Perspectives on Experience Design

You Conducted UX Research. So What?

2012-01-23T03:10:00.001-08:00

In business, research means nothing until it leads to conclusions that are actionable. Unless your firm gets paid to publish studies, the research that you conduct is probably intended to "green light" a project, plan an information architecture, or validate a design direction. That means that the planning, execution, and analysis of the study needs to be focused on specific objectives. Good research is costly, and any appearance of financial waste, not only jeapordizes the potential for further researh, but may put a client relationship at risk.

Beware of the "Open-Enders" -
Qualitative behavioral research should be open-ended, in that the line of questioning should not lead participants to a closed-ended response, like a "Yes" or "No" question would. Additionally, questions should not lead to a specific response that betrays the researcher's point of view (facilitator bias). Although the types of questions asked should be "open-ended," the agenda for the research interview should not be left "open-ended." Actionable research requires preparation and a solid line-of-questioning. There are those who believe that it is not important to plan out the interview framework and line-of-questioning. Some feel it is ok to leave the planning and interview strategy "open-ended." I say, beware these "Open-Enders," because their research may not be focused on specific objectives. Unfocused research can waste a client's money and ruin an agency's credibility.

Planning for UX Research -
There are many ways to planning for UX research. Here are a few:

1. Identify application or system design objectives - in order to plan a taxonomy and information architecture for an application, a UX Designer must document the key tasks that end-users are likely to perform. From a research perspective, this means developing a line-of-questioning intended to aid a participant's recall of similar tasks performed recently. The goal, then, should be to have the participant walk the researcher through these tasks, so that the researcher may observe the participant's "task flow." Thus, the application design can be modeled to intuitively facilitate task completion.

2. Aim to focus the research on what the client does not know about their end-users - My previous blog entries emphasize the importance of understanding what a client already knows about their end-users, based on any research they may have conducted in the recent past. Find the gaps, and develop a study that aims to fill the gaps with knowledge about the end-user segment's behavior.

3. Plan the interview carefully - There are many behavioral research interview techniques available, to gain a better understanding of end-user behavior.

First and foremost, I always recommend contextual inquiry, because it provides the necessary context (environment) to aid a user's recall of daily tasks.

Plan a portion of the research to be an interview, and a portion to be behavioral observation. In order to do so, be ready with a line of questioning that prompts the participant to go online to complete a task.

A diary study is a good technique to learn about a participant's behavior over a period of time. In order to plan for a diary study, however, you must be prepared to recruit and contact the participant weeks in advance of the interview, so that the diary can be reviewed with the participant at the interview. So, it really all boils down to preparation and planning. Maximize your time with end-users to elicit actionable feedback that will inform your Design, Digital Strategy, and build upon your clients' existing body of knowledge.

The Collaboration Trap

2012-01-14T09:45:00.000-08:00

Interactive agencies all promote the fact that they work "collaboratively" among disciplines. Sometimes, however, this claim tranaslates to informal methods, such as seating employees in an open floor plan, or merely putting interdisciplinary project teams together, in a "war room." Don't get me wrong, I think these are all great ways to start a dialogue between employees with different sets of skills, however, a formal "collaboration plan" is a more efficient and predictable way to get value from this conversation.

Don't fall into the trap. Set goals.
Informal collaboration can be costly and inefficient. A well-intentioned meeting of the minds, with no agenda, can result in wasted time, angry employees, and, more importantly, bad decisions. When timelines and budgetary parameters are tight, goals need to be set, for collaboration. For example, make sure that collaborating teams know when actual decisions need to be made, for key screens of an application. Goal-setting should be done upfront, and put into a project plan, prior to "brainstorming."

Establish ground rules.
I'll get back to this point later, but there are delegates from each discipline present in a successful, cross-discipline collaboration. Make each delegate "the authority" for their respective discipline. Establish rules for collaboration and brainstorming, like:

1. Solutions must be accompanied with a rationale, based on meeting the needs of the business, end-user, or brand

2. Solutions must be visualized, or clearly articulated, to be considered.

3. x number of hours are allotted for each decision.

"Socialize" concepts.
Imagine a scenario, where an Art Director and a User Experience Designer (and the gap is narrowing between the two roles, by the way) debate the layout of an a screen for an application. The UX claims that her layout achieves likely use cases, as validated by client research. The Art Director presents her argument about proper layout, balance, and focus. Each employee has valid points. So, how long does this "stalemate" last? Who decides the next move?

Since the User Experience Designer and the Art Director are both adept at visualizing their conceptual directions, they should do so, applying medium fidelity to the illustrations of their respective solutions. After returning, quickly, with sketches in hand (using a napkin, Visio, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, whatever), the two need to broaden their conversation to include a Business Analyst (or an Account Manager) and a Technologist (who is encouraged to be brought into the dialogue as soon as possible). These two roles bring other factors, such as business objectives and technical feasibility, to bear on the decision.

Make an informed decision.
Bringing others into the mix, gradually, with differing perspectives, may help the team make decisions and move forward. "Design by committee," however, isn't an efficient process. Ultimately, after input has been solicted from the group, one discipline lead needs to "cast the final vote." If decisions are, ultimately, UX-related, it should be the lead UXD, to make the decision. If it is a Visual Design/Brand issue, then, the Art Director should make the final decision.

Decisions can be more-informed by the group's input, but final decisions need to be made by individuals.

The War for Your Living Room

2011-10-24T22:16:00.000-07:00

The home video entertainment war between monolithic cable companies and new, cloud-based, "over-the-top" services, has just begun. Until just recently, cable companies owned your living room, and their "pipes and boxes" were the only conduits delivering TV and Movie entertainment to your television set. Those who didn't want to pay cable service premium fees opted to rent physical DVDs from physical DVD retail stores. Cable fought back with On Demand rentals through the television set-top-box. At that moment, the dominant "pipe" carrying the entertainment signal was the one connected to the box that sits atop your TV.

Today, the new entertainment pipe is the one connected to your computer. Via the cloud, it is wirelessly transmitting entertainment to all your connected devices. Technology has enabled a wide array of cloud-based entertainment options to consumers. In this new world, some are opting to "cut the cord" to their set-top-boxes, and choosing to pay for exactly what they want to watch.

Well, not exactly...

The reality of the situation, is that most over-the-top entertainment services lack the content deals that cable companies have garnered through years of relationship-building with networks and studios. So, cable companies are utilizing these relationships to maintain their viability with consumers. A new threat is emerging, however. Some consumers still do not wish to pay premium fees to access hundreds of channels, when all they really want is two or three. Recognizing this, studios are beginning to offer their content directly to consumers, bypassing the cable "middle-man." Studios and networks have begun to go "over-the-top," delivering cloud-based entertainment services via the web, and through mobile device applications.

In order to survive in this new video entertainment landscape, cable companies have few options:

1. Provide more flexible packages and pricing - the main reason why consumers abandon cable TV is because it is expensive. Additionally, you pay for lots of channels you may never watch. If cable companies could figure out how to remain profitable and provide more flexible and relevant service options, they may be more successful in reducing the number of customers who "cut the cord."

2. Re-brand themselves as "entertainment passports" - "Cable TV" is antiquated branding. It reeks of old technology, and places emphasis on the pipe, NOT the entertainment. What is a cable company, then, without the "cable?" It is a set of credentials that enables customers to access the most robust video entertainment, leveraging the relationships that the company has with networks and studios.

3. Unchain themselves from the "set-top-box" - the biggest threat to the cable box isn't a connected iPad or iPhone, it is a connected TV. Yes, consumers are watching video, via over-the-top services on their mobile devices. However, the majority are still watching movies and TV shows on their TV. Cord cutters are using IP enabled boxes to access over-the-top entertainment services directly on their TVs, but that won't be necessary in the near future, when most TVs will access the Internet directly. In that scenario, cable companies must be prepared to offer "over-the-top" service, that can be accessed without a set-top-box.

4. Create brand loyalty with the next generation of "bill payers" - Cable companies need to build a brand with a younger demographic, because it is this demographic who is adopting "over-the-top" services for video entertainment. Many of these consumers do not even have TVs, and are only watching video on their laptops or other mobile screens. Most are on Facebook, and even consuming video entertainment on social network platforms. Cable companies have to integrate with the platforms that are widely adopted by this young demographic.

5. Monitor usage and deliver personalized services - The thing about cable, is that it is mostly "unidirectional." It is difficult to analyze usage patterns for the purpose of service optimization, customization, and personalization. Cloud-based services are increasingly leveraging usage data, via the Internet, to deliver personalized recommendations to consumers. Cable companies must figure out how to deliver "custom entertainment channels" that provide more relevant entertainment to their customers.

Jonathan Lupo - http://www.twitter.com/userexperience

The Importance of Storytelling to UX Design

2011-10-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

As web sites and web applications become increasingly modular in their construction, Designers run the risk of creating applications that consist of an endless, near random, stack of modules. This situation is common to many ecommerce experiences. Because it is widely accepted that users "will scroll," there seems to be a willingness to stack modules on top of modules, endlessly, with no sense of hierarchy, or logical narrative.

Take a Step Back to Plan
A key theme to many of my blog entries is the need to plan. Planning is fundamental to Design. When designing the UX of an application, planning needs to happen at many levels. Core user experience planning happens after an assessment of end-user needs, as a result of qualitative behavioral research. In addition to that, however, there needs to be planning from business stakeholders, which should result in a marketing and content strategy. It is a combination of the user needs assessment and the business' content strategy, that results in the framework, or user experience strategy, of a web site or application.

What's the Overall Story?
I've used some jargon to describe the building blocks of the user experience of a web site or application. Really, it boils down to this:

1. What do users expect from the experience?
2. What story does the business want to convey to its users?

A business can enjoy great freedom in storytelling, as long as users can intuitively get what they expect or need from the user experience. The sad fact is, not many businesses are great at telling stories online.

Each Page Tells a Story
The underlying information architecture of an application is the outline of a novel, but each page or screen of the experience tells it's own story. It is important to map these narratives, at the page-level, before engaging in interaction design. Block out regions of each key screen, using low-fidelity wireframes. That will help you define the story that you are telling on each page.

Simplify and Engage
Ernest Hemingway was straightforward and understated. Anne Rice is ornate and rich with detail. When designing for the web, you'll want to lean more towards Ernest. Excessive visual design and content can quickly obscure your story. Make sure that doesn't happen, by creating pages that have real structure, modules that are introduced with bold headers, and copy that is brief and infused with the personality of the brand.

Your web site or application should be a platform for your business to have a conversation with your users. Architect it as such.

Jonathan Lupo - http://www.twitter.com/userexperience

Usability and Engagement: Success Metrics of Design

2011-10-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

In an age where every consumer interaction with a brand is measurable across multiple digital channels, it is important to understand which metrics and measures are valuable to you, based upon your role in a business. It is a common mistake to measure everything, at regular intervals, without an understanding of how to make these measurements actionable. Data holds different meaning to different individuals within an organization. It may be used to inform marketing tactics, advertising spending, product development, or user interface design decisions.

Design Measurement
I am a user experience designer, so I will focus on the measurements and research used to assess the success or failure of a Design, within a digital context. User experience designers need to understand how to analyze the user interface of digital applications, in order to assess:

1. The usability of the Design

2. The Design's level of engagement

Usability -
Individuals visit web sites and download applications to achieve specific tasks. User experience designers spend time with these individuals, prior to conceptualizing a Design of an application or web site, to better understand and document the relevant tasks of these individuals. The easier it is for end-users of an application to achieve the tasks that they came to perform, the better the Usability of that application's design and user interface.

Usability Testing-
User experience designers encourage a business to perform Design validation of key elements of an application or web site's Design (usability testing), in order to ensure that anticipated, end-user tasks can be easily completed. Usability testing is a process by which UX Designers recruit participants, who are representative of the target, end-user segment for the Design, and observe them trying to complete key tasks, using the Design. The level of frustration that end-users exhibit, as well as their rate of success or failure, in attempting to complete key tasks, ultimately determines the usability of the Design. Measuring usability, typically, does not require a statistically significant sample size, however, new, online Usability Testing tools do allow for larger populations.

Engagement -
While usability is certainly an important criterion for a Design's success, it is merely "table-stakes." That's because a Design that is highly "Usable" does not ensure that it will be widely adopted by consumers. Therefore, It is also important to measure the level of engagement of the Design.

Engagement Analytics -
Measuring the level of adoption of an application can be done at many levels. This type of measurement is quantitative, and requires a large amount of data. At a high-level, marketers should benchmark the amount of traffic that an application receives, and set goals/projections for a redesigned application interface. However, marketers will need to isolate the key screens that have been redesigned, or new features that have been added to the application, to begin to understand if the new Design is driving engagement and adoption.

Brand Perception and Awareness -
A great way to understand if new products, applications, or Design is affecting the popularity or perception of a brand, is to take the brand's pulse through social media measurement. There are now, four conventional key performance indicators (KPI) that are used to gauge a brand's reach and perception (taken from the online tool, socialmention.com)

1. Strength - likelihood that the brand is being discussed in social media

2. Sentiment - ratio of positive to negative mentions in social media

3. Passion - likelihood of individuals repeatedly mentioning the brand in social media

4. Reach - measurement of the range of the brand's influence in social media

As with any other quantitative measurement, benchmarks should be taken prior to new Design enhancements, or the introduction of new marketing campaigns, products, applications, etc. Projections should also be made, based on business objectives. Marketers may, then, effectively utilize these key performance indicators to assess the impact, level of engagement, and likely adoption of brand enhancements (including Design changes).

Jonathan Lupo - http://www.twitter.com/userexperience

Site Map Do's and Don'ts

2011-09-25T18:56:00.000-07:00

It may come as a shock to hear this, but, unless your client is a developer or a content strategist, site maps are rarely valuable documents to show them. Why then, is the site map continually socialized to the wrong stakeholders, and incorrectly positioned as a dependency for other Design deliverables (Which we know will result in the site map becoming a road block for the rest of the Design process)?

Site maps confuse and distract certain stakeholders, because:

Site maps are abstract, system-level documents - They document a system, but are not visually representative of that system at an interface level. Consequently, they take a certain level of extrapolation to understand how the hierarchy works, at a page, or screen, level.
Site maps can appear dense or complex - Site maps take time to study and understand. You'll likely have about an hour, max, to present your site architecture to your client. How on Earth are you going to convey that level of complexity and detail, in that amount of time, especially to a "C-Level" executive? When designing a site map, think about simplifying the diagram, or presenting multiple views of the map, "peeling away the layers of the onion," to gradually expose more detail.
Site map "approval" is typically considered a dependency for the start of the Design process - Yeah. It's weird to think that everyone on the team expects the Information Architect or User Experience Designer to completely nail the entire taxonomy and flow of an application, without even having sketched a screen or two. Word of advice...don't hold up Design, while awaiting site map approvals.
Site maps are NOT good for presentation of a UX vision - There are more effective visualizations, infographics, and high-level diagrams that can be utilized to convey the User Experience Vision, or Strategy, for an application, to a marketing executive. The interconnection of pages or screens isn't a visualization of a strategy. It is a visualization of a content hierarchy.

What are site maps good for, then, if they aren't great tools to convey the high-level vision for an application?

Site maps are good for development and implementation - Site maps are invaluable documents to illustrate to developers, how to construct the hierarchy of pages or screens in the application. It is a document that is generally delivered to a client or team of developers, prior to the screen level user interface designs. That being said, I strongly recommend that site maps are not considered "FINAL," until the very end of the Design process. There. I said it!
Site maps are good for content development and categorization - Because site maps represent the "outline" of the content, they need to convey, in some cases, the flow of the narrative to the end-user. This is especially true when designing the information architecture of a marketing web site or application. Content strategists and developers will want to map their copy and content to the site map sections and sub-sections.
Site maps are good for SEO planning - The underlying framework of a web site is extremely important, when planning for the search engine optimization of a web site. It is critical to understand the likely searches that consumers will perform to access the client's web site, and create an information architecture that will, at a primary level, satisfy likely searches. Thus, the site map becomes a communications tool amongst four parties:

Information Architects/User Experience Designers
Copywriters
SEO planners
Developers

Of course, old habits die hard. It will take a long time before agencies realize that they shouldn't, out of habit, shove the "site map" deliverable at the beginning of a project plan, and require the client "sign-off" on the document before the Design process begins. But, please don't force the client's CEO, or CMO, to sit through that presentation!

Jonathan Lupo - http://www.twitter.com/userexperience

Mobile UX Strategy - Web Site or App?

2011-09-07T20:55:00.001-07:00

With the wide consumer adoption of smartphones and tablets, digital consulting firms are proposing mobile tactics as part of a larger digital strategy, to their clients, based on an understanding of their clients' business objectives, competitor landscape, and consumer needs. When proposing this strategy, consultants must decide whether it is more beneficial to their client's business, to develop a native, mobile application, or to build a mobile-optimized, web site.

Recent research seems to suggest that, in general, consumers prefer to engage with native mobile applications (due to their responsiveness, and because they are better able to leverage some of the nifty, user-interface capabilities of the mobile device). However, mobile-optimized web sites enable businesses to be accessible on a wider spectrum of form factors and devices.

The question is, since there are clear benefits to both tactics, how should a business decide which mobile tactic would best meet their specific needs?

The following are key considerations to help a business decide upon a mobile direction ( App vs. Mobile Web Site):

1. How well-known is the client's brand? There is a greater likelihood that consumers will seek and download an app from a well-known brand than a lesser-known brand, so, brands with less awareness are more reliant on app store placement, prominence, and promotion, to gain popularity with consumers. Since an app has a limited "promotional" window within an app store showcase, a lesser-known brand should consider entering the mobile space with a mobile-optimized web site. Why? The client probably already has a traditional web site that has gained a certain amount of organic search engine equity over the course of years. Consumers are more likely to look for services that the client offers, via mobile search, than directly searching for the brand, via app download.

