user testing your drupal administration process

User Experience Design Track

VA N E S S A T U R K E

USER TESTING YOUR DRUPAL ADMINISTRATION PROCESS

0.0. presentation outline1. purpose - why study usability?2. users - identifying roles and groups3. planning - how to organize and carry out a usability study4. testing & identifying - issues and inefficiencies5. documenting - how to record and recommend6. implementing - how to create a plan of action for improvements7. checklists & questions

1.0. purpose - why study usability?

Assess users ability to use the site features efficiently and carry out mission critical site tasks without encountering significant obstacles.

Obstacles = Time = MONEY

purpose - website type

★ Brand Presence/Brochure★ Marketing Campaign★ Content Source or Resource Library★ Task-Based Application★ E-Commerce★ E-Learning Platform★ Social Network/Community★ Web Portal★ Intranet

purpose - organizational focus

★ Products★ Brand★ Programs★ Courses★ Services★ Resources★ Educational★ People (brand)★ People (community)★ Portal

purpose - organizational structure

purpose - organizational site admin style

★ Single Administrator / Webmaster★ Senior Editor / Junior Content Creators★ Sectional Content Managers (department, store, content

type)★ Complex Access Restrictions (by taxonomy, field-level, etc)★ Workflow Restricted Access Rules★ Crowdsourcing and public submission moderation

users - roles and permissions

1.Policy & Decision Makers - access all/none depending on organization

2.Subject Matter Experts - where are they in the content creation workflow?

3.Content Moderators - voice, tone, grammar, facts, formatting4.Content Creators - how much control do they have over content?5.Content Custodians - freshen, cleanup: redundant, outdated6.Content Consumers - contributions: commenting, flagging,

favoriting?

users - potential study stakeholders / contributors

★ Marketing / Sales★ Copywriter / Content Editor★ eCommerce Store Admin and Order Fulfillment Staff★ Faculty / Educational Consultants★ Board Members / Executive★ Project Managers / IT Team★ Department Staff★ Customer Service / Help Desk★ In House Designer★ Outside Vendors★ Volunteers, Vendors, Suppliers

users - common stumbling blocks

★ Conflicting vocabularies★ Inexperience with CMS model★ Steep learning curve★ Organizational shift★ Unfinished site / content★ Subjective ideas

Satisfaction Is All About Comparisons

users - a note about feedback

3.0. planning - how to organize a usability study

★ Purpose of site★ User segments/groups★ Purpose of study★ Goal of study★ Suspected Issues★ Contact List

http://insidetech.monster.com/training/articles/7760-how-to-create-a-rich-internet-application-screen-design

planning - understanding how each role interacts with the site

planning - identifying users processes

★ Product configuration★ Tool setup, or installation★ Signup & registration★ Store checkout administration★ Booking resources★ Managing submissions

http://insidetech.monster.com/training/articles/7760-how-to-create-a-rich-internet-application-screen-design

planning - identify how users create or modifying content

★ Curating, tagging, categorizing★ Revising / editing content★ Formatting / styling★ Connecting related content★ Submitting content for moderation★ Publishing / archiving

planning - capturing user stories and scenarios

http://blog.mountaingoatsoftware.com/advantages-of-the-as-a-user-i-want-user-story-template

as a [type of user] I want to [goal] so that I can [reason].

planning - the 7 ‘C’s of content management

1.Conception - who decides when content is needed?2.Creation - who writes, adds and formats content? What kind of

media attachments are included?3.Categorization - how is it organized?4.Confirmed - publishing workflow - does content need an

approval process?5.Changes - is there revision-tracking? how does it work? what

content will need to be removed or archived?6.Community - is there social sharing?7.Consumption - anything special about how the content is

consumed (access control, notifications, special analytics or tracking, feeds, subscriptions, etc.)

planning - identifying content workflow inefficiencies

1.7 Cs2.Types of Content3.Factual Updates4.Notifications5.Vetting6.Batch Add7.Clone8.Image Sourcing / Editing9.Multimedia10.Content Reuse11.Context and Connections12.Editorial Categorization vs.Public Categorization13.Content Refresh14.Naming Conventions15.Authoring

4.0. testing - carrying out a usability study

★ Remote (screen capture) or in person (on location, at cafe)

★ Introduce yourself and explain your role★ Ask the participant to explain their role in their own

words★ Ask about their general experience with the site/tool★ Ask to be walked though their daily activities★ Ask them to complete their test tasks★ Allow time for questions and feedback

testing - flags to watch for

★ Clicking between open screens/tabs★ Paper ‘cheat sheets’★ Any repetitive tasks★ Unusual workarounds★ Multiple copies of content★ Using external conversion tools★ Frequently loosing place or re-orienting back to home

screen

testing - review information architecture components

1. Organization systems - How we categorize information2. Labelling systems - How we represent information3. Navigation systems - How we move through information4. Searching systems - How we search information

