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On Target

3 Ways To Keep Your Audience in FocusPersonas, Storyboards, Quick Check Tests

Kate WalserCX Insights

IVMG Conference 2011Bolling AFBOctober 6, 2011

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Schedule

Introduction 11:00 - 11:03

Personas 11:03 - 11:10

Exercise #1 11:10 - 11:20

Storyboards 11:20 - 11:30

Exercise #2 11:30 - 11:35

Quick Check Tests 11:35 - 11:40

Exercise #3 11:40 - 11:45

Wrap-up / Questions 11:45 - 11:50

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Introduction

What makes it so hard to keep our target audience in mind?

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Different assumptions

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The abstract, elastic user

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Our own bias

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Focusedon otherthings

Source: Daniel J. Simons, Selective Attention TestBasketball Players and Gorilla Test

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Personas

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Personas

▸ Provide a snapshot of a user whorepresents a key audience

▸ Represent group of users with like characteristics

▸ Capture the essence of that group▸ Motivations, aspirations, hobbies▸ Likes, dislikes

▸ Provide us with sets of eyes who will see our products▸ Break our mirror and rubber band biases --> empathize

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A Great Persona

Picture Key StatisticsAge, family, location, occupation, education, salary

Frustrations, Tasks, InfluencersPain points, reasons they would want the productScenarios, tasksDecision factors

Realistic name, Clever title

As big or as little as you’d like

Story-based descriptionTell the story of this person and what makes them tick.

Be specific!

Describe hobbies, interests, and what gets them out of bed.

GoalsNear, farIn general, with your product/org’n

Quote that sums up personality

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“I love my job and I’m happy to help, but for me to try something new, you better convince me it’s worth my time and energy.”

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Creating a Persona

1. Learn about your audience▸ Observe people in their native environments

(Ethnographic studies, field studies, contextual inquiries)

▸ Talk with the target audience(Interviews, focus groups, surveys (paper / online))

▸ Pay attention at meetings(Discussion topics, outside-work topics, attitudes)

▸ Plan B: Walk in their shoes - read, watch, use products they use(Websites, newspapers, magazines, devices, analytics)

2. Group people by like minds▸ Affinity for the same interests, hobbies

3. Identify primary (drives the design) & secondary personas

4. Capture goals, questions, motivators, scenarios

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Exercise #1

Create a Persona

Imagine you are creating a mobile app that lets conference attendees find fellow attendees to sit with at lunch.

1.Pick a partner at your table. Take 2 minutes to interview each other.

2.Ask them questions such as:Tell me about yourself.

What’s your typical day like?

What do you do for fun?

Where do you usually go?

What tools and technologies do you use each day?

If you had your choice, would you call people, email them, or text them?

3.Decide whether you need one persona or two.

4.Use the persona template slide to capture the essence of one persona.

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Exercise #1

Create a Persona: Interview

About this person

Typical day

Hobbies / interests

Places to go

Gadgets / gizmos

Interaction style

Goals / Pet peeves

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Exercise #1

Create a Persona: Template

Picture Key StatisticsAge, family, location, occupation, education, salary

Frustrations, Tasks, InfluencersPain points, scenarios, decision factors

Realistic name, Clever title

Story-based descriptionTell this person’s story. What they do for fun, pet peeves, what gets them out of bed. Tolerance for risk, new things.

GoalsNear, far; Your product, beyond

Quote

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Storyboards

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Storyboards

▸ Present the “plot” of the interaction with your audience

▸ Describe the players, action, timing, and sequence

▸ Help surface ‘by-the-way’ question▸ Define, describe assumptions and logistics▸ Provide more tangible dartboard

▸ Can take several forms▸ Sketches with notes▸ Wireframes with narrative▸ Interactive video / prototype with voiceover

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A Great Storyboard

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Story Title: Action

As simple or elaborate as you’d like

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Shows sequence / timeline

Sketch player, product, & interaction

Describe the dialog, interaction, mood, reactions, timing

Subtitle: Pain point addressed

22Picture Source: Sapient Design Guild

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Creating a Storyboard

1. Start with one key scenario

2. Tell the story of how the person and your product meet▸ How, where do they meet?

▸ What is the person’s first reaction? How does it compare to others?

▸ What is he thinking, feeling? What does each say?

3. Sketch out the person, environment, product, any tools, dialog

4. Include timing, sequence, special features, other people

▸ Include updates along the way

5. Describe how the scenario ends, how the person feels

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Storyboard Tips

▸ Start simple▸ Stick figures, smily faces, and a black box to represent your

product work▸ Don’t get caught up in the screen details, yet

▸ Use any tool or means possible▸ Paper & pen, Post-its & whiteboards, Wireframes & narrative...▸ Make it modular - able to reorder, move / remove screens

▸ Focus on the interaction and the dialog▸ Think about mood, reactions.▸ How do they interact with the product? How does the product

respond?▸ How would the conversation between the person and product go?

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Raise questions, assumptions

▸ What type of technology would we need for this to work on that device? (e.g., no Flash on iPads)

▸ How do we get the address to Linda and other practitioners?