2. What are key, mobile use cases, based on anticipated, consumer behavior? Are they "online" or "offline" use cases? One benefit to native applications, depending on their intended functionality, is that they can sometimes be useful in an "offline" situation. Mobile-optimized web sites, on the other hand, are always accessed via "the cloud," restricting their usage to "online" use cases. A key question a business should ask itself, is whether or not the application needs to function when end-users are offline. If so, a native application may be the way to go.

3. What is the "technographic profile" of the consumer base? The technographic profile of an end-user segment, describes the nature of the segment's likely adoption of relevant technology. An important consideration, when developing a mobile strategy targeted to this segment, is, obviously, whether or not the target segment is likely to adopt the application's intended mobile platform. If not, or if adoption will likely be spread across a wide variety of mobile platforms, the mobile strategy may lean in the direction of mobile-optimized web site, versus a platform-specific application.

4. Will the app functionality need to access data or capabilities native to the mobile device? As mentioned earlier, an application may be more useful, or engaging, if it leverages specific features of a smartphone or tablet, which cannot be accessed by a mobile-optimized web site. If this is the case, choosing to develop a native, mobile application, may make it easier for a client to take advantage of the cool features of the application's intended devices.

5. What is the budget for the mobile initiative? Developing a native, mobile application may be costly for clients with a limited budget (depending on the functionality of the application). Additionally, the native application may need to be redesigned, to be optimized for a variety of form factors, which, ultimately, increases costs. If a client only needs a simple, mobile presence, and wants to be accessible on a wide spectrum of mobile platforms, it may be a good idea to recommend a simple, mobile-optimized, web site.

6. How aggressive is the timeline for the initiative? Aggressive timelines may actually prevent a client from developing a native application, distributed via an "app store" like Apple's. Consultants must factor in the "app store approval process," when planning a mobile application's design, development, and deployment, timeline. If the application does not meet the standards of the app store (and Apple has very strict standards), there is a risk that an aggressive timeline may be blown.

7. Will there be an eCommerce, transactional component, to the mobile application? Currently, all purchases of digital media (music, movies, etc.) initiated via native iOS applications, must end up as iTunes transactions. That means that Apple gets a percentage of each sale initiated through a native iOS application. To avoid paying the fee, a business with redundant digital media products to those found on iTunes, should consider developing a mobile-optimized web site, as a consumer-facing storefront.

In short, the decision to build a native app, or develop a mobile-optimized web site, requires careful consideration. Consultants need to thoroughly examine a client's brand, business, and likely end-user behavior, before making this decision. Making the wrong decision could be costly, miss a window of opportunity, or result in an application that goes largely unnoticed by it's intended audience. As always, planning, through careful investigation of business objectives, as well as likely, end-user behavior, can prevent a failed mobile strategy.

"Just-in-Time" Mobile Apps

2011-08-29T05:50:00.000-07:00

With mobile application design and development, "timing is everything."

That's because smartphone users are fickle when it comes to downloading applications. There is a low-barrier to acquiring content, because apps are cheap and quick to download. Unlike desktop software, mobile applications fill end-user desires, cravings, and short-term needs. Mobile apps do not always suit the longer-term needs of end-users. For example, on the days leading up to Hurricane Irene, I scoured Apple's App Store, looking for the best Hurricane Tracker. After the storm, having found an app to suit my short-term needs, I, just as quickly, deleted the application from my iPhone.

My behavior does not appear to be anomalous, judging from a recent study of Mobile App users, conducted by a Massachusetts-based application analytics firm, Localytics.

With thousands of Android, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 7 apps analyzed, the study found that users do tend to try out new apps, but 26% use the app only once!

This study seems to underscore a need for mobile application developers to think about the timing of their mobile application deployment, as well as the customer "needs" their application is intended to fill. As always, it is recommended that app developers conduct primary research with their end-users, to gain a deep understanding of their likely behavior and engagement with the app. Research for mobile development should include customer investigation around the types of events, motivations, and triggers for mobile application usage.

Another opportunity for mobile application developers seems to be the targeting an application for specific, time-based, events, such as:

1. Holidays
2. Conferences
3. Theatrical Releases
4. Political Events
5. Sporting Events

Thus, app developers may consider capitalizing on a major event, with the understanding that the application is likely to be used once, and then removed.

Goal-Oriented Design: a Primer

2011-08-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

Design is purposeful, and, by definition, aims to achieve goals. Good Design, therefore, begins with a careful examination of the specific goals it aims to achieve. Because Design is engineered to achieve goals, there is a process to follow, which includes the observation and analysis of potential end-user engagement, with the Design.

There is unprecedented potential for user engagement and interactivity with contemporary, digital applications. Engagement is multi-channel, complex, and social. Therefore, it is more important than ever for Designers to conduct contextual research with end-users, and analyze their behavior across a wide spectrum of devices.

Step 1 - Identify End-User Goals, in addition to Business Objectives, for the Design

Design, for business applications, aims to achieve two sets of goals:

1. First and foremost, Design aims to achieve measureable, business objectives.

2. Innovative businesses also understand that Design needs to meet end-user goals

Step 2 – Hire a “Design Research Specialist”
It takes a special type of Designer to properly identify and document end-user objectives. She must begin the process as a detective, systematically observing and analyzing relevant user behaviors to the business. Luckily, this specialist (an Information Architect, perhaps), has a Design research methodology at her disposal. Following a “User Centered Design” process, she conducts her investigation, and sifts through a mountain of behavioral data to plan a Design that can achieve its intended objectives.

Step 3 – Perform the Right Research: “Contextual, Behavioral Research”
Only a specialist is able to recognize the influence that an environment has on user behavior. She understands that a special type of user research is required, to collect information about environmental factors on behavior. Contextual, ethnographic research is the ideal method of observing natural user behavior, versus lab-based research, which may be less accurate due to environmental bias. This type of research, called “Contextual Inquiry,” captures relevant behaviors, where the interaction is most likely to occur (e.g. - an office, a home, or a shopping mall).

Step 4 – Understand how to Properly Analyze Research Data – Information Architecture
Contextual Inquiry findings are qualitative in nature, so the richness of the finding is more important than the amount of data that the research study produces. The reason that the quantity of data is not important in qualitative research is due to the fact that behavioral trends emerge quickly. That being said, Contextual Inquiry can still generate a large quantity of rich data, which require a specialist to interpret. As behavioral trends emerge, so do different “types of users.” Information Architects illustrate key behavioral differences, as uncovered in the research, in the form of behavioral personas. Behavioral personas highlight different sets of primary tasks that are important to each “type of user.” Aggregating key tasks, in the form of personas, help designers make sure that their Design accommodates the needs of each primary type of user.

Information Architects go a step further in their qualitative analysis, by extracting the key tasks from each persona to form end-user “mental models.” Mental models are a grouping of each user segment’s tasks, into task categories and sub-tasks. The goal of the mental model is to identify and prioritize all key user tasks for each segment. Once completed, the Information Architect can generate ideas for content to satisfy each user task identified in the mental model. This process makes it easy for an Information Architect to define the high-level information architecture of a digital application.

Step 5 – Synthesize Research Data into Design – Interaction Design/UI
Once an overarching, information architecture is established, an Information Architect proceeds to define the screen-level user interface, and interaction model, for the application. Often, screen-level design begins with a simple, series of questions that the Information Architect asks herself. “What is the most important element on this screen?” Then, “what is the second most important element on this screen.” It is a process of task prioritization that drives the layout of each screen. Behavioral research also provides valuable insights about the level of sophistication with the interfaces that each user type encounters on a daily basis. Observing this behavior helps Information Architects understand the “Technographic Profile,” or level of proficiency with technology, of each user segment. They then use this knowledge as a filter for the level of sophistication of the user interface elements they propose.

Design Tip: Collaboration is the Key to Great Design
A good user centered design process should strive to include participation from different Design disciplines. I recommend having a visual designer accompany an Information Architect on research studies to observe, 1st-hand, likely, end-user behavior. Observation gives Designers greater Empathy for the application’s end-users.

Great Thinking is Never "Out-of-Scope"

2011-08-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

"Out-of-scope" is a phrase that Creative professionals are used to hearing from budget-conscious Project Managers and Account Managers who, to their credit, are trying to ensure a profitable account for a consulting business. While it may be true that the cost and effort to implement a great idea may be "out-of-scope," based on a given project budget or statement of work, great ideas are NEVER out of scope, and should be generated constantly for clients. When Creative professionals are regularly told that "thinking," "brainstorming ideas," and "innovating," are "out-of-scope," they will limit their thinking to following "client requirements." However, that's not, in most cases, why a client hires a consulting agency. If they just needed a firm to execute on requirements, chances are they would hire a team of freelancers or use internal resources to do production work around a given set of requirements.

But, that's not what happened.

The client hired you to think about their problems, customers, and business. The client wants you to help them identify a strategic roadmap for deploying tactics that will evolve their business. If you come up with killer ideas, the Project Manager and Account Manager need to help the client figure out how to execute them, within timeline and budgetary parameters. And, if it can't be done, within the initial timeline and budget, it's your job, as a great consultant, to document your recommendations, so that these ideas can be put on a roadmap for the future.

...oh, and bill it to "business development (non-billable)."

Thrill your client. Give them great thinking. Be a great consultant and you will be rewarded with new projects.

Reinventing Registration Forms

2011-08-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

Perhaps the biggest challenge for a website designer, from a brand and user experience perspective, is the design of the website's registration form flow. When designing an experience around registration, User experience designers generally focus on the creation of usable forms, best practices, and optimizing the process. The end result, however, is always a form. Whether it is a single page form, or multi-page form, registration always results in a form. All in all, it seems that registration never benefits from the due diligence of understanding a brand, content strategy, or likely user behavior...which is odd, given that the registration process poses the biggest threat to the perception of a client's brand, if the process results in a poor user experience.

Marketers and keepers of the brand also have high expectations from consumers, when they ask them to register. They tend to add "optional" marketing fields, hoping that the consumer will freely offer up their personal information. The problem is, on a registration form, there is usually no apparent benefit to giving the brand additional, optional, personal information.

It's time to rethink the registration form.

Designers should begin with an in-depth understanding of their client's brand, tone, and voice. The end goal, is to convince the consumer that there is a worthwhile reward for offering up the information that is being solicited. Asking the consumer for personal information, and then illustrating the benefits of doing so, requires a two-way dialogue.

As designers, we should ask ourselves, is a "form" the best vehicle to have a conversation with the consumer?

Perhaps, we need to understand and map out the dialogue that the brand would like to have with the consumer, if the brand was an actual person, engaged in a conversation. Maybe it would go something like this:

"Hello. We are psyched that you are here, and think you are going to enjoy your experience. Let's get to know each other!"

"What's your name? _______________"

"Thanks, {username}!

Did you know that, if you connect us with your Facebook profile, we'll be able to provide you with instant recommendations for products and services? We promise that your personal information and profile will be safe, and not given to a third-party.

"Would you like to sign-in to Facebook, now? _______________"

(if they do connect with Facebook quickly reveal how many recommendations are being generated)

Etc.

The point is, as Usability Engineers, we tend to focus on how quickly end-users complete the registration process, instead of how effective the experience is at encouraging consumers to have a deeper level of engagement with the brand. In theory, creating a meaningful dialogue, highlighting consumer benefits, and designing an engaging experience, should result in deeper brand connections, versus a quick, optimized form.

Best Practices Are Killing You

2011-08-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

Not too long ago, digital media was a palette for pioneers to express new concepts, for reasons that were both personal and professional. At that time, however, the limitations on expression were severe. Bandwidth was low. Screens were smaller. Access was tethered. The buzz came from the ability to produce a valuable concept, and share it, instantly, with the world.

The early days of digital expression required individuals to focus on their ideas, because the sizzle was costly. But, it didn't matter. The idea was what was important. We got Google, eBay, and Amazon. Those days produced iconic, digital brands that defined specific types of user experiences. As soon as these useful experiences gained traction in the digital marketplace, consumers got accustomed to "design patterns," which usability professionals named, "best practices."

Suddenly, there were rules that governed the user experience design of specific types of digital experiences (Search. Browse. Buy.) These rules allowed other, "me too" brands, to quickly design and deploy digital storefronts and experiences for consumers to easily perform intended tasks, and, just as quickly, leave. Consumers became "users," reduced to their personified behaviors, and focused on specific tasks. Brands became largely irrelevant, because their platforms, engineered from "best practices," rendered them invisible to "mindless users" who came to complete tasks, and only remembered that Google got them to where they needed to be.

The rules of the universe have now changed.

Every conceivable service is available through every conceivable digital channel. Bandwidth is high. Screens are huge. Everything is connected to the cloud. Experiences are multi-channel. Possibilities are endless.

In this new world, if you are a brand that offers a commodity product or service, and you are content to apply "best practices" to provide these services to consumers, prepare to be squashed!

Ask yourself, "why is Apple the most important brand in the universe?" Because the brand stands for something. It is synonymous with innovation, and the creation of memorable, engaging, user experiences, with the launch of each new product and service.

So, why are user experience designers content to apply "best practices" to client experiences? Because it is easy to do so. Applying design patterns to an experience requires no brand or customer investigation. It reduces Experience Design to thoughtless Design production. Worse, this practice is envangelized by notable, self-proclaimed, Usability experts.

If your brand is well-known for the products and services it offers to consumers, to the extent that it is top-of-mind to consumers within a specific category, then it may be ok to apply "best practices" to your digital user experience. However, don't rely on best practices for too long, as you can rest assured that another brand is thinking about how to reinvent and differentiate the same digital products and services that you offer to consumers.

Mobile Platforms Force Us to be Better UX Designers

2011-06-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, in a time before iPhones and iPads, designing for mobile platforms meant designing within serious constraints. Limited screen real estate, low bandwidth, and minimal browser capabilities, forced us to be minimalistic in our approach to mobile web user interfaces. Usability and Clarity were core Design principles, during the mobile web's "Dark Ages." In those days, the focus was squarely on facilitating key user tasks and behaviors that made sense, based on what the user was likely doing with the phone. Today's sophisticated, mobile devices, have amazing capabilities. They have large, multi-touch screens, access to WiFi as well as fast mobile networks, application marketplaces, GPS, video capabilities, etc., etc. In theory, "the sky's the limit" when it comes to contemporary, mobile user interfaces.

Inherent in this new found freedom, however, is the temptation to ignore all of the lessons that "Constrained Design" has taught. Luckily, new standards, trends in usage, design patterns, and best practices are emerging, to help Designers keep the focus on what is important to Mobile UX Design:

1. Understand likely usage - Your consumers' mobile usage is probably going to be different than their web usage. Seek to understand what your end-consumer is trying to do on a phone or tablet before you attempt to re-present your entire web site within a mobile context.

2. Simplify the user experience - The secret to great interface design is the ability to make it instantly intuitive to end-users. Avoid the temptation to clutter the interface with unneccessary options, filters, and interface "decorations."

3. Elevate and prioritize key tasks - Select the top 4 main tasks, and elevate them to the main menu bar. Understand what is a top-level task, and what is a sub-task that can be integrated contextually within the appropriate top-level task.

4. Tailor the experience to the strengths of the platform - This is the fun aspect of Mobile UX Design! Consider the cool features of the target, mobile platform, and exploit them in the user experience. For instance, if an application is intended to deliver recommendations to the user based on geography, consider using a native GPS functionality of a phone to bring these recommendations back instantly, based on the user's current location.

5. Start with a great core concept, and enhance it over time - Simplicity should be the guiding principle of the core concept of the application, as well as the interface itself. Launch an application with a few key features, and develop a roadmap of enhancements over time, based on usage patterns, industry trends, and level of effort.

My Life as an [INFOGRAPHIC]

2011-05-25T06:23:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon, "INFOGRAPHIC" craze, so I created a graphic of my professional history. I wish more resumes that are passed on to us at Empathy Lab were graphically depicted.

Create a User Experience Brief to Guide Design

2011-04-18T06:31:00.000-07:00

What is a User Experience Brief?

The purpose of a User Experience brief is to establish a framework and guiding principles for the user experience design of any interactive experience. It may be a companion or chapter of a larger Creative Brief, which seeks to define brand attributes and explain how these conceptual attributes get articulated in Design. A Creative Brief may focus primarily on graphical elements, however, whereas the User Experience Brief attempts to describe the interaction design and strategic, conceptual model that governs the experience.

When Does the User Experience Brief Need to be Delivered?

The User Experience Brief, or UX Brief, should kick-off the "Design phase" of an interactive initiative. Typically, this phase follows a "Discovery phase," in which any of the following activities may take place (defined in the next section):

End-User Research
Competitor Analysis
Identification of Business Objectives and Success Measurement

What Are Key Inputs to the User Experience Brief?

End-User Research - In order to define guiding principles for a User Experience, it is critical to understand the likely behaviors and motivations of the end-user, for which the experience is designed. Prior to developing the User Experience Brief, it is assumed that a qualitative, behavioral research study has been performed. The User Experience Brief should reference the study, when making assertions about the audience, or recommendations about the Design.
Competitor Analysis - The User Experience Brief is a strategic document, as much as it is a guiding Design document. As such, it should draw upon insights gained from analysis of industry trends and leading interactive experiences related to the one being designed. Even if the User Experience Designer was not directly involved in the competitor/industry research, she must draw upon those insights to understand what is contemporary, in terms of experience design for that industry's audience.
Business Objectives and Key Performance Metrics - Obviously, a User Experience will be measured against its ability to successfully achieve business objectives. Therefore, the conceptual model for the Design of a User Experience, as outlined in the Brief, should be able to be defended in the context of its ability to achieve either user objectives or business objectives. The User Experience Brief may also outline a roadmap of future enhancements to the Design based on an evolving strategic vision for the business, its goals, and changing trends in user behavior.

