities2. Design for real-world use not ideal-world3. Distinguish affordances 4. Design with conscious intention5. Fix the product, not the user6. Don’t design against engrained behaviors7. Prioritize user-impacting “bugs”8. Correct even minor mistakes9. Remember your product is part of a whole system10. Prohibition does not work – democratize design11. Products should be easy to use12. Don’t lose sight of HOW customers USE your product

Darren Kall• darrenkall@kallconsulting.com• http://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenkall• @darrenkall• +1 (937) 648-4966• http://www.slideshare.net/DarrenKall

Thank you.

KALL ConsultingCustomer and User Experience Design and Strategy

Darren Kall• darrenkall@kallconsulting.com• http://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenkall• @darrenkall• +1 (937) 648-4966• http://www.slideshare.net/DarrenKall