user research & strategy for ux

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Zack NaylorThe Nerdery

Zack is a Senior UX Designer and User Research Practice Lead at The Nerdery, where he’s constantly seeking to evolve the practice of user research, discovery and synthesis in design. He has worked with clients ranging from early stage startups to Fortune 500s. He began his career in visual design and front-end development. Before joining The Nerdery, he worked as a UX designer for startups Modcloth and Lockerz, then later UX Manager at Pikimal.

@zacknaylor

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

User Research & StrategyWhat Is It?

+ =

Business Discovery User Research & Analysis UX Project Strategy

@zacknaylor

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Business DiscoveryWhat’s the Problem?

Understanding business objectives is a significant part of user experience design.

• Problem Definition• Success Criteria• Potential Risks• Business Goals

• ...and how they’ll be measured

@zacknaylor

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

User Research & StrategyWhat is it?

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Business DiscoveryThe Scoop

We begin by learning us much as we can about the business, relative to the project at hand:

• What is the problem we’re solving?• How does the business see this project solving a

problem for the business? It’s audience?• ...on that note...

• Who is the audience?• What are their needs?• How will this design serve their needs?

• How do we know we hit the mark?• Who determines the designs success?• How do they determine that?

@zacknaylor

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Business DiscoveryThe Execution

We go about answering those questions in a number of ways:

• Stakeholder Interviews• Stakeholder Workshops• Collaborative Design Sessions• Problem/Solution Workshops• Heuristic Analysis• Competitive Analysis/Gap Analysis

@zacknaylor

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Business DiscoveryThe Punchline

What comes out of this and what happens next?

• Business Insights Report• Focused Research Goals• Further Definition for Design Success

@zacknaylor

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

User ResearchLet’s Get Some Data

User Research allows us to learn how to design for delight and ease of use.

• Goals• Expectations• Triggers• Pain Points• Behavior

• ...specifically past and current behavior

@zacknaylor

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

User ResearchThe Methods

After we define our goals for the research (directly informed by our business discovery), we conduct user research to gather data through various methods such as:

• Usability Testing• Ethnography & Contextual Inquiry• User Interviews• Card Sorting• Surveys• Web Analytics & Site Search Analytics

@zacknaylor

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

User ResearchThe Magic

Steeped in business goals and defined success criteria for that business, we analyze and synthesize raw data to:

• Create Insights• Inform Design Decisions• Empathize with the Audience• Craft Features• Meet Expectations• Support Behavior

@zacknaylor

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

StrategyLet’s Get Cookin’

We have observed, behavior-based insights to inform other critical pieces of a digital experience such as:

• Information Architecture• Taxonomy, Thesauri, Vocabulary, Sitemaps

• Interaction Design• Process Flow Diagrams/User Flows, Interaction Models, Wireframes

• Visual Design• Visual Design Concepts, Design Production

• Technology• Engagement• Overall Experience Strategy

@zacknaylor

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

In ClosingTie It Together

User Research and Strategy in a UX Project looks like:

• Business Discovery• Define the Problem• Outline Project Success

• User Research• Understand Why it’s a Problem• Define How to Solve it• Synthesize, Make Informed Decisions

• Strategy• Meet Business Goals and Objectives• Design to Support Real, Observed Behavior• Support Other Critical UX Elements

@zacknaylor

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

ThanksQuestions?

@zacknaylor

Tuesday, June 5, 2012