Format of the User Experience Brief

Summary of User Experience - The format of the UX Brief can be a PowerPoint, Keynote, InDesign, or Word document, depending on the preference of the client, however, must contain a well-written description of the Design challenge, business objectives, user research summary, and resulting user experience implications.
Conceptual Model and Infographics - The document will likely present paradigms, conceptual models, and high-level thinking that can best be illustrated using infographics, which should accompany the text-based summary content.
Mental Models, Taxonomy, or Preliminary Sketches - Since User Experience documentation will already have been generated, as a result of any user research that has been done to date, it is useful to include any mental models, taxonomies, or interface sketches that may have been developed to support research claims or recommendations.

Who Should Read the User Experience Brief?

Client - The client is the primary audience group for the User Experience Brief. This document is a synthesis of all information related to the business' objectives and audience needs; therefore, it is a litmus test to assess if the Design team properly understands the client's holistic needs.
Internal Creative Team - The User Experience Brief guides Design, so it should be used as an onboarding document for any Design professionals who engage on the initiative.
Account Manager - If there is any dispute or challenge to the Design, the Account Manager may need to use this document, as a reference, to help support the internal User Experience Design team.
Internal Technology Team - With any User Experience Design, there will be technology challenges to its execution. The UX Brief helps to explain the importance of guiding principles that may require specific user interface elements, before they get "lopped off" in the actual execution.

Web Design Evolves: Goodbye Columns. Long Live Rows!

2011-04-15T06:33:00.000-07:00

Emerging digital trends have fundamentally altered my approach to Design for the Web. In highly complex, content-heavy experiences, for example, my new focus is to conceptualize and design content modules that can be measured, optimized, re-ordered, and replaced with different modules. Modular Design enables businesses to quickly deploy, test, and optimize new functionality, without destroying the template structure upon which the modules sit. Pages can be designed to have greater flexibility when the Design concept includes full-width content modules, stacked as rows on the page, enabling module re-ordering, stacking, and replacement in a “non-destructive” template architecture.

The decision to utilize full-width, content modules, stacked in rows, led me to decide to eliminate columns; which was a decision based on emerging trends and technologies. The following are just a few examples of the trends that have led me to adopt a Modular approach to Web Design:

Increase in Volume of Content – Marketing, entertainment, ecommerce, and corporate web sites are increasingly becoming content portals, due to evolving marketing/content strategies. This increase in content volume has resulted in a shift of focus with respect to the user experience, from the aesthetic presentation of the content, to its findability and utility. The ability to “merchandise” content in specialized and “personalized” content modules gives marketers the ability to create greater content relevance and improve findability of content.
Wider Adoption of Mobile Web – As connected, mobile devices become more widely adopted, web sites must be designed to scale to many different mobile platforms, in order to deliver the same content (in some cases) to users, via a variety of mobile browsers. This is especially true when a business cannot, for typically economic reasons, develop mobile applications that consumers can download from “App Stores.” Having a “mobile browser-optimized” web site, then, requires a modular content design that is flexible enough to render in a wide variety of mobile form factors, screen resolutions, and browser specifications.
Changes in User Browse Behavior – Usability testing has proven to me, that users increasingly place their focus on the center of the “page” (in most cases), resulting in blind spots around the periphery of that “sweet spot.” Users were also conditioned to avoid the right column of web sites because of their likelihood to contain advertisements, such as on a Google search results page. Why then, have a periphery? It was a tough pill for me to swallow, but Usability Testing revealed that content placed in a “right column” was getting less attention than content found in the center of the page.
Increased Demand for Content Syndication – To increase content engagement and findability, marketers often develop strategies to make their content discoverable on partner web sites and digital platforms. When implementing a content syndication strategy, in order to maintain the integrity of content branding as well as consistency in content interaction, content presentment is often the same, on a partner web site, as on the originating platform. Content syndication is most effective when it is planned for from the beginning, including early conceptualization of Content Modules that live on the originating platform and are “transportable widgets” that can live on any platform that is beneficial to attract engagement from a relevant audience.
Content Sponsorship – Display advertisements are a necessary evil to drive revenue, however, content sponsorships can prove more effective, relevant, and create a higher degree of engagement with the advertiser brand. A sponsorship can simply be a curated list of content assets that live within an advertiser-branded (“skinned”) module that is contained within the page stack.

There is a valid Design argument and challenge to the decision to commit to a "column-less" Design...It is the issue of "visual interest." Brand is important to the user experience. Emotional impact is important to drive engagement. An unanswered question remains, "How does an additional constraint to Design impact the Designer's ability to create an emotionally impactful Design?"

Design and the "Waterfall" Methodology

2011-02-13T07:43:00.000-08:00

The potential problem with any Design methodology is that practitioners may become religious about following it step-by-step, like a recipe, for every single project. Unfortunately, not every Design challenge is the same, nor is every client timeline, identical. There are risks in utilizing the traditional, interactive agency "waterfall" methodology, for example, as a template approach for every single Design project. The following are some of the hazards that a more streamlined and collaborative Design methodology may help to avoid:

1. Failure to meet a client deadline - the classic "waterfall" delivery methodology assumes that one discipline begins work, only after another gets their deliverables approved. This "relay race" requires a generous project timeline, but, more importantly, depends on clients hitting their feedback/review deadlines, in order to be successful. More often than not, the project schedule needs to be collapsed, at some point, because some dependency or critical milestone gets missed.

2. Lack of collaboration - Ask any Designer what they think when they are given a stack of wireframes to "make pretty." It is insulting and foolish to avoid seeking a Visual Designer's input until an Interaction Designer has completed his/her work. Designers have an innate understanding of composition, balance, and, hopefully, interaction. Giving them exposure to the end-user makes them even more valuable, so bringing them in further upstream in a project timeline will likely yield better Design.

3. Increased likelihood that an initial Creative vision is NOT realized - The longer a project takes to get into "code (development)," the more likely that features will get lopped off with a Technology Director's axe. Why? Because, with a waterfall approach, if disciplines that precede Tech miss their delivery dates, the Tech timeline is likely to get shorter. If Tech gets "the squeeze," the only thing for them to do is eliminate functionality. This situation can be avoided, if the Tech team is brought into the project early on to prioritize features, or, better yet, build a prototype to aid interaction and Design decisions.

4. Decreased credibility in members of the project team who are "further downstream" - Face time with the client is extremely important in building credibility and trust. Generally, there are more opportunities to meet and collaborate with the client at the beginning of a project, when requirements and strategy is discussed. If these initial "Discovery" meetings include only members of the Account Management, Strategy, and Information Architecture disciplines, Design and Tech will surely miss valuable opportunities to meet and bond with clients. Even worse, they may not even be fully aware of the client's project requirements or business context, which is critical for a solid understanding of what they are designing and building.

5. Missed opportunities to innovate or improve the Design process - There is no "cookie-cutter" approach to Design. Every client challenge is different. Rushing to get to an approach, by assuming a standard methodology may prevent an opportunity to do things differently. It is the exact opposite of being Creative or Innovative.

The digital Design process needs to evolve along with the increased sophistication, pace, and technical complexity of contemporary digital projects. A process used to conceptualize a marketing web site may not be appropriate when designing a mobile application. Ultimately, there is no instruction manual for Design, that can be applied to every situation. Creating efficiencies in the Design process, therefore, should not replace the step of thinking critically about the specific Design challenges at hand.

Jonathan Lupo
http://www.twitter.com/userexperience

Continuous User Experiences

2011-01-20T19:30:00.000-08:00

When designing a single user experience for a single platform, it is too easy to become myopic about the individual that will be using the experience, and not take into consideration, that same individual’s behavior on connected or related digital platforms. It is a stretch, for example, to think that a consumer would only visit a company’s web site, and never encounter another digital interface, or digital store front, from the same company. People use the web and mobile devices for different purposes. One digital platform may even drive usage of another. Information Architects should seek to evolve their research methods to observe a single end-consumer's behavior across a connected, digital ecosystem of browser-based, mobile, and other digital experiences. The end goal, is to develop a holistic digital strategy for the client.

What happens, however, if a client isn’t thinking about, or willing to pay for an engagement with a larger scope, or broader implementation across digital platforms? After all, client engagements typically begin with a single project. Client budgets may only cover research that yields insights that inform the design of the contracted project. In this case, it is up to the Information Architect to convince the client that the precious time spent with the end-consumer should be maximized to uncover insights that may prove helpful, when connecting behaviors across all touch points of their planned, digital ecosystem. Missing key behaviors on digital platforms that aren’t immediately relevant, may result in non-scalable interfaces that won’t elegantly support naturally connected experiences across platforms (from an end-user perspective).

Ultimately, upfront end-user research with an intentionally narrow scope, may cost clients more money later, in future research and fixes to non-scalable interfaces. Behavioral personas should illustrate an end-user's total digital lifestyle, not an isolated set of behaviors, if they are to be used to inform the design of a connected set of digital platforms, rather than a single user interface.

Content Relevance and Promotion

2011-01-11T17:59:00.000-08:00

There are numerous ways to elevate content within a digital experience. For example, a marketing department may opt to treat a web site as a companion, or destination, for a promotional campaign or offline advertisement. In this respect, a web site must accommodate a dynamic, marketing schedule, that can be updated as often as new campaigns are launched. This type of promotion is often found on ecommerce, or consumer product marketing web sites.

For content-driven experiences, however, content relevance to the consumer should power the logic employed to promote content. Designers may wish to define a content hierarchy, based on its relevance to consumer, in order to determine the prominence and sequence of promotional categories of content. The following, are relevancy models that can be used to define a promotional framework for content, on web sites:

1. Elevate content that is of known, high-value, to consumers. Consumer research can help designers identify what content is most relevant to end-users of a web site. Perform qualitative analysis to develop theories about the type of information that will be sought on a web site, and then, perform a quantitative analysis to validate the information-seeking trends with a statistically significant set of data.

2. If the web site author has a credible, editorial voice, consider editorially-driven content promotion. Many businesses mistakenly believe that their editorially-driven content promotions will drive engagement on their digital experiences. Understanding consumer perception of a brand is the key to understanding whether or not the brand has the credibility to warrant it curating the content that exists on the web site.

3. On experiences where social engagement is likely, enable social discovery, and promotion, of content. Content discovery via integrated, social media tactics may be relevant, if the target audience of a web site is likely to engage with social media. Of course, an analysis to understand the level of social interaction on a web site is required before pursuing a path of social media integration, for content discovery purposes.

4. Promote content based on prior end-user behavior. Amazon, Netflix, and other popular web sites are typical examples of web sites that elevate content to consumers based on their prior behavior. This tactic may be effective, however, a complex algorithm must be developed, which may be prone to defects. Additionally, a web site may not have the volume of content to make "behavior-based" recommendations a worthwhile experience. If the potential number of recommendations are
few, based on a small amount of content, there is great potential to offer repetitive recommendations based on prior end-user behavior.

5. Enable the web site community to decide which content is promoted, and which content is buried. Web sites with a large community, and ones which aggregate content from 3rd party sources, may opt to let their community dictate which content gets promoted or "buried" on the web site. Digg is a perfect example of a web site which empowers its community to promote or bury articles. Thus, content popularity, is what determines which content rises to the top. It is suggested that user-driven content promotion is only employed when end-users are likely to have a high degree of engagement with content, and when a web site's content is updated very frequently.

Digital Design in 2011 [INFOGRAPHIC]

2010-12-29T15:42:00.000-08:00

Some say, "the web is dead." Whether this statement is true or false, "the web" certainly isn’t the only digital platform where your business will need to have a presence. 2011 brings significant changes to the way your business will need to think about digital design.

Lifestyle Modeling for Mobile Application Design

2010-12-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

User experience designers emphasize the importance of conducting primary behavioral research to inform digital application design (traditionally web applications). The need for behavioral research, to better understand end-user lifestyle, is even more important when the chosen platform for the application is a mobile platform. "Mobile" IS a lifestyle (rather, a collection of lifestyles), as mobile applications are designed to be taken into different physical environments, both online and offline. Because mobile applications are used in such a wide variety of situations, guessing about how consumers interact with them could be a critical mistake. Because environment influences behavior, ethnographic research, conducted in the context of different environments, is a valuable way for user experience designers to accurately identify, prioritize, and model the user interface of mobile application features.

The following are some quick tips to help plan a contextual inquiry aimed to inform a mobile application user interface:

1. Identify the mobile application's target, end-user segment. Generally, research recruiting efforts should aim for an end-user segment which is most likely to adopt the proposed mobile application. This segment will form the basis of the screening criteria for the research study.

2. Choose a recruitment platform that is a likely destination for the target participant segment. If the company that is funding the research already has a mobile application in the market, the researcher may consider utilizing the mobile application's customer email database to solicit participants for the upcoming application research study. If not, the researcher should consider alternate methods to recruit the target segment. Using the Google pay-per-click advertising platform is a great way to reach likely customers, when study solicitations are set to be triggered when users perform keyword queries related to the topic of the mobile application, and modified with the phrase, "app."

3. Develop a line-of-questioning that makes some informed assumptions about primary mobile use cases. I would never recommend biasing the research by influencing customer responses with suggestions about how the participant "might" behave in a given situation, but making internal assumptions simply makes research easier. A school of thought exists that exploratory research should be unencumbered (not biased) by preconceptions. This school of thought poses risk to the outcome of the research, in my opinion, because it leaves the potential to waste precious time with end-users, and precious funds from clients, on irrelevant findings. Taking a more structured approach, when planning for contextual inquiry, requires the development of open-ended questions that seek to validate theories. In this manner, a research moderator can control the flow of the dialogue, keep the interview relevant, and not bias the research with the moderator's "point of view."

4. Meet participants for lunch or coffee prior to the contextual inquiry. Seriously. The key to contextual research is natural, end-user behavior. Think about it. There can be significant reduction in participant nervousness or social anxiety if the participant and the researcher break the ice for for a few minutes prior to the study. Since the topic of the research is mobile behavior, plan to meet the participant close to where the application would likely be used ("on the go"), and make small talk with the participant for 10-15 minutes.

5. Watch the participant use a similar mobile application to the one being developed, in the context of where the participant would likely use the application. Begin by asking the participant to recreate a task that was recently performed, or perform a high-frequency task. Ask the participant to verbally describe the task, as it is being conducted. Observe how the participant performs the task, as well as how the environment around the participant is utilized in the completion of the task. What information is needed to perform the mobile task? What is the task sequence? The answers to these questions will help the mobile application design team develop the high-level information architecture for the mobile application, as well as the user interface design.

5 Ways to Get the Best Work from Creative Professionals

2010-12-14T14:34:00.000-08:00

Creative professionals do their best work when very specific conditions are met. As a Creative manager, it is important for you to be aware of the environment that you are creating, in order to get the best results from your Creative team.

The following are 5 ways to create the optimal environment for excellent Creative output.

Protect their time – Dedicating focus to projects and challenges is extremely important for Creative professionals. This is especially challenging in an agency setting. However, creating a protective shield around your team is your job, as manager. It takes proactive resource forecasting, management and communication with other managers who are looking to utilize members of the Creative team. Your effort, here, will be rewarded with in-depth problem solving, as well as energized and calmer team members.

Protect their egos – Creativity is all about ego. Being inspired is the key to Creative excellence. It is nearly impossible to be inspired with a hurt ego. When providing feedback, criticism, and instruction to Creative professionals, it is best to be mindful of your delivery and tone. The ego is fragile, but capable of producing amazing things. Respect large and small egos on your Creative team.

Give them a stimulating work environment – Inspiration has much to do with environment. Environment doesn’t just refer to work environment, although that’s important…but also to the culture that you’ve created in the workplace. Since behavior is also related closely to environment, you can engineer the type of behavior you wish to encourage by creating the right physical spaces to influence positive behaviors. For example, if you, as we all do, aspire to encourage collaboration amongst team members, create open spaces where people can see and interact with each other on a daily basis.

Inspire them with strong strategic direction – While time may not permit you, as a manager, to produce the detailed deliverables that are required for project delivery, you need to establish the broad strokes that set direction for your Creative team. If you are used to generating big ideas and strategic concepts for business development efforts, you should be regularly pitching innovative ideas of strategic value on your existing accounts. Your Creative team will begin to riff off of your thinking and think through the details. Your team should depend on you for higher-level conceptual thinking.

Give them plenty of context regarding business objectives and likely end-user behavior – Strong Creative concepts for clients requires business and end-user context. Conduct brainstorms with your team by giving the proper set-up and context about the client’s specific needs and the likely behaviors of the client’s customers. Insist that every idea that is produced from your Creative team can support either a business objective or a customer need.

10 "next steps" for unemployed, creative professionals

2010-12-06T18:40:00.000-08:00

There shouldn't be any secrets about what creative agencies look for when they search for talent. In fact, all companies should publish blogs describing, in great detail, what type of individual they look for, and exactly what candidates need to do to land a job (or a career). Distinguish yourself from other candidates by being innovative, demonstrating subject matter expertise, and being entrepreneurial in the pursuit of employment. It also doesn't hurt to be proactive, accessible, and energetic, when cultivating your professional persona, conducting your career search, and meeting with prospective employers.