Peter Morville, Louis Rosenfeld. Information Architecture for the World Wide Web O'Reilly, 2006

testing - resource search: discovering pathways

Example search: “vegan chocolate cake” ★ By ingredient: “chocolate”★ By dietary consideration: “vegan”★ By category: “desserts”★ By keyword: “vegan cakes”

testing - resource search: varied titles by user

★ Human Resources Manager, “HR Form V3051”★ Team Manager, “Leave Application”★ Staff Member, “going on vacation” or “holiday request”

http://www.zefamedia.com/websites/card-sorting-doesnt-cut-the-custard/

governance - file organization

★ How are files utilized?★ How are files organized?★ How are files labelled?★ How are files revised/refreshed?

governance - naming conventions

★ Match the real world★ Chronological★ Content Type★ Author★ Section★ Docket★ Expiry

example of inconsistent site-wide labels for “locations”

★ Branch★ Store★ Location★ Bureaux★ Airport location★ Airport branch★ Retail location★ City Location★ Boutique storefront location

default instructions & help text (opportunity for training)

★ Have users contribute★ Use real language★ Hide / reveal★ New vs. power user★ People doing things differently★ Review after updates!

5.0. documenting & reporting

1.Review notes and recordings2.Group information into categories (users, features,

tasks)3.Use a heuristic checklist or other best practice

guide to identify/label/group issues4.Be sure to include supporting materials (eg.

screenshots and transcripts)

documenting - using a heuristic checklist (eg.Jakob Nielsen’s 10)

1. Visibility of system status2. Match between system and the real world3. User control and freedom4. Consistency and standards5. Error prevention6. Recognition rather than recall7. Flexibility and efficiency of use8. Aesthetic and minimalist design9. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from

errors10.Help and documentation

http://designingwebinterfaces.com/6-tips-for-a-great-flex-ux-part-5

documenting & reporting - issue categorization

1.Feature Disclosure2.Lack of Affordance/Indication3.Obscure Mental Model4.Blocking Mode/State

reporting - categorization: 1. Feature Disclosure

★user can't find feature needed to complete task★user could not navigate submenus★user expected feature to be at x but it was at y

reporting - categorization: 2. Lack of Affordance/Indication

★user can't tell link is clickable★can't tell button is enabled★didn't know element was draggable★didn't find table's right-click context menu

reporting - categorization: 3. Obscure Mental Model

★ user makes incorrect assumptions about the program's behavior or architecture

★ the functional model doesn't match user's assumptions or goals

★ the help instructions misled user about how program functions

reporting - categorization: 4. Blocking Mode/State

★ user could not access feature x in mode y★ user could not figure out why link/button/feature was

disabled★ user thought it was okay to do z, but program

prevented this (could also be obscure mental model)

6.0. planning for development meeting

1. Mapped user stories to features2. Define issues by ‘what’ not ‘how’ until discussed with a dev3. Group issues by type, user, site section, and or content

creation process (multiple labels ok)4. Give alternate suggestions if possible

6.0. development planning

1. Identifying needs2. Understanding identified needs3. Isolating alternatives (prioritize by LOE and business value) 4. Choosing solutions5. Refining solutions

7.0. usability study checklists1. Planning Checklist2. Study Checklist3. Report Checklist4. Development Checklist

planning checklist1. Purpose of site2. User segmentation3. Purpose of study4. Goal of study5. Suspected Issues6. Contact List

planning checklist - (example)1. Purpose of site - content source for educators interested in resources for

teaching about ecological issues2. Admin users - org director, subject matter experts, content curators, writers,

multimedia creator/editors, social media manger, community contributor (guest blogger)

3. Purpose of study - find ways to streamline the content creation/publication workflow

4. Goal of study - identify tools and process required to allow more users to create (but not publish) content directly on the site, make content curation process faster and easier, so that content can be published in a more timely manner and kept fresh with minimum of effort

5. Suspected Issue 1 - content creators are emailing in their submissions because of various content creation obstacles and site governance policies

6. Suspected Issue 2 - granular access restrictions not allowing people to help each other out with tasks in an efficient manner

7. Suspected Issue 3 - Content categorization is flat, contains redundancies and limited

8. Contact List - People to interview to help identify testing scenarios and survey questions

study checklist

1. Updated Contact List - Complete list of people to interview, roles and responsibilities, contact info, test schedules and tools

2. Consent forms, NDA (if required)3. Planning Spreadsheet - Testing scenarios, survey questions, 4. Tools - Screen-capturing tool, survey tool, Skype, etc5. Document - Notes for observations, issues and inefficiencies6. Analysis Tools - Heuristic checklists, best practice guidelines,

ux research and articles

report checklist1. Goals Summary2. Issue Summary3. Recommendations Summary (content, tool, process, priority)4. Issues organized by type, user, site section, and or content

creation process5. Annotated screenshots, video clips and quotes6. Recommendations by type, user, site section, and or content

creation process7. Next steps and action items8. Note additional studies or re-test date

development planning checklist

1. Issues mapped to user stories (including value of need)2. Issues defined by ‘what’ not ‘how’3. Issues grouped by type, user, site section, and or content

creation process4. Issues prioritized by need5. Estimated items prioritized by level of effort with alternate

suggestions

Questions?

WHAT DID YOU THINK?E VA L U AT E T H I S S E S S I O N :

A U S T I N 2 0 1 4 . D R U P A L . O R G / S C H E D U L E

Thank you!

Why You Only Need to Test with 5 Users