▸ How big do we need to make these buttons to be mobile friendly?

▸ Does everyone have access to the tools / information needed?

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Scenario 1: Schools Like Mine

Linda’s a principal in Miami, Florida.

She has a diverse student body, split mostly among Black or African American, Latino (Cuban, Mexican), and Caucasian students.

Her school’s test scores are below average and income is below the median for the United States.

Her city’s population is more population dense than the national city average. Her open culture and will try new strategies.

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I would love to find someone

else with a school like

mine. I need some new

ideas.

Linda hears about a new website called “Schools Like Mine” at a conference she’s attending.

She finds the website on her iPad, which is cool, because the only time she has to look at sites

like this is when she’s waiting for meetings to start.

It reminds her of Zillow, that fun real estate website her friend showed her where you can see

what your house is worth. She likes the bright colors and it looks pretty simple to use.

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Exercise #2

Create a Storyboard

Think about that mobile app you’re creating to help conference attendees find interesting people.

1.Think of one scenario for the app and look back at your persona.

2.Envision and sketch out:How this person finds out about the app and gets to it

Design elements and wow factors that address pain points

What s/he sees, reactions

His/her interactions with the app and flow through it

3.Think of how you will tell this story and communicate the design to your team.

4.Use the storyboard template slide to capture this.

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Exercise #2

Create a Storyboard: Details

Scenario & pain point it addresses

How person finds out / it

Other people

Design elements & wow factors

Mood setting elements (color, textures, images, etc.)

Things with similar moods / elements

Person’s interactions

Dialogue between person / product

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Exercise #2

Create a Storyboard: Template

Story Title / Pain Point

1 2 3 4

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Quick Check Tests

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Quick Check Tests

▸ Post your design and gather feedback and reactions▸ Quickly▸ Low or no cost

▸ Validate design or ask specific questions▸ Gauge understanding of content▸ Check effectiveness, impact of design▸ Explore interactions

▸ Can conduct online or post print-outs

▸ Provide an alternative to more thorough usability testing

Picture Source: Whitney Quesenbery

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Planning a Quick Check Test

1. Decide what you want to check▸ Content, flow, design, colors, images, understanding, tone

▸ Documents, screenshots, video

▸ Tasks, questions

2. Consider context and bounds▸ What instructions and context will participants need to be helpful?

▸ Number / label areas to help provide easy reference points

▸ How can you convey that without biasing them?

3. Pick a good location, time▸ High-traffic areas or low-traffic, secured areas

4. Coordinate logistics and set it up

5. Check in and observe

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Sample Questions

▸ Where would you look to complete [task 1]?

▸ Was there anything that helped you know that?

▸ How clear is the content?

▸ Are there any design elements that help you understand how to use this?

▸ What would you suggest changing?

▸ Are there any elements your friends, family, or colleagues would have trouble understanding?

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Notablehttp://www.notableapp.com

flickr http://www.flickr.comTo give people “Add a note” option, go to You > Your Account > Privacy & Permissions

Online Options

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Exercise #3

Plan a Quick Check Test

You want to get reactions to your mobile app design. Think about how you’ll set up a quick check test.

1.Define your goals, what you want to learn.

2.Consider:▸ Goals

▸ Participants & advertising (how will participants learn about this)

▸ Where you can set up the test (online, in-person location; timing, duration)

▸ Context, background participants might need

▸ Questions you want answered

▸ How you will collect results (email, suggestion box, post-it notes)

▸ Format or Supplies you will need (online - website, file type, etc.; in-person - paper, post-it notes, pens)

3.Use the next slides to plan out your first quick check test.

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Exercise #3

Plan a Quick Check Test: Details

Goals

Participants & Recruiting

Location (online, in-person...)

Duration

Background / Context participants will need

Materials needed

Questions you want answered

How you will collect results

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Wrap-up

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To Learn MoreCheck http://www.cxinsights.com/ivmg

Kate Walserkate@cxinsights.com

571.281.2626

http://www.linkedin.com/in/katewalser

Kate Walserkate@cxinsights.com

571.281.2626

http://www.linkedin.com/in/katewalser

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Photo Credits

Ribbon-cutting of the Joint-Use Intelligence Analysis Facilityhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/usacehq/4888786248/lightbox/

Analysthttp://www.flickr.com/photos/altemark/456922743

Sludge and Swamps Fail to Stop Marineshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/dvids/3119240836/

The Invisible Gorilla / Selective Attention Test (Copyright 1999 Daniel J. Simons)http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog/articles/the-invisible-gorilla.htm

Morphing (Bush -> Arnold)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morphing

Linda Dosa PersonaCourtesy of CX Insights

The Contractor PersonaMessageFirst

Wii Mii Persona Faceshttp://www.makewee.com/

Mighty B! Storyboardhttp://cartoonsnap.com/blogspot/images/MightyBStoryboardSequence_1290E/MightyB_Storyboard005.jpg

iPad FrameApple website

Sketches & Post-its Storyboardhttp://www.sapdesignguild.org/editions/edition3/images/storyboard_mf.gif

Quick Check TestWhitney Quesenbery, Open University open hallway usability test