The following are concrete steps to take to build credibility and increase the likelihood of landing a great job.

1. Identify professional goals and obstacles to achieving them - Wage war on unemployment by taking a strategic, methodical approach. You've taken great pains to plan killer strategies for your clients, why wouldn't you give yourself your own "A" game? Begin by identifying what makes you happy, professionally. Where would you like to work? What would you aspire to do? What kind of lifestyle do you want? Once you've answered these questions, begin outlining an approach to achieving your goals. You'll need to understand what obstacles lie in your path. Do you need an advanced degree? Do you have to move? What kinds of skills do you need to acquire? Write down all conceivable obstacles. In the end, you'll have a chart outlining what you need to do to achieve your ultimate career objectives. Begin your "barrier removal plan" by prioritizing your list of action items to removing career barriers. Grab a calendar and start planning milestones and deadlines. You'll feel more confident when you wake up every morning, marching towards an objective that removes another barrier in your path to achieving your professional aspirations.

2. Finish, publish, and promote your online portfolio - Obviously, now is the time to be very promotional about your experience and subject matter expertise. Take the time to finish your online portfolio, so that it is easily accessible as a link in an email, blog post, or tweet. Accompany your work samples with case studies to illustrate how you helped businesses achieve real results. Provide easy ways for interested parties to contact you. You are less likely to land an interview if you aren't prepared to show some real work samples or deliverables.

3. Read industry news/blogs - An overwhelming amount of industry information and intelligence is accessible daily, via every conceivable digital channel (TV, web, mobile, alerts, email, etc.). Stay up-to-date, and make reading industry news a part of your daily routine.

4. Develop and document points-of-view on relevant industry topics - Now that you are "plugged in" to the latest industry trends, begin formulating point-of-views on relevant topics. Write-down your thinking and reinforce your theses with secondary, market research. Go to slideshare.com to research relevant topics. The more you gather informed opinions on industry trends, the more you will be able to engage and hold relevant conversations with prospective employers.

5. Start blogging - Good writing skills are important to advancing your career as a Creative professional. Develop this skill by reading, and eventually, writing, your own blog posts. Since you documented your points-of-view on various industry trends (step 4), you'll have plenty to write about. Blogging can help you generate content that will be indexed on Google, so your name is more likely to appear in relevant search results. Blogging will also enable you to update your social media profiles, especially Twitter and LinkedIn profiles.

6. Publish an article or two - While blogging can help you increase your likelihood to appear in relevant, industry searches, publishing an article in a relevant, industry trade can help you to boost your professional credibility. Make sure any published articles are linked to from your online portfolio, as well as your social media profiles. Mention published articles in conversations with prospective employers.

7. Design and execute a social media strategy to increase your social influence - Some may view being overly self-promotional as a negative personality trait, but, guess what? That's exactly what you need to do to distinguish yourself from others looking to land your perfect job. Make sure employers know that you understand how to market yourself in the most contemporary fashion. Be sure to execute a well-planned social media strategy that is targeted to getting your point-of-view, writing samples, and industry expertise noticed by prospective employers. With your online portfolio and contact information acting as your "point-of-conversion," begin blogging and micro-blogging to develop interest in your points-of-view. Make sure to link to your online portfolio frequently, for more information, or to learn how to get in touch with you. Insert Google analytic tags in your blog, so that you can see which social media platform refers the most traffic to your online portfolio.

8. Attend relevant industry conferences - Since industry conferences tend to be expensive, try to identify the ones with the most relevant "foot-traffic." Get 100 business cards printed, and aim to hand them out after having meaningful conversations with like-minded individuals. Make sure your business cards have your social media and online portfolio URLs printed on them. Don't forget to collect the cards of the professionals who might be most influential in your future career. When you are back from the conference, write a follow-up email to each person you met. Try to keep in touch with these contacts. The goal is to expand your professional network, and get your name out there.

9. Follow and "Direct Message" hiring managers at target companies on Twitter - The beauty of Twitter is that it has the potential to create a direct linkage between you and hiring managers of companies that you want to work for. Stay connected with these companies, and network with their managers, by seeking them out and following them on Twitter. Engage them in conversations about the medium in order to illustrate your subject matter expertise, even before you have an opportunity to land an interview. You can present a different viewpoint as long as it doesn't come off as emotional or antagonistic

10. Be accessible and open - Even though you've developed a unique point-of-view (step 4), blogged about it (step 5), published it (step 6), and promoted it across social media channels (step 7), it doesn't mean you should close your mind to other points-of-view. Being Creative means doing things differently. Try to listen to other points-of-view, and adopt other people's wisdom, in order to evolve your thinking and maximize your social, and professional, influence.

Research Analysis - Avoid Data Paralysis in 5 Easy Steps

2010-11-26T09:16:00.000-08:00

I've stated it before. Analyzing research data is a daunting task. It's complicated because, often times, it is difficult to know where to begin. Qualitative, or behavioral data analysis, seems more manageable, because there is a structured methodology and limited data to cull through. Quantitative data analysis is an entirely different beast. Huge sample sizes, hundreds of measures, and results which include "the passage of time" as an axis, offer challenges that (as Information Architects) "put our name to the test" (King Leonidas, 300).

As always, solving a problem begins with "breaking it down." Abstract the solution, and develop an outline that is the framework for a persuasive argument. Draw the lines first, and then, fill in the details.

Here's an approach to analyzing quantitative data, in five (5) steps:

1. Define objectives - Does this 1st step need to be restated in every blog entry? Every challenge has the same beginning. Consultants succeed only when they achieve client objectives. Research analysis needs to support these objectives, otherwise, research is a wasted investment for a business (we can debate the value of "research for the sake of research." I understand the NASA model, where innovation and "spin-off discoveries" lead to practical applications. I'll argue, that is, in itself, an objective.) In a business context, where clients are spending money in a crap economy, Information Architects must do everything in their power to prove the value of the research they are conducting. Spell it out, and be promotional about the fact that the research findings will directly support meaningful objectives. This exercise has the added benefit of enabling you to develop a framework for your research analysis.

2. Develop theories based on prior knowledge - Most likely, clients really do have a base of understanding and knowledge about their customers. Often, theories exist that project a relevant set of customer behaviors over time, or provide an explanation to previously recorded behaviors. Borrowing from the "scientific method," Information Architects can develop a measurement framework that is aimed at supporting, or disproving, theories. List the theories that are related to key customer behaviors that support business objectives. Understand what action items are a result of proving or disproving these theories.

3. Conceive "psuedo-measurement equations" to support objectives and theories - It is now time to understand how data actually proves or disproves theories. You aren't going to even look at the data, yet, to complete this step. It is much easier to dig into the intimidating pool of data, once you understand what to look for. Creating the measurement equations is what this step is all about. Take a theory like, "customers are abandoning the shopping cart because there is an offer that appears on the shopping cart page that is drawing them off the path of conversion." What is an effective measurement equation to assess the validity of this theory? Maybe, "of the X% of customers who abandon the shopping cart, X% are clicking on the offer that appears on that page." The relevant data reports that need to be generated, include:

> Measurement - percent cart abandonment
> Measurement - percent cart abandoners that click on Offer X

Identifying the key measurements that prove or disprove theories about relevant customer behavior is a matter of developing a logical argument. Develop these arguments for each theory that exists to support a business objective, and you will have defined the necessary measurements required to achieve the next step in the analysis process.

4. Look for actual data to support "pseudo measurements" - This step, which is the one that must cause the greatest amount of anxiety, is actually the easiest step. Step three (3) entailed defining the actual measurements to make. Step four (4), is a simple matter of generating the data reports to support defined objectives and theories. Once the relevant data has been retrieved, analyze whether or not the numbers prove or disprove your theories.

5. Develop recommendations - Once again, from a business perspective, data is only useful when it is applied. The last few steps to analyze data have been in pursuit of supporting objectives and proving and disproving theories. This step requires the definition of actionable steps that need to be taken to increase specific customer behaviors, or reverse negative trends in specific customer behaviors. In essence, this step is about making meaning out of the data. It is, perhaps, the most difficult step of all. Drawing from your own expertise in the medium, knowledge about the customer, competitor tactics, and proposed tactics, select a set of tactics that addresses the need to support unsupported objectives, and reverse negative trends in customer behaviors. List these tactics as recommendations based on the analysis.

User Interface Design - "Promotion" vs. "Access"

2010-11-21T12:20:00.000-08:00

Content-rich user experiences are generally designed to serve two masters:

> The user - who is coming to the experience with specific needs and expectations, with respect to the content.

> The editorial staff - who wants to direct the user to consume specific content assets based on an agenda.

Although the aforementioned stakeholders have objectives that may seem to be at odds, the user interface must be able to strike the right balance between "access" (meeting the end-user's needs) and "promotion" (meeting the needs of the editorial staff). The challenge is knowing which agenda to prioritize, and at what point in the user experience to satisfy it. In order to address this challenge, it is helpful to answer the following questions:

1. Is it likely that users will find the content they are seeking? No?? - If, after conducting research to assess user needs, it is discovered that the user experience will not contain the content that the end-user is seeking, consider designing a more "guided user experience." For instance, create lots of opportunities for the editorial staff (and the user's own social network) to make recommendations. Another opportunity is to use predictive search to promote assets which are available, as the user is typing a query. That way, the experience can more effectively drive the user to a content result. Nothing is more frustrating than "null results."

2. How relevant to the user, are promoted assets? - Conduct analytic measurement to assess the effectiveness of promotional tactics. No one engaging with that giant "A-spot" on key landing pages? Chances are, the content that is being presented provides little relevance to end-users. If this is the case, you may not know your end-users as well as you thought you did. Conduct research to better understand their needs and expectations from the experience.

3. At what point in the user experience, are promoted assets relevant to the user? - Go through the exercise of developing a mental model for each key page of the user experience. Develop empathy for the end-user, by asking, "what type of content/service would a user be looking for at this exact moment?" Model the asset promotion/content strategy based on this dynamic mental model.

4. How relevant to the brand, are promotional tactics? - Much of what is considered relevant to users, in terms of content and content promotion, is relevant because of the way they expect to engage with your brand. While it is vital to conduct user investigation to determine content relevance, it is also vital to understand how promotional tactics and content aligns with your brand. Does the promotional tactic make sense for you brand? Time for introspection.

5. How often will the editorial staff refresh content recommendations? - Be careful when developing a system that automatically recommends content based on an algorithm. Chances are, if you aren't paying attention, content isn't being refreshed thoughtfully or regularly. Being promotional, these days, requires a full-time, dedicated staff to constantly make the experience fresh and new to end-users.

The ultimate goal for any content-rich user experience is to provide content that users want to consume. Once the right content is acquired, produced, or identified, the user experience should be optimized so that it is easy for users to find the content they are seeking. You may find, once you've acquired valuable content to end-users and improved access to it, that you need less promotional opportunities, as a result.

8 Essential Interaction Design Skills

2010-11-07T19:35:00.000-08:00

Interaction Designers are Creative team members who conceive user interfaces which accommodate information-seeking agendas and important user tasks, based on an understanding of client business objectives and end-user needs. In order to be successful, regardless of the tool that is used to create the interaction design document (e.g. - Axure, Visio, Illustrator, InDesign, or Keynote), the Interaction Designer should aim to hone the following, essential skills:

1. End-User Empathy - Often, wireframe decks are developed in absence of any real primary research with end-users. The process may end up successful, depending on the state of the previous interaction design model, however, the work is infinitely better with the right amount of empathy, gained as a result of end-user exposure. Interaction Designers need to accompany user researchers on studies, or learn to design and moderate their own research.

2. Understanding of Business Objectives - Each screen and interface element should be planned to satisfy business objectives. Interaction Designers need to be included on the business requirements team during the project "Discovery," when requirements are gathered. It is entirely acceptable for the Interaction Designer to help drive these discussions using interaction design documentation, or "wireframes," as a "means of elaboration."

3. Design Sensibility - Conventional and contemporary Design sensibilities are important for the Interaction Designer to have, in order to conceive credible and engaging interfaces for the end-user. Drawing upon this ability, the Interaction Designer will be able to recognize and develop smart page layouts, balanced visual elements, as well as proper emphasis of page elements. Generally, this skill is learned through experience and exposure to good Design.

4. Design Consistency - When developing concepts for the user interface of a web site or application, it is easy to acquire a fair amount of page and design inconsistencies on wireframe pages. Why? Interaction Design undergoes constant reinvention and revision, as a result of team and client reviews. Make sure that repeated design elements appear on masters or templates (most prototyping tools utilize the concept of layers, masters, or templates), and are "applied to pages." That way, any revisions that are needed for screen elements found on multiple pages, need only be changed once in the page master or template.

5. Design Clarity - A clearly prioritized page will comfortably draw the eye to elements that are the most important on each page or screen. This clarity of intention, is the very definition of successful Design communication. Do constant battle with the urge to clutter up screens with interface elements that are randomly applied. Take 5 minutes for each screen, stand a couple of feet away from your computer screen, and ask yourself, "what is this screen trying to communicate?" If you can answer that question from a distance, than you are on the road to successful design.

6. Wireframe Efficiency - Wireframe efficiency is the ability to limit the amount of wireframe element duplication in the document. This is a skill that is related to document management, and not a "Design skill," per se, however, once this principle is applied, documentation will be aesthetically improved. It is often the case, that elements which are repeated on multiple wireframes, get copied and pasted to each page in the wireframe document. There are many issues that can result from this approach to element duplication, from a documentation perspective. For instance, Visio still does not have the ability to "paste in place," meaning that each "copy and paste" maneuver may not end up on the exact position from wireframe to wireframe. The result will be a wireframe deck where elements appear to "jump and shift position," from page to page (ugly). Another issue, is that repeated elements in wireframe decks cause the file size to increase dramatically. Avoid these issues by creating masters and templates that represent design patterns that appear on multiple screens. Apply masters to wireframes utilizing these elements, so that repeated elements appear in a fixed position, all of the time.

7. Good Writing Skills - Wireframe annotation can be a painful, tedious process, but it is "oh so important" for client and developer understanding of UI interaction. I generally prefer to hold off on annotating the wireframes until there is client acceptance of the design patterns and basic UI elements on key wireframes. You don't want to get stuck in revision cycles that include revisions to the wireframe designs as well as revisions to the annotations. Great annotation is detailed, precise, and clearly references each individual screen and UI element on each wireframe. Remember, wireframes are, essentially, instruction manuals for clients, designers, and developers. Good instructional aids use pictures and words to educate the reader.

8. Competitor Intelligence - Trends in design patterns and user interface conventions are constantly changing. This change is as a result of advances in internet technologies, as well as data analytic assessments, which result in constant UI optimization. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the Interaction Designer to keep current on new trends in interaction, for digital user experiences that are in their client's competitive set. In addition, great Interaction Designers are individuals who actually go online frequently and engage in new experiences and social interaction.

Short Reaction to "The UX Design Education Scam"

2010-10-27T12:59:00.000-07:00

In a recent post on Design View (http://www.andyrutledge.com/the-ux-design-education-scam.php), Andy Rutledge lambasts most "UX-focused," Design education programs...calling them "scams." Having graduated from such a program (NYU Interactive Telecommunications Program), albeit 10 years ago, I feel obligated to challenge some of the accusations made. Why? My education and degree have opened many doors and provided many career opportunities for me. At the start of my career, it gave employers confidence that I could learn about Technology and had a general familiarity with the medium. That credibility, alone, was worth the considerable price of admission. Employers took chances with me, and eventually, I honed my skills under the mentorship of various subject matter experts. That was 10 years ago, however, and much has changed. Now, digital agency employers (I'm one of them) aren't as quick to hire because we have higher expectations with respect to contemporary skill-sets. Of course, the industry has evolved. Andy's conclusion, I believe, is that "Web Design" programs' failure to adapt to the constantly evolving industry, will never prepare students for the issues, tools, and methods faced on a day-to-day basis in a contemporary digital agency.

The following, are some of Andy's accusations:

Web Designers, who are graduates of such programs, are taught to be "tool jockeys"- The legendary, well-respected founder of New York University's Interactive Telecommunications Program, Red Burns, proclaimed to my first-year class, "You won't learn how to use software. We will teach you how to learn." While that proclamation instantly resonated with everyone in my class, it did nothing to calm the anxiety I had about software (i.e. - my ability to learn how to use common tools). In fact, we were "taught how to learn," AND we learned how to use software. The value of learning software, even after the software becomes extinct, is that it increases the student's level of confidence with Technology, in general. The more the student feels comfortable using software to manipulate the medium (any relevant software), the more he/she will think of software as a mere platform and tool to shape ideas and concepts. Confidence is important.

Most graduates of "UX Design Education Programs" are "unemployable"- In his experience as a hiring manager, Andy states that he has only come across one employable candidate, who was a recent graduate from a UX Design education program. It is unclear to me, what he means by this statistic. Is it one out of 200 recent graduates or one out of 200 total job candidates? I guess it doesn't matter. His point is that the percentage is low. From my perspective, as a hiring manager, a graduate from a relevant program needs on the job experience, but should "get up to speed" rather quickly. I expect that this type of candidate would have a solid foundation with relevant tools, but, more importantly, relevant methods and theory.

In my opinion, digital agencies need more formally trained employees (with a degree in UX). Why? Everyone thinks they understand "Interactive." However, the industry is filled with self-proclaimed "subject matter experts" who are hacking their way through it. They then teach erroneous methods to employees and give erroneous advice to clients. Essentially, the background education should give the employee a "historical frame of reference," while the "on the job" training should give the employee the contemporary skills and knowledge to be credible, and competent, in the field.

