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Usability BootcampHow we transformed Admission sites by
adopting user-centered design
Val FoxBentley UniversityOffice of Digital Engagement
HighEdWeb New EnglandMarch 18, 2013
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Business school in Waltham, MA• 4,000+ undergraduate students; 1,400 graduate students• 20 undergraduate majors; 10 masters programs
Digital Engagement Office• 7-person team• Supports ~80 sites
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“It doesn’t matter what I think about your website”
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Our Users
Photo source: webcoursesbangkok.com
I need to find info quickly
I don’t care about your org structure
Design for me NOT you!
If you don’t make this easy, I’ll leave
Don’t talk to me in language I don’t understand
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Making a case for users begins with NOT talking about users.
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Admissions
Did NOT want to talk about users or a new website.
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Admissions
Don’t make us change our web process.
We love our site!
We don’t have time to focus on this
project.
Did NOT want to talk about users or a new website.
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Admissions
So we offered them what they DO want:• Increased lead pool• More applicants• Increased yield rates
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Wake Up Call
20% of prospective students said they would remove a school from consideration because of a poor web experience
Source: Noel Levitz2011 E-Expectations Report
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Wake Up Call
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Wake Up Call
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Wake Up Call
Mobile traffic was doubling every 8-10 months
Source: Google Analytics
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Admissions
We need a mobile site by Fall!
We can learn Drupal 7
This is one of our top priorities
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Admissions
Design a new site!
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Traditional Development
Requirements
Design
Development
QA
Launch
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User-Centered Development
Analysis
Design
Development
QA
Launch
Prototype
Test
Requirements
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But won’t all this take longer?!
100x more expensive to make a change post-release (for traditional software)
Nielson Norman Group
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User-Centered Development Cycle
Analysis
Design
Development
QA
Launch
Prototype
Test
RequirementsFocus GroupsOnline SurveysPersonasAnalytics
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Focus Groups
Photo source: cartoonstock.com
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Focus GroupsBest for: Sourcing qualitative feedback
Who: • Prospective undergraduate students • Parents (undergraduate)• Prospective graduate students
Source: • Undergraduate Tours• Graduate Open House
Goal: Gain an understanding of• Priority content• College research process• General web usage • Influencers
Photo source: tamarabustos.com
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Focus GroupsSet up: 1 hr sessions at our research lab
Groups of 5-6 students/parentsPaid $50 each + pizzaFacilitator and note taker
Cost: $2,500
Time: 4 weeks
Output: Summary of findings > shared w/team
Bring personas to life:“Don’t tweet me after I apply, that’s just weird!”
“My mom loves helping me with the research process, it’s her way of ‘bonding’ with me.”
Center for Marketing TechnologyBentley University
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Online Surveys
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Online Surveys
Best for: Quantitative feedback• Purpose of site visit• Able to complete purpose of visit• Why (or why not)
Who: 500+ site visitors to our Admissions sites
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Online Surveys
Tool: iPerceptions “Plus” account • Data export• Unlimited data collection• Device-specific• Adjustable invitation rate • Multi-language
Cost: $20/mo
Approach: 4 standard + optional questions
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Online Surveys
Standard Questions:
Rate your overall site experience (1-10)Primary purpose of visit (multi-choice)Were you able to complete purpose of your visit (yes/no)• If yes > what did you value most• If no > why not
How likely are you to recommend
Optional Questions:
Visit frequencySource (how you arrived at site)Demographics
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Online Surveys
Output: Summary shared via PPT doc
Key Learnings:
Qualified visitors are most demanding
Content = meat + potatoes
“Information too vague”“Couldn’t find average SAT scores”“I want detailed information on the grad program curriculum”
Photo source: chefmom.sheknows.com
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Personas
Source: Forrester ResearchAgency: Primacy
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PersonasDefined as: Hypothetical user developed through interviews &
observations of real users
Use for: Create a common understanding of target audience
Must: • Sound like a real person• Include compelling narrative• Call out key attributes & high level goals• Enable design decisions• Include scenarios
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Personas
Source: Forrester ResearchAgency: Primacy
Photos of Kelly’s items give a feeling for her lifestyle
Infographics convey Kelly’s device usage & tech proficiency
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Personas Lend to ScenariosPersona Prospective graduate student
Goal: Find a part-time MBA program in Boston area
Scenario: • Searches for “Boston MBA programs”• Reaches Bentley.edu > Academics > Graduate
Programs• Sees MBA programs but labels aren’t clear• Visits each program page to learn more but gets
frustrated with time spent
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Analytics
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AnalyticsTools Google Analytics: Free
CrazyEgg: $228/year for “standard” account
Best for:
Revealing behavior – NOT intent
Google Analytics: comprehensive site analytics
CrazyEgg: ad-hoc reporting for specific pages
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Google Analytics
Pre-launch: Tracking out-of-the-box stats:• Site visits & visitors• Pageviews• Pages/visit• Bounce rate• Top pages• Traffic by source
Results: No actionable insightsNo ownership
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Google AnalyticsPost-launch: Set up Admission profiles w/dashboards
Tracking KPIs via automated reports• Conversion rates by form• Conversion rates by source• Cost per visit (search keywords)
Results Weekly review w/stakeholdersOwnership & accountability
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Analytics Insights for AdmissionsOutput: Key user insights:
Google Analytics• High priority content• Top paths to content• Content gaps (top search terms)
CrazyEgg• Overall site experience• Task success/failure & rationale
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User-Centered Development Cycle
Analysis
Design
Development
QA
Launch
Prototype
Test
RequirementsFocus GroupsOnline SurveysPersonasAnalytics
Design teamStakeholders
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User-Centered Development Cycle
Analysis
Design
Development
QA
Launch
Prototype
Test
Requirements
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User Testing
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Usability Testing
Best for: Finding specific problems (prototype or live site)
Who: 8-10 students for each Admission site
Set-up: Facilitator + note-takerCamtasia Studio (screen capture)
Cost: $99/license – Camtasia$15 gift card - tester
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Usability Testing
TasksTested:
Site navigation (find a major or program)Sign up for a tourFind application deadlinesFind link to applyFind info for accepted students
Output: Summary of findingsDesign modifications before handoff to dev
Total cost: $400
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Launch of BOTH sites Nov-Dec 2012
bentley.edu/undergraduatebentley.edu/graduate
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Results
Results: Year-over-year online leadsUndergrad: 6% increaseGrad: 11% increase
Year-over-year mobile traffic: 2.4x higher
Year-over-year mobile trafficBounce rate: Dropped by 10% to 42%Pages/visit: Slight increase
Total cost: $2,800
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Stay in touch
• Twitter:@ValerieFox• www.slideshare.net/FoxAtBentley• www.bentley.edu/DE