Honing Conceptual Design Treatments

2010-10-24T16:28:00.000-07:00

Designers are frequently called upon to mock up comps that emphasize a single concept, related to either a content or brand strategy. This request is made, generally, to support a business development effort or presentation. In this situation, the conceptual design should be "pared down," and not include too many ideas, tactics, and details. Razor sharp focus is most important, when the objective of Design is to illustrate a conceptual direction. Here's how it works:

1. Emphasize a set of tactics that support a single concept - A conceptual brainstorm with the design team may result in a "shopping list" of potential tactics to support a single theme. Quantity of output is important, but only to provide enough valuable, tactical choices to choose from. Force the team to prioritize only 2-3 tactics to include in the design comp. Don't try to incorporate everything, or the design will quickly become a "patchwork quilt" of content modules. If this happens, the design will lose clarity.

2. Exaggerate focus and prioritization on supporting design elements - Visual Designers often find it aesthetically offensive to mock-up large interface elements (text, buttons, tabs, widgets, etc.). However, in the case of visualizing a concept, it may be necessary to exaggerate the page elements that underscore the idea. The conceptual comp is a visual aid for a presentation. The strategic concept must be recognizable in 2-3 seconds. Don't make the client read paragraphs of text, or work too hard, to "get it." The point of the exercise to is to bring an idea forward, not to hide it in a forest.

3. Don't get caught up in the UX details (aka - "the weeds") - The Information Architects on the design team, myself included, will likely get caught up in tactical details related to "way-finding," "affordance," and "design consistency." These are all extremely important objectives for "market-ready design," but not for the purpose of painting broad strokes around a concept. The important details can be worked out later.

Measure the success of conceptual design with client feedback that indicates complete understanding of the concept and general acceptance of it.

Convert Research Participants into Brand Evangelists

2010-10-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

A defining moment in any user research study is when a participant reacts positively, and finds utility, in proposed client ideas. To an Information Architect, when that moment happens, it can be magic. Maybe the concept and execution of the idea really will resonate with "real world users." Suddenly, there is excitement surrounding the study.

Too often, however, the potential for that user's adoption and evangelism is left untapped, when the research study ends. Why? Many usability professionals create artificial barriers between their "research microcosm" and "the real world." For example, participants are usually recruited for research studies from a market research database or panel. The goal of a research study, including the study population, should be to get as close to "reality" as possible. In the case of recruitment, this could mean soliciting "active information seekers," or actual users, for the study. In relation to the actual study methodology, it generally means performing ethnography "in context," versus research performed in a laboratory.

It seems bizarre to me, that a researcher wouldn't follow through when a participant says, "Wow. This idea is really cool. When will it become a reality?" These words, or ones like it, should set off an alarm in the researcher's head, that the participant is a potential end-user. Further, the participant has the potential to evangelize the client's idea to his/her social network. There is a huge potential to build a bridge between the world of research and reality, to have a meaningful impact on the adoption of a client's idea.

Try a different research incentive - Usability professionals generally pay honoraria in exchange for participation in a research study. There may be a way to capitalize on a participant's enthusiasm, however, via the study incentive. To help build awareness for a new client application, a researcher may consider using a special invitation, or sneak peak to a beta version of the client application, as a research study incentive. Make the participant feel like "one of the cool kids," by giving exclusive access to an early, working prototype.

Continue the dialogue after the study ends - Now that the participant has exclusive access, build an interface to continue soliciting input from the participant. Publish the reviews, ratings, and comments from the participant. Allow the participant to begin a public dialogue, using the client's application as the platform.

Integrate Social Media Early - Social media tactics are often thought of as "future phase functionality." It makes more sense to build the infrastructure for dialogue early, when ideas can begin to shape the application. When a business listens to “the voice of its customers,” and enhances an application based on actual recommendations from its customers, the brand is more likely to encourage loyalty and adoption from its customers.

Let's revisit our research participant. He/she has been given special access and privilege, empowered, and given a platform to be an influence of change for the application. Given the right social media hooks, it is possible to convert the participant into a brand evangelist to his/her own social graph. In this manner, the special access to the consumer that user research provides, gives the business the potential to build a community of early adopters and brand evangelists.

User Centered Design to Achieve 4 Common Business Objectives

2010-10-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

Continuing the theme of “focusing on business objectives,” it is possible to architect a plan to improve a user experience by tailoring the design approach to the specific need of the objective. Fine-tuning an approach to this level of specificity can only be accomplished if both Information Architect and client have reached a common understanding of what it is the business is intending to achieve with the design. Further, there should be agreement as to how the design will be measured to gauge its success in achieving these business objectives. Making this happen may require the leeway to expand the scope of the engagement with the client after an initial “Discovery” phase has been completed. The Discovery phase should be used to gather, document, and confirm the business objectives from the client. The additional scope may be required to take the necessary steps to plan for success, after discovering the exact goals of the business.

The following are common business objectives for interactive design, and a User Centered Design (UCD) framework for achieving them:

Drive Engagement – Engaging a target audience is all about having the right content to entice them to interact, and providing them enough relevance and value to frequently return for more. In order to understand how to engage a target audience, conduct a preliminary behavioral research study to identify relevant content, digital tactics, the most adopted competitor experiences, as well as tools that may provide the greatest utility. In parallel, use a strategist or business analyst to perform a competitive analysis to identify gaps where competitors are missing opportunities to engage the target audience. Combine the ideas generated from both studies, and begin prioritizing these “features” on a product road map based on their potential to drive customer engagement, in addition to the level of effort to implement them.

Improve Utilization (internal application) – Improving the utilization of an internal application requires an understanding of how the application would best accommodate essential tasks in a target employee’s daily workflow. An information Architect should focus on developing a research study with target employees, that attempts to identify common workflows associated with tasks that the application is intended to facilitate. Contextual Inquiry, research in the context of the work environment, works best here, as it allows the IA to see the important documents and information kept “on-hand” when key tasks are performed. After defining key tasks in the workflow, redesign the application to facilitate access to functionality that appropriately accommodates these tasks.

Improve Usability – Improving the usability of a web site or application requires an identification of the likely points of user frustration with an existing design, taxonomy, information architecture, or interface elements. Begin by conducting a heuristic evaluation to identify usability issues that are “easy to spot.” By doing so, and correcting these right away, you’ll be saving the client money upfront, by not wasting funds on user research to identify issues that any trained Information Architect might have caught right away. Investigate the “hidden” or unexpected usability issues by conducting a qualitative usability test on the new design, post implementation of the Information Architect’s initial recommendations.

Improve Conversion – Conversion is a key ecommerce metric that generally refers to the completion of a sale from a shopping cart, but this metric can also be applied to any desired action that the business wants a user to take from any key page in the user experience. What it requires, then, is the identification of the ideal “user path” and set of actions, in the context of a page-to-page flow. Using the site or application map as a guide, ask the client to identify what conversion means at each key page in the hierarchy. “What actions should the user take on this page?” “What page should the user visit next?” Etc.

The best way to optimize the design of key pages to improve conversion is to perform “A/B” tests on different design concepts. Using wireframes, provide two distinct interaction design models. Next, work with visual design to maintain the distinctness of the concepts when producing two different visual design comps based on the wireframes. Finally, work with developers to build two versions of each key page and decide, with the client, which users will see which version of each key page. Even better, prior to development, perform a qualitative usability test on each page concept to fine-tune the design of each approach, as well as predict the effectiveness of each design concept. When deploying two versions of each page, make sure that each individual user will only see one version, so that you can compare the effectiveness of one approach vs. the other. Remember that the effectiveness of each approach is based on its ability to increase conversion. In other words, how effective is the approach in achieving the specific objectives that the Information Architect and the client identified.

Which is better, sweeping changes or incremental improvements?

2010-10-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

Information Architects are often asked to provide a completely new architecture and design solution for their clients' digital user experiences. In some cases, however, the client may have been better served by making a few tweaks, or optimizing a key page. In fact, the IA and client's sense of satisfaction is too often tied to the magnitude of the change, not the positive impact of the change. The following are reasons why incremental change may be better than sweeping change, when redesigning a client's digital user experience:

1. Don't try to solve too many issues at once. Information Architects can generally eyeball a web site or screen interface and come up with a thousand things wrong with the design. In fact, we have a name for this type of analysis. It is called "heuristic evaluation." But, just because there are a thousand things that can be corrected, it doesn't mean that they need to be corrected all at once. Sometimes, tackling a large quantity of enhancements reduces the likelihood that issues will be prioritized and planned properly. Going through the effort of prioritizing enhancements will force IAs and clients to plan for enhancement phases, measurement of enhancements, as well as subsequent phases, based on a sensible, product road map.

2. Only invest in Design improvements that achieve identified objectives. Most organizations require a justification of investment when making changes to an existing digital experience or web site. If an enhancement cannot be mapped back to a measurable business requirement or objective, it may not be worth investing money to change. Go through the effort of identifying all proposed enhancements and map each one to a measurable goal for the business.

3. Don't try to fix what isn't broken. Sometimes, as Information Designers, we react emotionally to trendy new interface design patterns. Unfortunately, not everything new works better than a tried-and-true, conventional interface element. Be sure to measure the performance of interfaces that you propose to change, prior to changing them. Conduct a usability test to see which design pattern is more intuitive.

4. Deploy a manageable set of enhancements at a time. QA managers will tell you that it is easier to perform quality assurance on a smaller set of features per deployment. New enhancements often cause new issues to old code.

5. Don't disorient your users by making sweeping changes at once. It is a fact, that good usability comes as a result of repeated usage. While change is sometimes needed, it can be disorienting for repeat users if an entire system changes overnight. It is true, that usage of a newly designed web site drops immediately after a redesign. Hopefully, the numbers climb back up after users become more familiar with new interfaces.

Begin planning for social media integration

2010-10-12T06:57:00.000-07:00

Businesses that are new to social media platforms tend to approach social media integration by assuming that their first step should be to launch a Facebook or Twitter presence, and then, “watch what happens.” More often than not, this “knee-jerk” approach to social media will not achieve meaningful results for the business. The planning and approach to social media integration should be no different than any other marketing initiative. It requires goals, planning, and measurement. This approach applies to the integration of social media tactics as well. In the case of social media, the platform may be different, but the business need is not.

The following are key steps to implementing a successful social media strategy:

Identify business objectives and key performance indicators - Work with clients to identify the underlying business challenges that tactics, such as social media, are intended to achieve. Document business objectives with clients to identify the right digital strategy and tactics to implement. Help the business identify its key performance indicators. These are metrics against which the success of deployed tactics will be measured.

Understand target audience behavior – A user-centered design (UCD) methodology begins with end-user investigation, to identify key tasks and interactions with our clients’ brands. When planning for social media integration, identify the level of social and “hyper-social” behavior, exhibited by target end-users. Additionally, identify the optimal platforms and nature of the “social hierarchy” that exists within clients’ end-users’ social graphs. Your investigation should result in end-user personas that identify the behaviors of “key influencers” of the social hierarchy. Understanding their behaviors helps to accommodate their needs through the delivery of relevant content. Winning over the “social authorities,” within a social network, is key to the viral adoption of a business’ social tactics.

Identify relevant content – The key to a successful social media strategy is providing relevance and value to followers. Audit clients' existing content to understand what is relevant and valuable to their customers. Then, plan for distribution of that content, in regular, “bite-sized chunks,” across digital channels. In this phase, identify the right social media platforms for distribution of content assets. The goal is to help clients understand where their customers are interacting socially, and to provide their customers with the content that will help them drive engagement with their brand.

Develop a digital strategy & tactics that satisfy business objectives – Using the output of steps 1-3, as indicated above, plan a social media strategy and tactical execution aimed at achieving business objectives. A comprehensive strategy needs to address the following questions, “who the business is targeting?,” “what are the behaviors and content needs of the target audience?,” “what type of content will be delivered?,” and “what social media platforms will be leveraged for content deployment?”

Measure key performance indicators and plan for continuous optimization – Key performance indicators should be identified prior to development of tactics, as described in step 1, above. Once social media tactics have been identified and deployed, their performance against these important metrics should be continuously measured. If tactics are not achieving goals, they need to be enhanced. The following are relevant performance indicators to social media:

The level of the brand’s social influence:

Strength – the likelihood that the brand is being discussed on social media platforms
Sentiment – the ration of positive mentions vs. negative ones on social media platforms
Passion- the likelihood that individuals who discuss the brand will do so repeatedly
Reach – the measure of the range of influence of the brand

Of course, any successful initiative to integrate social media tactics require additional considerations beyond “a strategic framework.” Successful social media campaigns need continuous attention. Engaging in social media is like having an ongoing conversation with your customer. A business needs to have a personality, point-of-view, relevant content, as well as enough support to directly address specific thoughts and concerns from its customers.

A good idea can come from anyone.

2010-10-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

At interactive agencies, there is usually a strong tendency for Creative team members to actively ignore, or even suppress, ideas that are generated "outside of the Creative" team. I am guilty of this crime, but am now actively trying to keep my mind open to new perspectives. Client initiatives need to accomplish a wide variety of business, user, and brand objectives, therefore, ALL agency disciplines should be invited into the brainstorming session. As long as certain rules are followed, and the project budget can accommodate it, clients will benefit from the agency using a multi-disciplinary approach to solve their challenges...even their Creative ones.

Rules are important to brainstorm sessions, however, and the following are really important ones:

1. Ensure that disciplines outside of the Creative Team are not using time that they need to be spending elsewhere, to engage in a Creative brainstorm. If all else is on schedule, by all means, use their brains too.

2. Define, and constantly remind everyone, of the specific goals and objectives that the ideas generated are trying to accomplish. Once more, I emphasize that "Design is not Art." Only ideas that can produce measurable results, and accomplish client objectives, will be considered.

3. A team member who is skilled in brainstorm moderation should guide the sessions. The most useful ideas will be produced when a thought-leader facilitates the brainstorm. Ideas are generated as a result of the rules of the brainstorm, not in spite of them.

4. Each team member must come prepared to present the client's challenges to the internal team, from the perspective of their respective discipline.

5. Final decisions with respect to how much effort and emphasis is placed on specific ideas rest in the hands of the Creative discipline leads. Project Managers and Developers may propose IA and Design tactics, but the level to which these ideas are presented to clients need to be moderated by the Information Architect and Art Director on the team.

In addition to paying attention to the rules of Creative brainstorming, it is important to begin identifying and channeling the type of feedback offered from "non-Creative (from an organization perspective, not based on the individual)" disciplines:

Roles of Non-Creative Disciplines in Creative Brainstorms

Account Managers - AMs should be the most familiar with the client's business challenges and objectives. Additionally, they understand the client's budgetary constraints and cycles better than anyone on the team. Harness this knowledge and look at all ideas through the Account Manager lens. Will a tactic accomplish a key client objective? Will the client ever be able to pay for the development of a specific idea?
Project Managers - Given a specific client objective, PMs can be extremely useful in sequencing the types of ideas brought to the table. Their knowledge of the project timeline and budget can help the Creative Team prioritize tactics based on the reality of when tactics can realistically be deployed.
Developers - Innovative companies view the Tech team as a Creative discipline. The fabric of Interactive Design is Code. The performance and elegance of the Design is dependent on the decisions of developers and architects. Pay close attention to their ideas and respect their point-of-view about the level of effort to develop each volunteered tactic.

Learn to be "open," when it comes to listening and considering ideas from unexpected sources, as "openness" a fundamental element of Creativity. It takes practice and patience, but, ultimately results in better Design for your clients.

What is the most important objective for Design?

2010-10-07T09:19:00.000-07:00

There are many ways to measure Design concepts and execution. Design needs to be measured because it is intended to achieve specific business objectives. The following are key objectives to evaluate the success of a Design:

1. Engagement: How successful is a Design in driving key, end-user behaviors?
2. Usability: How intuitively does a Design accommodate key, end-user behaviors?
3. Adoption: What percentage of a potential end-user population repeatedly engage with the Design?

How are these objectives prioritized? Which objective is most important? The short and obvious answer is, "they are ALL important." Design professionals, however, have created confusion by delegating ownership of specific Design objectives to different Design disciplines, resulting in dissent over the prioritization of Design objectives. The dangerous outcome of this dissent, is that one discipline's prioritization wins out, and Design is impacted.

For example, prioritizing Usability over Adoption may result in a highly intuitive, but generic and dull, Design. Over time, the adoption of such an experience may diminish to the point where the business objectives for the Design fail. If Engagement is prioritized over Usability, on the other hand, a Design may work hard to drive certain user behaviors that are not easily accomplished via the user interface. The level of user frustration that may result, in this scenario, may also have a negative impact on the adoption of the Design.

By compartmentalizing Design objectives and ownership into separate disciplines (Strategy, Information Architecture, and Visual Design), a cohesive user experience design and vision may be lost. All Design disciplines need to keep in mind that they exist to support a business, can do this successfully by listening to the "Voice of the Customer," and realize that the successful adoption of the Design has the potential, over time, to result in interaction design patterns, best practices, and usability conventions. Therefore, Design disciplines need to establish closer collaboration methodologies or consolidate into a single discipline. Further fragmentation of the ownership of Design, and the accountability for its total set of objectives, can only result in its ultimate failure.

Reaction to "How should a user experience designer be used?"

2010-09-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

A new blog post by Jason Buck, a contributing writer for Econsultancy, discusses misconceptions and general perversions of the role of "User Experience Designer." In general, I am in agreement with the points made in the post. I agree that a good User Experience Designer must be a champion of end-user needs, not just a Designer (although, one could argue that inherent in "Good Design" is an understanding of end-user needs). In order for the professional UXD to defend end-user requirements, he/she must be skilled at gathering and documenting them. These requirements, ideally, are gathered as a result of end-user research, which the UXD should be able to design, facilitate, and analyze. In addition, as a conceptual thinker and visual communicator, he/she must translate these findings into intuitive and compelling interfaces for applications and marketing experiences.

It is over the importance of the wireframe, the visual expression of the information prioritization developed as a result of end-user discovery, that my point-of-view differs slightly from Jason's. Let me explain.

As described above, it is clear that a User Experience Designer needs to be more than a "glorified wireframer." That being said, I think I detect some minimization of the role of "Interaction Designer" by the use of the label "glorified wireframer." Great Interaction Designers facilitate the completion of business objectives as well as key end-user tasks by understanding the research, personas, and behavioral trends uncovered through contact with end-users. It is a pet peeve of mine, to listen to a Usability Professional, such as an Information Architect, boast that he/she has moved beyond "cranking out wireframes," to do something more noble (e.g. - Taxonomy development). Research, conceptualization of the experience, as well as detailed interface design is all integral to User Experience Design. One end of the UCD spectrum is no more important than the other. In other words, the richest end-user insights can be "lost in translation" (poor Interaction Design). That, however, may be Jason's point exactly.

Jason also states that the fact that he is "increasingly contracted out by agencies, with no brief and little or no access to the end client" as a "troubling development." As a business owner and a manager, I'll be very honest in stating that I require reassurance that my contract User Experience Designer is a seasoned consultant, prior to me exposing him/her to clients and end-users. The contractor interview process is too brief for me to gain that confidence, so I need to rely on trusted referrals or my own instincts about the candidate. That being said, I may hire a contractor just because he/she is a skilled Interaction Designer. If that is the case, end-user requirements will be provided to the Interaction Designer. Additionally, the ID will be debriefed by the Usability Professional who conducted the end-user research.

Jason goes on to say that "anyone can draw wireframes" and that he's "seen Project and Account Managers producing nicely laid out wireframes that, to the client at least, look no different from the ones produced by that pesky extra UXD resource they don’t want to pay for any more." I've always maintained that Usability Professionals such as Interaction Designers and Information Architects must be able to show how Design decisions achieve business and user objectives. This rationale and context must be provided along with the wireframe. Additionally, the decisions made to achieve these objectives must be measurable. Only skilled practitioners can follow the guidelines above, so the statement "anyone can draw wireframes" is problematic for me.

I agree with Jason's final point that UXDs should be brought into the project lifecycle at an early stage. I would go further, however, to suggest that Visual Design, Copy, and Technology should also be brought into the project lifecycle at an early stage.

Develop a Research Plan Using Mindjet MindManager

2010-09-27T06:59:00.000-07:00

Mindjet MindManager is intuitive mind-mapping software that can also be used to generate project documentation in Microsoft Word. I use MindManager for research documentation and client project proposals.The following describes all of the necessary elements for a solid qualitative, behavioral research plan. That plan can be easily generated by creating a mind map using Mindjet MindManager.

To begin, open the MindManager application to create an outline for the research plan. Create a new map, and you'll end up with a single "topic shape" in the center. Rename the topic shape, "Client Lorem Research Plan" (replace "Client Lorem" with the client's actual name).

Continue by adding six sub-topics. Select topic shape, "Client Lorem Research Plan," and hit the "Enter" key six times. The result should end up looking like the screenshot below.

Rename the newly created sub-topics in the following order: Summary, Objectives, Population, Methodology, Analysis, and Next Steps.

Select the "Methodology" sub-topic, and hit the "Insert" key. Next, hit the "Enter" key three additional times. Rename the four sub-topics of "Methodology" to: Recruiting Participants, Screening Participants, Interviewing Participants, and Equipment/Technology.

Next, select the "Analysis" sub-topic, and create three sub-topics in the same manner as the newly created sub-topics of "Methodology." Rename these sub-topics, Findings, Personas, and Mental Models. The finished outline should look like the screenshot below.

To generate the Microsoft Word version of the research plan outline, select the MindManager button from the application main menu (top), and then select "Export > Export to Microsoft Word."

After a prompt to save your file, you'll see a dialog box entitled, "Microsoft Word Export Settings." Change Microsoft Word settings be selecting options in the dropdown menus according to the screenshot below.

The result will be a Microsoft Word document that is a perfectly formatted outline for a research plan. Complete the research plan by adding appropriate detail to the topics described in the outline. Adding detail can be done in MindManager or Microsoft Word. The following describes the type of content that is needed for each section of the research plan:

1. Summary- Briefly describe the research study. The summary should include any hypotheses, formed as a result of previous research, that the study will seek to validate. One of the objectives of the new research study should be to fill gaps in knowledge about the target audience.

2. Objectives- Outline the goals of the research. Describe how the research objectives support the overall business objectives. Explain how uncovering the informational needs and key behaviors of users will ultimately satisfy business objectives.

3. Population- Identify the desired user segments for the study. Describe and justify the sample size for each segment. Remember that the initial research population should reflect the demographic targeting of the business. The goal for the research, however, will be to group users by their key behavioral differences, resulting in behavioral personas.

4. Methodology- Describe every aspect of the end-user research study. The methodology should provide exhaustive detail about the following research tasks:

Recruitment- Document the method for identifying and scheduling research participants. Here, you will need to mention any recruitment partners or online services, such as Google AdWords, used to identify candidates for the study. Recruitment is often handled by the client, especially if they have easier access to their audience, customers, or end-users.

Screening- If targeting multiple user segments for the study, explain how these segments will be recruited and tagged. List questions that will be asked, either by phone or electronic screener, to evaluate candidates for the study.

Interviews- It is of utmost importance to describe the flow, line-of-questioning, and environment for the research interview. Provide a rationale as to why the particular technique of choice was selected for the research study. To aid understanding, add a visualization or information graphic to illustrate the sequence/flow of the research interview.

Honoraria- Provide detail about the incentive for the study.

Equipment/Technology- Identify any audio/video equipment used to record the interviews, or software used to capture facial expressions and mouse clicks.

5. Analysis- Make it clear to the client how the research findings will be developed, documented, and utilized to inform the Information Architecture.

High-Level Findings- Describe how the research analysis will yield high-level behavioral trends that may be true of many, or all, behavioral segments.

Personas- Discuss the importance of aggregating findings by key behavioral differences, resulting in "behavioral personas." Personas will contain a brief description of the segment, as well as their key motivations, tasks, and behaviors.

Mental Models- In this section, provide the client with a definition and description of the mental models that will be elevated in the research findings. Mental models are a visualization of the key tasks of each behavioral segment, accompanied with an identification of the type of content needed to satisfy each key task.

6. Next Steps- Make it easy for the client to understand what is needed in order to begin the research study. Next steps may include a simple Gantt Chart that illustrates a proposed timeline for the study as well as any requirements or information needed to begin the work.

Research plans may vary according to the particulars of various client initiatives, but making sure the above topics are covered will ensure that the client is educated and understands the value of the research that they are being asked to pay for.

Use Social Media to Drive Brand Engagement

2010-09-15T06:13:00.000-07:00

Savvy marketers are using social media to create brand awareness, not through hype, but by delivering relevant content and services to target audiences. Really, "social marketing" is nothing more than a content strategy. As such, relevance is key. Delivering relevant content to target audiences requires research and planning:

1. Define target segments based on their social roles/behavior - Identifying audience segments for a social media strategy is a different process than segmentation for a traditional marketing strategy. Social media segmentation is based on distinct behaviors across social media channels. Each individual, within a single "social graph," behaves differently, and is of unique value to marketers. At the base of the pyramid (meaning there are more of them) are those who do not actively engage in social media beyond consuming and sharing relevant content with their connections. Even though they are less likely to engage in conversations, they aggregate and surface relevant content to individuals who are more likely to engage with the content. For these individuals, content must be relevant, and businesses should provide them access to share content with their social connections. The middle of the pyramid contains individuals who sometimes engage in conversations and generally participate in social media. For these individuals, it is not only important to provide relevant content, but also to introduce topics that are likely to be discussed. The top of the pyramid contains a minority of individuals within a social graph who are the most vocal and have the most influence within their social network. It is of extreme importance for businesses to be relevant to these individuals, reach out to them directly, and empower them, because they have the greatest ability to evangelize the business and brand publicly.

2. Audit existing content to determine relevancy and portability - To regularly generate valuable and relevant content to consumers is a huge responsibility. It requires referring back to existing marketing segmentation studies to determine the type of content that resonates with personas. The process then entails making a determination about whether or not to produce fresh content or identifying existing content that can be extracted, made portable, and shared across social networks. Prior to investing time, money, and resources developing new content, businesses may already have access to valuable content that can be shared gradually. Identify pieces of "micro-content" that can be drip-fed into relevant social media channels. Such content includes: information graphics, articles, demos, etc.

3. Monitor brand awareness, reach, and influence in social media - Marketing goals vary with different social media strategies, however, there are established metrics to measure the awareness, reach, and influence of business brands across social media channels. Use web sites such as "Social Mention" to monitor key performance indicators for social media campaigns. The most important to monitor are strength, sentiment, passion, and reach. Strength is the likelihood that a brand is being discussed in social media. Sentiment is the ratio of positive mentions in social media vs. negative mentions. Passion is the likelihood that people who mention a brand in social media will do so again. Reach is the measure of a brand's influence.

4. Provide continuous support for social media campaigns/tactics - Participation in social media requires constant updates, continuous support, and dedication. Social media is a commitment to maintain an ongoing conversation with customers. As such, there should be dedicated resources who carry on this conversation and regularly respond to issues. Long periods of silence or delivery of irrelevant content will be noticed by followers of the brand.

5. Be personal - As social media is largely a conversation, assign actual people to engage in conversations with customers. Nobody wants to have a conversation with a "brand," unless you are Apple or Nike. Even then, the brand is more credible when there are actual people who represent them. Use real people, and their photographs, when blogging and micro-blogging.

Jonathan Lupo
@userexperience (Twitter)

Essential Communication Skills for Information Architects

2010-09-13T10:54:00.000-07:00

Information Architects need to be strong communicators to be able to organize, conceptualize, and present information to project teams, clients, and end-users. The skills needed, however, vary greatly from one project phase to another. The following are vital communication skills for Information Architects to possess, as they move through project phases.

Phase 1: Discovery

1. Inquiry/Investigation - The first order of business for any initiative is to identify and document goals and objectives. During a project discovery phase, Information Architects are required to play the role of lead investigator, as they conduct research to assess the needs of both clients and end-users. As investigators, IAs develop lines-of-questioning that are skillfully aimed to uncover vital insights to achieving project objectives. Facilitating and maintaining the flow of a conversation, as well as asking skillful questions, is necessary in order to gather rich insights during interviews.

2. Cognition/Evaluation - Wikipedia defines "cognition" as the "process of thought." After collecting business objectives from client stakeholders, data from previous research studies, and data from newly conducted research studies, Information Architects have the daunting task of analyzing this mountain of data. This evaluation involves the identification of trends that can be used to conceive conceptual models for information and user behavior. Information Architects process information by collecting data, and then identifying and documenting data trends.

3. Conceptualization - Once information has been organized and documented, IAs develop mental models, process flows, and information graphics to attach meaning to information and data trends.

Mental models aggregate the trends in end-user tasks that have been collected as a result of behavioral research. It is the goal of the Information Architect to facilitate the completion of these tasks with a planned information architecture for a web site or application.
Process flows are extremely important tools for Information Architects to visually document and communicate sequential processes. Process flows are especially important when collaborating with developers, who need to build the underlying infrastructure to support a key, end-user process.
Information graphics use graphic elements and charts to visually communicate complex informational concepts and data trends. They are useful in presenting concepts in a summary or abstract manner.

4. Verbal Communication/Presentation - Research findings, once documented, need to be presented and accepted by internal and external teams. Excellent presentation skills are needed to develop a compelling narrative framework for research findings and proposed concepts. During this phase, Information Architects face the challenge of presenting their "proposal" to various stakeholders with different agendas. For business stakeholders, Information Architects must present their proposal within the context of business requirements and objectives, otherwise the presentation will not resonate with the audience. For project managers, designers, and developers, the Information Architect must quickly illustrate how findings lead to Design recommendations that can be put on a time-line and quantified in terms of "level of effort."

Phase 2: Design

5. Negotiation/Persuasion - It typically takes a series of presentations, delivered to various sets of stakeholders, for an Information Architect to make a convincing case for a business to change how it communicates to its customers. Educating a client requires fine-tuning and adjustments to the presentation to accommodate each key stakeholder's agenda. The IA may face challenges when his/her methodology is called into question. If this is the case, the presentation may need to amplify a rationale for the decision to limit the sample size of the research population (for example). It is important to remember that, as an Information Architect, the informational needs of the audience for the presentation should be considered and accommodated. Addressing the audience's informational needs directly will elevate the credibility and persuasiveness of the presentation.

6. Organization - The process of organization entails taking a large amount of information, placing it into high and low level groupings, and then prioritizing the groupings as well as the information contained within each group. If the Information Architect is given the "green-light" to proceed with tactical recommendations, he/she must create an organizational model for content that exists to satisfy the needs of end-users. The mental model, which aggregates expected end-user key tasks, should be leveraged to conceive the organizational scheme for the application or web site (documented in the form of a site map).

7. Visual Communication/Information Design - Described above, is the process to develop a high-level, information organizational model for an application or web site. It takes an entirely different skill, however, for Information Architects to establish information relationships at a low-level, by defining information relationships and interactions on a screen-by-screen basis. Information and Interaction Design is a subset of an Information Architect's total set of skills.

8. Collaboration - There isn't a single solution to every Design challenge. Therefore, great Information Architects understand that Design is improved with insights gathered from a team of talented professionals. Being collaborative requires Information Architects to have an open-mind, and proactively solicit alternative design patterns that successfully accommodate the needs of end-users. Selecting the right solution from many proposals covers a wider range of options than relying on a single source for recommendations.

Jonathan Lupo
@userexperience (Twitter)

How to plan for a successful project kick-off

2010-09-09T03:19:00.000-07:00

A successful project kick-off can build the foundation for a healthy client relationship as well as provide an agency team with most of the necessary information to be successful on a project. Success requires leadership, coordination, and collaboration amongst team members. Lack of preparation can result in a bad beginning to a project, and diminish the credibility of the individuals who are likely to be the key players on the project team.

1. Plan the agenda weeks in advance - Early prepartion is key to ensure proper attendance to the kick-off (both internal and external team members) and to ensure that vital information and documentation is delivered to the agency team for review. At minimum, a statement of work or proposed project approach should be available for both the client and agency to review and agree upon during the kick-off. It is better to have an accompanying presentation that shows the client that the team has already begun work.

2. "Socialize" the agenda with both internal and external stakeholders - Make sure that each individual on the project team understands his/her role and responsibilities during the kick-off (as well as the project). Send early drafts of the agenda to the team to ensure that the document is read and that each individual understands his/her responsibilities with respect to presenting each agenda item. Having multiple authors on the agenda (and accompanying presentations) also increases each team member's sense of ownership and commitment to the project.

3. Visualize complex processes and timelines - Nothing is worse than a dense project plan or timeline that is crammed onto a PowerPoint slide and barely legible when projected in a large conference room with many attendees. Tailor presentation content to the needs of the audience and to the presentation technology. Create executive summaries of complex information and visualize processes and workflows. Information graphics work better than slides and slides of bullet points in PowerPoint. Tell a story with graphical representations of information.

4. Plan for break out sessions - Project kick-off meetings tend to be crowded, as everyone who has been identified as a stakeholder, partner, or agency resource, is introduced. While it is important to have a large attendance for introductions, to get the team on the same page with respect to project objectives, and to create an enthusiastic and energetic atmosphere, the real work should happen in smaller teams. Include these smaller breakout sessions as part of the agenda and identify which team members are appropriate for each sub-team meeting. The goal for sub-team meetings should be to define requirements with sub-team stakeholders and next steps for various project work streams.

5. Come prepared with insights about the client's business - Weeks before the kick-off, the project team should be reading news articles and journals related to the client's industry. Being up-to-date with trends and having a contemporary understanding of a client's business is vital to establishing credibility and confidence. Additionally, early research enables the team to begin to examine the project road-map and identify overlooked opportunities for the client to innovate and differentiate from competitors.

Jonathan Lupo
@userexperience (Twitter)

How to create a predictive search prototype in Axure

2010-09-06T08:21:00.000-07:00

Axure is a great application to use when mocking up interaction design concepts for usability testing. I have recently used it to simulate the interaction and display of predictive search results activated when a user enters a specific keyword query into the search textfield. The following is a step-by-step tutorial for mocking-up an interactive "predictive search" prototype using Axure. It assumes a basic familiarity with the Axure application interface.

1. Set up your workspace- After opening the application, make sure that the "widget" panel (upper-left), the "masters" panel (lower-left), the "annotations & interactions" panel (upper-right), and the "dynamic panel manager" are all visible in your Axure workspace.

If any of the four panels above are hidden, open the "View" sub-menu from the application main menu and make sure each of the panels are checked in the menu.

2. Add a "New Master" - Create a new master by clicking on the "Add Master" icon in the "Masters" panel (lower-left). Double-click the label of the newly created master, called "New Master 1," to open the "New Master 1" tab in the "Wireframe Pane."

3. Create the search interface - (In the "New Master" tab) Drag the "Text Field" and "Button" widgets into the "Wireframe Pane".

4. Label the interface elements - Select the text field and give it a label in the "Annotations & Interactions" panel (upper-right). A label such as "search_textfield" will do nicely.

Select and label the search button. I labeled mine "search_button."

5. Add a "dynamic panel" - Drag the dynamic panel widget from the "Widgets" panel to the "Wireframe Pane." Re-size and place the panel underneath the search text field.

Set the dynamic panel to "hidden" by right-clicking the mouse while the panel is selected in the main
wireframe panel.

The dynamic panel, once set to "hidden," will appear yellow.

6. Label the dynamic panel - While the yellow dynamic panel is selected, give it a label in the "annotations & interactions" panel (as you did for the search textfield and button). I called mine, "predictive_layer."

7. Create the predictive search drop-down layer - Double-clicking the yellow, dynamic layer, will produce the "Dynamic Panel State Manager" dialogue box. You'll need to create a state for each predictive search result you want to mock-up. By default, one state already exists in the dialogue box. That state is labeled, "State 1." Although you'll probably want to change that label at some point, let's continue.

To create a mock predictive search layer that displays when a user types a specific string of characters, make sure that the panel state, "State 1," is selected. Next, click the "edit state" button on the right. You'll end-up viewing the workspace within a tab labeled, "State 1."

8. Mock-up the first predictive search result - You can visually style your search result drop-down menu however you want to (as long as it is contained within the blue guidelines in the "State 1" tab. For speed's sake, drag a white rectangle widget and a "text panel" widget from the "Widgets" panel into the "wireframe pane (center stage)." Make sure both widgets sit within the blue guidelines, which represent the viewable area that of the search drop-down layer. In addition, make sure the text panel sits on top of the white rectangle. Edit the text of the text panel to represent the predictive search results that you want displayed in reaction to a specific query. My scenario has to do with music, so I have created a drop-down list of musical artists that will display when the user types the search term "green."

9. Create the interaction that will trigger the predictive drop-down layer - Select the "New Master 1" tab in the center "Wireframe Panel," so that you can attach a behavior to the search text field. Select the text field and double-click on the "On KeyUp" interaction in the "Annotations & Interactions" panel. A dialogue box labeled, "Interaction Case Properties" will appear.

In the "Step 2. Select an Action" list that is displayed within the "Interaction Case Properties" dialogue box, select the "Show Panel" action. Next, select the blue hyperlink labeled, "Show Panel" in the "Step 3 - Edit the Actions" panel below.

Clicking "Show Panel," will produce a second dialogue box prompting you to select the panel to display. Since only one panel was created, select the "predictive_layer" panel from within the dialogue box. Click the "Ok" button.

The second dialogue box will disappear and the 1st dialogue box will remain visible. Next, you'll need to create the condition that will produce the "predictive_layer." Do so by selecting the "Add Condition" hyperlink at the top of this dialogue box.

The dialogue box that appears when you select the "Add Condition" hyperlink above, is labeled the
"Condition Builder." In it, you'll need to make sure that the series of drop-down menus have the following values selected:

1. Satisfy "All" conditions (1st drop-down menu)
2. "text on widget" (2nd drop-down menu)
3. "search_textfield" (3rd drop-down menu)
4. "equals" (4th drop-down menu)
5. "value" (5th drop-down menu)
6. Next, type the word "green" in the text field adjacent to the 5th drop-down menu

All selections, if made correctly, will look like the following screen shot. When finished, click the "Ok" button.

The "Condition Builder" dialogue box will disappear. Finally, click the "Ok" button on the "Interaction Case Properties" dialogue box. You are now ready to test your first predictive search result.

10. Apply "Master 1" to all pages -If you are planning to mock-up multiple pages that contain the search interface, you must apply the master that contains the search interface ("Master 1") to those pages. Do so by right-clicking on the "Master 1" label in the "Masters" panel (lower-left), and then selecting "Add to Pages" in the resulting menu.

The resulting dialogue box will prompt you to select the pages in your Axure prototype to which you want "Master 1" applied. Select as many of the pages as you want. For the purpose of this demo, I selected all pages (using the "Check All" button on the right). For testing purposes, make sure you at least select the "home" page. When you are finished, click the "Ok" button.

11. Generate a prototype to test your 1st predictive search interaction - Generate a prototype by selecting "Generate" from the main application menu (top) and then selecting "prototype" from the resulting sub-menu.

The resulting dialogue box will require you to select a destination for the prototype on your hard drive.

Once you have selected a destination on your hard drive for the prototype, finish by clicking the "Generate" button on the bottom of the dialogue box. Your prototype should open in your computer's default browser. You'll see two frames (columns). The left frame contains a tree-navigation/hierarchy of the pages in your Axure project. Clicking any of the links will enable you to navigate to each page in your prototype. The center frame contains your search interface. By default, you'll start from the "Home" page.

12. Enter the search term "green" to test your prototype - To test the first predictive search layer, simply type the word "green" into the search textfield. If you have followed all of the instructions correctly, your drop-down menu should appear beneath the search interface as shown below.

Hopefully, your layer activated after typing the word "green" into the search box. To mock-up another predictive search use case, return to the Axure application window. Make sure you are working in the "New Master" tab. Double-click on the yellow, dynamic panel labeled "predictive_layer" to produce the "Dynamic Panel State Manager" dialogue box. You'll need to create an additional state for a second predictive search result that you want to mock-up. You'll see "State 1" in the list. To create another state, type a name for the new state in the textfield that is labeled "Add a new state." Now, click the button labeled "Add." I named my new state, "State 2."

After clicking the "Add" button, you'll notice a second state, "State 2" has been added to the "Panel State" list.

Double-click on the newly created "State 2" to open up a tab that has the same label. You will now create the design of the second search result layer.

13. Mock-up the second predictive search result - Again, you can visually style your search result drop-down menu however you want to (as long as it is contained within the blue guidelines in the "State 1" tab. For speed's sake, drag a white rectangle widget and a "text panel" widget from the "Widgets" panel into the "wireframe pane (center stage)." Make sure both widgets sit within the blue guidelines, which represent the viewable area that of the search drop-down layer. In addition, make sure the text panel sits on top of the white rectangle. Edit the text of the text panel to represent the predictive search results that you want displayed in reaction to a specific query. My second drop-down menu is a list of musical artists that will display when the user types the search term "red."

14. Create the interaction that will trigger the second predictive drop-down layer - Select the "New Master 1" tab in the center "Wireframe Panel," so that you can modify the behavior attached to the search text field. Select the text field and double-click on the "On KeyUp" interaction in the "Annotations & Interactions" panel. The dialogue box labeled, "Interaction Case Properties" will appear. Make sure the "Step 1 - Description" textfield reads "Case 2." Next, look for, and select the checkbox with the label, "Show Panel(s)." Once selected, be sure to click the blue, "Show Predictive Layer," link in Step 2.

Double-check to see if the "Predictive_Layer" is selected and click "Ok" in the dialogue box that pops up.

Next, you'll want to click the link that is labeled, "Add Condition."

The dialogue box that appears when you select the "Add Condition" hyperlink above, is labeled the
"Condition Builder." In it, you'll need to make sure that the series of drop-down menus have the following values selected:

1. Satisfy "All" conditions (1st drop-down menu)
2. "text on widget" (2nd drop-down menu)
3. "search_textfield" (3rd drop-down menu)
4. "equals" (4th drop-down menu)
5. "value" (5th drop-down menu)
6. Next, type the word "red" in the text field adjacent to the 5th drop-down menu

All selections, if made correctly, will look like the following screen shot. When finished, click the "Ok" button.

The "Condition Builder" dialogue box will disappear. Before exiting the "Interaction Case Properties" dialogue box, be sure to select the checkbox named "Set Panel State to State" above the already selected checkbox named "Show Panel." You'll need to click the blue link entitled "Set panel state to state" in the Step 3 panel.

In the resulting dialogue box, make sure that "set panel state to state" is selected in Step 1. Next, click the blue link entitled, "State 1."

Another dialogue box will appear. You'll need to select "State 2," because you want a user's search for "red" to show the "predictive_layer" panel in "State 2." Click the "Ok" button. Make sure you exit out of all remaining dialogue boxes by clicking their corresponding "Ok" buttons.

15. Generate a prototype to test your 2nd predictive search interaction - Follow the same directions for testing your second search interaction. Generate a prototype by selecting "Generate" from the main application menu (top) and then selecting "prototype" from the resulting sub-menu. This time, however, type the word "Red" into the search textfield. If all goes according to plan, the result will look like the screenshot below.

Re-test your first search interaction, by typing the word "green." The search results layer for "green" should replace the "Red" layer.

You're done - Congratulations! You've successfully created a prototype for predictive search using Axure. You can follow the same directions to mock-up additional predictive search use cases.

Jonathan Lupo
@userexperience (Twitter)

5 Tips for a Better Mobile Application

2010-09-05T04:46:00.000-07:00

According to one 2010 study, the penetration of mobile devices in the United States is near 100%. With nearly every pre-teen and adult American carrying a mobile phone or device, it is vital for businesses to understand how to best leverage this important channel. The mobile platform, however, is still considered by some businesses to be secondary to a web site-centric, digital strategy. Luckily, creating an effective mobile strategy is no different than designing and developing an effective web site. It simply requires a plan.

1. The aim of a mobile application shouldn't be to "shrink" the web site experience - According to 2010 W3Schools statistics, 76% of all PC/Mac screen resolutions are higher than 1024 x 768. That means a contemporary web site experience can take advantage of a large screen. There are obvious design limitations for the mobile platform, however, such as limited screen real-estate (although the iPad has increased the amount of screen real-estate to work with).Since mobile device screens are significantly smaller, a mobile application must provide a fundamentally different experience than a web site.

2. Develop a new set of behavioral personas that focus on "mobile-relevant" tasks - Research conducted with users in support of any digital initiative should seek to identify trends in behavior related to mobile devices. As mentioned above, plan to launch a fundamentally different experience on the mobile platform than on the web platform. Start by developing a new set of behavioral personas based on "mobile-relevant" tasks. These are tasks relevant to the topic of the study that are performed "on-the-go" or "on the phone." Aggregate mobile-relevant tasks from the personas to use as the basis for use cases that the application needs to accommodate. Don't seek to support additional tasks with the application that research suggests are not likely to be performed on a phone or mobile platform.

3. Create a "Swiss Army Knife" application - Since utility is the most important aspect of a mobile application, consider bundling many useful tools into one application. These tools can be indirectly related to business-specific, conversion-driving tasks, however, they MUST be directly relevant to the business topic or industry.

4. Consider the features and strengths of the target mobile platforms - When targeting a mobile platform for deployment of an application, consider the most important built-in features of the platform. For example, iPhones come equipped with GPS-compass and high-resolution cameras. Review the use cases and personas that will inform the design of the application, and identify opportunities to incorporate features that differentiate one platform from another.

5. Use conventional user interface elements for each platform - Performance and utility are the most important factors for mobile applications. Due to wide adoption, design patterns and interface conventions are starting to emerge on the most popular platforms. Don't look to reinvent interface elements or change interaction paradigms for mobile applications. Focus on providing a useful tool that supports a user's expected interaction with the brand on a mobile platform.

Expand Your Mind by Being Wrong

2010-09-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

The academic, process-driven, and pseudo-scientific nature of Information Architecture sometimes leads practitioners to a religious belief in proposed solutions. Although a rigorous process may lead to a set of solutions, the danger with the apparent certainty of the solutions lies in closing the door to new possibilities that exist beyond the equation. Luckily, the discipline of Information Architecture includes validation phases for conceptual frameworks, design patterns, and interactions. Validation phases of User-Centered-Design methodology give practitioners license to conduct a fair amount of exploration when developing ideas and information design.

1. A good idea can come from anywhere - Information Architects are often bombarded by tactical direction from various internal and external project team members. It can be difficult to accept ideas from various team members due to their seemingly irrelevant subject-matter-expertise and role on the team. However, it is a mistake to refuse an idea solely based on the role of the individual offering the advice. Focus on the idea, not the source of the idea. For example, a Visual Designer may have a solution to a layout challenge without having been exposed to any user research (although it is recommended that the IA provide this summary to the Designer). Be sure to consider the Designer's innate sense of balance, layout, and feel for the page. Evaluate the Designer's direction by assessing its' impact to the page's information prioritization.

2. Ideas can be improved by adding additional "creative" brains -
Crowd sourcing uses the collective brain power of a large number of individuals to generate ideas about a topic or challenge. Sometimes, the sheer number of brains focused on a single problem can generate surprising and wonderful results. Consider polling or surveying an entire Creative team with a specific challenge to access a wide-range of solutions based on each individual's unique talents and perspectives.

3. Be casual and embrace questions -
Adopt a casual attitude towards solutions that have been generated as a result of User Centered Design process. Often, a set of solutions presented convincingly as a result of a methodology can be so persuasive that a team accepts them without question. If there are no team member questions that challenge solutions, make sure to generate a comprehensive set of questions related to the Concept or Design.

4. Consider the emotional impact of a Design - Information Design can be guided by logic and precision but still not drive adoption with end-users. The Design framework constructed as a result of research insights can sometimes lead to overly complex and mundane information design. Visual Design adds the necessary drama that inspires emotional responses from users. Don't minimize the importance of the emotional element of Design in inspiring users to action.

5. Be Wrong - Emotional attachment to opinions, decisions, and Design direction is dangerous. When a Designer is emotionally invested in a solution, he/she may feel hurt when someone else's solution is chosen. "Being right" may become more important than "being open" to other perspectives. More is learned from exposure to new and unexpected ideas then religiously defending long-held beliefs. "Be wrong" occasionally, and follow another person's direction all the way through to Usability Testing. Better yet, mock-up both approaches and validate which concept is more likely to drive adoption.

Plan for Successful Site Search

2010-09-01T22:10:00.000-07:00

Site search is an extremely important utility to include on information-dense web sites as well as experiences that are destinations for users with information-seeking agendas. Careful planning, as always, is required to make site search simple and useful. Unfortunately, it is often treated as an after-thought on web design projects.

1. Identify the most frequently searched terms - There are two ways to identify likely search queries on a web site. If the web site has not yet launched, seek the aid of the Google keyword tool to uncover frequently searched terms related to the topic or actual content on the web site. If the web site has launched, then take a look at the most commonly searched keywords in a typical 3 month period. This assessment will identify the highest priority searches to accommodate with the search tool as well as provide insight into the type of content which is most difficult to find on the current site.

2. Design search results templates based on "types of searches" - Having identified the most common search terms, create a spreadsheet that maps these terms to a "search type." For example, common search terms may include "phone," "contact," or "email." It is safe to assume, for these types of searches, users are looking for contact information. Create a search results template that elevates all contact information as a highlighted result or "direct hit" when triggered by a "contact-type" search query. Another example of a type of search could be a job-seeking search via keywords such as "jobs" or "careers." Create a unique search results template that elevates the latest job openings, links to submit resumes, as well as a means to inquire about available positions. Develop special design patterns and results templates for the most frequent "types of searches" only.

3. Develop a metadata specification - Metadata is information that describes a piece of content. This information can be displayed, or not, within the user experience. When planning for search, the first consideration is to identify what content attributes will be indexed and considered when returning search results. This planning is important for two reasons. It enables the Information Architect to understand how to prioritize search results that are returned, as well as how to display them on the page. An additional consideration when planning a metadata specification is to establish content relationships. Linking types of content, such as television shows and individual episodes, will enable both to be returned when a user searches for the title of a specific television show.

4. Consider predictive search functionality - Careful planning (steps 1-3) will enable the Information Architect to understand how to trigger and display a predictive search layer that is triggered automatically as users type into the search textfield. It is vital to have already identified the most likely searches and search types, prior to planning predictive search.

5. Aggregate and incorporate ways for users to access all relevant multimedia content from search results - Some web sites contain multiple content types related to a given topic. The topic "fishing," for instance, may return videos, images, and article-based content when a search is performed. A key aspect of planning and designing search results is to identify all types of content related to a given topic. It is important to describe these content relationships in the metadata specification. Providing users an easy way to access or narrow results by type of content is important when creating a best-of-breed site search.

Embrace Advertising as a Component of User Experience Design

2010-08-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

Incorporating advertising elegantly into a digital design is a major challenge for Information Architects, Interaction Designers, and Visual Designers. Traditional advertising banners eat up valuable real-estate on key pages. Additionally, banner advertisements usually generate negative feedback from usability test participants. The manner in which an Information Architect typically plans for advertisements on client web sites is via a set of requirements from a client stakeholder or someone representing the advertising sales team. The User Interface Designer receives a set of standard advertising banner unit specifications that he/she must "design around." The project team accepts the advertising requirements as law. Why wouldn't they? The advertisements are part of the client's revenue model.

The problem lies in an oversimplified advertising model and a lack of courage to transform it into something more engaging and relevant to customers. Here are some ideas to challenge your clients and fellow team members from Design and Strategy:

1. Utilize account preferences or behavior-based data to improve the relevancy of advertisements - Business web sites usually collect and store data about users via their volunteered marketing, communication, and profile preferences as well as their on-site behavior. Depending on what success means to an advertiser on the web site, this valuable user data can help to improve the relevancy of the advertisements shown to each user. Relevant advertisements are less likely to be the cause of user frustration.

2. Enable users to improve the relevancy of advertisements themselves - One way to engage users is to have them rate the relevancy of advertisements themselves. The data collected via a simple "thumb's up" or "thumb's down" rating system, over time, has the potential to provide a rich set of user preferences. If content promotion can be influenced by user preferences, so can advertisements.

3. Change the format of advertisements - Banners have endured because they are part of an established digital revenue model. It is less effort to change this method of delivering advertisements than trying something new and innovative. Additionally, many advertising sales teams are really good at selling IAB standard advertising units. That being said, there are different methods of placing advertisements on digital experiences that could increase the level of engagement on these experiences. Work with advertisers to weave the most popular elements of advertising (the humor, the iconic characters, the products that people want, and the ideals that some consumer brands stand for) into the very fabric of the content that is being delivered on the experience. The digital medium presents opportunities for advertisers to create brand experiences (contests, games, and interactive experiences) that generate a higher level of engagement than static banners.

4. Turn advertisements into user generated content opportunities - Brand recognition and recall is increased when users spend time creating content for advertisements. Increase engagement with advertiser brands by allowing consumers to create their own video commercials, banners, and artwork. This idea can easily be made into a contest that could create a high-degree of interaction with the web site and the advertiser.

5. Make the advertising sales team a key stakeholder in the creative process - The Design team should try to include the advertising sales team in the creative process early on in the project life-cycle. The earlier ad-sales is involved, the more likely they will be open to new ideas for advertising opportunities. Treat these stakeholders with the same amount of respect as anyone else from the client's marketing or creative team. It is likely that an entrepreneurial member of the advertising sales team has been trying to get more creative with how advertisements are delivered on the web site, and is looking for the opportunity to innovate.

5 negative perceptions about Information Architects and how to defeat them

2010-08-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

Information Architects often struggle to stay relevant to business clients and internal project teams due to their academic approach to achieving business objectives. Way too often, Information Architecture presentations fail to resonate with internal and external stakeholders due to how methods, findings, and solutions are presented. The following represent criticisms and challenges that Information Architects encounter on a daily basis:

1. Too academic - "User Centered Design (UCD)" is a methodology that results in intuitive and usable interfaces for information retrieval and functional applications. When too much emphasis is placed on the process, however, a presentation may fail to resonate with business stakeholders. For real impact to clients, focus on connecting the dots between UCD services and the business value generated by the service. Don't over-emphasize the methodology. Keep it simple. The focus should be on the business and the end-user, not on the discipline of Information Architecture.

2. Too much focus on end-user benefits - While the goal of User Experience Architecture is to understand and service the needs of end-users, IA practitioners for business clients achieve this goal in order to successfully accomplish business objectives. This point needs to be emphasized in every presentation made to business stakeholders, or the presentation will likely fail to resonate. Make explicit the connection between satisfying end-users and achieving business objectives

3. Too rigid with methodology - Fortunately for the discipline of Information Architecture, there are many ways to put the methodology into practice. If it was an inflexible science, it would rely on a ladder of dependencies in order to be implementable. Essentially, the discipline would become more ideological than practical. Creativity is needed, when applying the User Centered Design methodology to a business initiative, to develop an affordable and valuable set of services to clients. My previous blog post describes ways to indirectly gain intelligence about clients' end-users when upfront, primary research is out of the question. There are many alternatives to expensive services that can be utilized in the name of maintaining a healthy client relationship and project timeline, without putting the end-users' needs at risk. Understand that if upfront research is not in scope, low fidelity design validation should be proposed. And if design validation gets cut, functional prototype testing should be proposed. If any flavor of usability testing gets cut, make a proposal to the client to deploy the product to a select segment or beta population to get some feedback prior to wider distribution. Most importantly, don't be inflexible. Listen to other proposals for approaching the project strategically. In fact, don't rely on your own methods. Ask for alternatives in order to better understand the realm of possibilities that exist to better inform Design.

4. Micro-managing - Information Architects get accused of micro-managing Strategy and Design simply because of the sheer amount of work that they are asked to do. IAs are responsible for informing end-user and content requirements through research, developing use cases, producing a Design concept and interaction model, as well as validating the execution of Design. Ultimately, the perception that IAs micro-manage Design is only a reflection of the visibility and authority on a project that the Information Architect's role entails. Therefore, Information Architects have a responsibility to cultivate a culture of openness and collaboration to combat this perception and to not give in to "the power trip." The simple truth of the matter is that no one individual has all of the answers. Ideas and Design improve when a group of talented Design professionals weigh-in and provide input. Struggle ceaselessly to make sure input is regularly solicited, and watch the perception of micro-management vanish. More importantly, watch the quality of the work steadily improve.

5. Constraining Visual Design - Interaction Design is held in high-regard by certain Information Architects and treated dismissively by others. I've actually heard IAs tell me that they aren't interested in doing wireframes because the "real thinking" comes from the research and conceptual user experience strategy that results from the research analysis. The problem with that sentiment is that clients want design and interaction models sooner in the lifecycle than most Visual Designers are introduced (which is, admittedly, unfortunate). IAs, therefore, need to illustrate the conceptual framework of the user experience and begin pushing the interface elements into the Design phase. Here is where good Information Architects seek the input of Visual Designers. However, that pairing isn't always possible. When collaboration is out of scope, Information Architects should be pushing the interaction design and UI patterns of the User Experience as far as they can. Designers should not feel constrained by detailed UI documentation. Detailed interaction models are possible because of the rich insights that Information Architects gain as a result of primary research. Visual Designers should appreciate the framework and information hierarchy expressed by the Interaction Designer or Information Architect, but also challenged to improve upon these ideas. It is a sign of weakness when a Visual Designer claims that he/she can't think out of the boundaries of a wireframe. Design is, by nature, constrained by business and user requirements that the wireframe illustrates. If Design was without boundaries, it would be Art.

Jonathan Lupo
@userexperience (Twitter)

5 Ways to Inform Your Design When End-User Research Isn't in the Budget

2010-08-27T15:14:00.000-07:00

Information Architects follow a rigorous user-centered-design methodology that, ideally, begins with upfront, end-user, behavioral research. It is our job to make a business case for this type of research by clearly illustrating its ability to achieve real business benefits. Sometimes, however, clients will not pay for this upfront research. Some projects begin with trust in the expertise of the IA and Design team.

As an Information Architect, I cannot rely on my own assumptions of what is the best taxonomy and content prioritization for clients' end-users. When upfront research is out-of-the-question, I must look for other ways to make more informed assumptions. Here are 5 ways to informally gather information about end-users:

1. Analyze the most popular keywords related to the topic of your design - Thanks to Google, businesses are eager to understand how to optimize their digital content to be findable by search engines. Because Google has a paid advertisement service that is based on top keyword searches related to various businesses, they offer a free keyword tool to help businesses identify the top keyword queries related to their business. Assume that these top queries represent the highest priority information sought, and facilitate access to relevant content through your design and taxonomy.

2. Look at competitor experiences - Your client's competitors may not have "best-of-breed" digital experiences in terms of how these experiences service customers, however, major trends in taxonomy and information design represent industry conventions and design patterns that customers will be used to. General adherance to common design patterns in a given industry will provide a foundation for best practices for that industry.

3. Develop provisional personas based on previously conducted research - Prior to beginning any project, an information architect must synthesize all existing knowledge about a client's end-user. Often, this knowledge comes from previously conducted market research. The best way to absorb this knowledge, is to develop provisional personas which take existing market research and extrapolate behaviors from the research findings. These behaviors need to be accommodated by the design and taxonomy of the experience.

4. Lurk on social networks, groups, and discussion forums related to the topic of your design - A good way to conduct research is to passively observe the conversations that take place on social networks and communities that are relevant to the topic of your Design. The most vocal participants in these conversations will be individuals that have strong opinions. Designing to meet their needs will ensure that they become vocal supporters of your client's tactics.

5. Plan for design validation as part of a "test-and-learn" plan - If upfront end-user research isn't being planned for, make a strong proposal to conduct usability or design validation testing early and often in the project lifecycle. Paper and low fidelity prototyping can be tested quickly and cheaply with small groups of target end-user segments. Once design moves into development, functional prototype testing should be considered.

How to prepare an effective end-user research study analysis in 10 easy steps

2010-08-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

Analyzing an end-user research study can be a daunting task. There is a mountain of data collected and the researcher may not know how to begin organizing his/her findings. The following is a solid presentation framework that should help bring order to the chaos:

1. Restate project objectives - Every project-specific deliverable which builds upon a body of knowledge to support strategic and tactical recommendations should restate core project objectives. Deliverables generated as a result of project activities should clearly and continuously illustrate how project objectives are being met.

2. Define research objectives - Project objectives are business-focused. Research objectives are typically aimed at understanding behaviors, trends, and information-seeking agendas of end-users relevant to stated project objectives. Research objectives should not be generic. They should be aimed at identifying ideal end-user behaviors that would likely achieve project objectives.

3. Summarize key findings from previous research studies - Prior to spending a client's money engaging in additional research, the researcher should seek to understand and summarize relevant research studies that have already been conducted. Identify gaps in existing knowledge about the end-user segments, and illustrate how the current research completes the total portrait of the end-user.

4. Describe research methodology - It is best to assume that the client or audience for the research presentation is not an expert in behavioral research methods. Describe, in detail, how end-user segments were recruited, ways in which behavioral research differ from market research (emphasis on sample size), and the manner in which the interviews or contextual inquiry was conducted.

5. Elevate high-level research findings and trends - Trends will likely emerge from the research that cut across all end-user segments. It is best to elevate these important trends early on in the discussion. Additionally, it is best to introduce early recommendations to set the expectation that each finding in the research presentation will be accompanied by actionable recommendations. EVERY finding should be actionable. Clients need to understand the value of end-user research and IA researchers are responsible for emphasizing the business value that is an outcome of this type of research study.

6. Introduce behavioral personas that emerged as a result of the research - After high-level findings are discussed, the researcher can introduce the personas that were formed based on the major differences in behavioral trends observed. Discuss the behaviors that divided the personas first, then introduce each persona. When introducing each persona, be sure to include a fictitious name, photo, description, motivations, relevant key tasks, and barriers to completing key tasks. Support major persona traits with actual video clips, photographs, and end-user quotes from the research. Key tasks are better presented visually, as task flows, rather than as a list of bullets.

7. Aggregate key tasks from personas into an end-user mental model - A mental model is an important first step in designing an intuitive information architecture that facilitates the completion of key, end-user tasks. The researcher has already identified the key tasks from each persona. It is a simple matter to group these together and assess gaps in existing content needed to support each key task.

8. Develop a list of recommendations to fill gaps in content - Begin to tackle each gap illustrated in the mental model by suggesting a tactic or recommendation for content that would satisfy key end-user tasks.

9. Assign level of effort (L.O.E.), value to the business, and value to the end-user to each tactical recommendation - Documenting recommendations gives the client a vision of the overall solution. Assessing level of effort and value of each tactic helps the client prioritize each component of the solution and put tactics on a road map for implementation.

10. Define next steps - This presentation is a component of a larger set of activities that is meant to accomplish specific project objectives. Conclude the research presentation by connecting the research to its impact on project objectives as well as introducing the next activity in the project plan.

A quick look at 5 end-user research techniques

2010-08-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

1. Contextual Inquiry

Summary - Contextual inquiry is an ethnographic research technique that involves the facilitator observing and interviewing participants in a setting where the participant naturally performs relevant behaviors to the subject of the research. Contextual inquiry is best utilized to uncover behaviors and information seeking agendas prior to designing a system, application, or interface.

Pros - Participants feel more at ease when performing relevant tasks. Task recall is easier in the context of the surroundings where relevant tasks naturally occur. The researcher is able to observe environmental factors, constraints, and technologies used. The researcher is also able to observe actual documents and information that is kept close at-hand, when actions and behaviors are performed.

Cons - Travel is sometimes required to interview locations, and this may be expensive. Additionally, unexpected environmental issues may prevent the optimal recording of audio or video. Contextual inquiry can also be dangerous, especially when participants are recruited from Craigslist. There is some risk associated with this type of field research. Don't perform this research by yourself. Always travel in pairs!

2. Lab-Based Usability Testing

Summary - Usability testing is an analysis or validation of a design in which success or failure is measured according to how easy it is for participants to perform key tasks using the design. Designs can be low fidelity (e.g. - a wireframe) or high-fidelity (a visual design comp) and testing can be performed on paper, on electronic files, or on functional prototypes.

Pros - The laboratory provides a measure of control in which unexpected changes in the environment and the testing equipment can be eliminated or minimized.

Cons -If the usability test includes a computer, there will always be differences in the set-up of the lab-based computer and the user's own computer. Additionally, the laboratory may be an unsettling environment for the participant. In general, participants feel more at ease in their own homes or places of work, as well as using their own computers.

3. Focus Groups

Summary - Focus groups are interviews with a group of participants in a laboratory-based setting (or a conference room). In a focus group, attitudes and perceptions of a group of people can be collected during the course of a moderated discussion.

Pros - A focus group allows a larger number of opinions to be collected at one time vs. 1-on-1 interviews with participants. This type of research may be more convenient for clients to observe. Focus groups are great for brainstorming ideas because individuals within the group tend to feed off of the ideas of other individuals in the group.

Cons - Focus groups are not great for understanding end-user behavior. Group dynamics play a role in the responses of each individual in the focus group. There will generally be one or more vocal participants who will influence the responses of the other participants in the room. The reverse may also be true. Some participants may rarely speak at all. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain the same level of unbiased information from each individual in the group.

4. Surveys

Summary - Surveys are used to collect feedback from a large number of respondents. Surveys may consist of closed or open-ended questions, or they may be a mixture of both.

Pros - Surveys are an ideal research tactic when a statistically significant number of responses to specific questions are needed. They can be deployed via email or from a 3rd party, hosted platform. Survey tools are generally inexpensive and generally include reporting and charting capabilities from collected responses.

Cons - Survey research is not moderated, so a researcher has no opportunity to probe responses to questions with follow-up questions. Additionally, although closed-ended responses are easier to generate reports from, they are limited in the richness of data that open-ended responses provide. A researcher learns only what the limitation of the tool allows him or her to learn.

5. Card Sorting

Summary - Card sorting exercises are typically, but not always, conducted as a 1-on-1 activity. The goal of a card sorting exercise is to understand end-user information organizational models. These models typically inform end-user taxonomies and information categorization schemes.

Pros - Tools exist to allow researchers to conduct a larger number of card sorting exercises online, similar to deploying a survey. The benefit of using an online card sorting tool is the ability to generate reports and quickly assess the most ideal taxonomy from analysis of all of the card sorts conducted.

Cons - Card sorting is difficult to explain to end-users. Therefore, deploying card sorting exercises without a face-to-face explanation of how to take the test properly, may result in a high-rate of abandonment. Finally, taxonomy development is a professional discipline. Taxonomists and information architects should not rely solely on untrained, end-users when constructing a logical categorization scheme for a system.

5 Steps to delivering an effective presentation

2010-08-23T10:27:00.000-07:00

There's a client presentation scheduled for next week and your PowerPoint deck feels a little loose. Additionally, there's a 150 page wireframe deck that has to be reviewed as part of the agenda. By the way, there is no formal agenda. Is this a problem waiting to happen? Most definitely. Here are 5 steps to course-correcting this situation:

1. Identify goals for the presentation - Goals and objectives should be the starting point for any presentation. Being able to identify the most beneficial outcome of any situation is vital to understanding the road to get there. Delivering an effective and persuasive presentation absolutely requires this important first step. A good presentation is born from an understanding of its purpose. Visualize the desired outcome of the presentation, document this vision, and proceed to step number 2.

2. Identify the barriers to achieving the stated objectives - Identification and documentation of the presentation objectives will force the presenter to think about the barriers in the path to achieving these objectives.

3. Develop a narrative outline with the construct of: "objectives > challenges > solutions > measurement of solutions" for the presentation - All effective presentations do exactly the same thing. They tell an organized story that illustrates the impact of recommendations to what matters most to the business. If you've completed steps 1 and 2, you already know what story it is that you are going to tell (and have the chapters documented as well). A good narrative could begin like this:

I. Introduction - Achieve measurable business objectives by improving the User Experience on platform X.

A. Opportunity 1 - Achieve Business Objective X
1. Summary of Current Challenges
2. Strategic and Tactical Recommendations
3. Analyze the Success of Recommendations

B. Opportunity 2 - Achieve Business Objective Y
1. Summary of Current Challenges
2. Strategic and Tactical Recommendations
3. Analyze the Success of Recommendations

C. Opportunity 3 - Achieve Business Objective Z
1. Summary of Current Challenges
2. Strategic and Tactical Recommendations
3. Analyze the Success of Recommendations

D. A Prioritized Road Map to Implement Recommendations

E. Next Steps

4. Complete the presentation by not veering off of the course of the outline - Now that the narrative outline has been constructed for the presentation, create the rest of the slides that support each chapter of the outline. Use stakeholder notes and data to define business objectives and current challenges. Use internal team and user research data to define strategic and tactical recommendations. Use business defined key performance indicators and a measurement framework to define how you will measure the success of proposed recommendations.

5. Show don't tell - Each slide of the presentation should be an illustration of a concept or recommendation. Objectives, barriers, and strategic recommendations can be summarized and visualized as information graphics. Tactical recommendations related to the user experience can be visualized through personas and interaction design. Visuals have more impact and emotional appeal than text.

5 Trends in media consumption

2010-08-21T08:07:00.000-07:00

Within the last five years, many industries have had to evolve due to advances in technology as well as increased social connectedness. Here are 10 examples of how these changes have affected media consumption:

1. Media is increasingly less physical - Music is a perfect example of an industry where technology is constantly morphing the format and delivery of the media. Analog records gave way to cassette tapes. Cassettes moved aside for Compact Discs. Within the last five years or so, MP3 files erased the need for Compact Discs. The gaming industry is also undergoing the same changes. Physical games will slowly be replaced by digital downloads of video games from digital stores.

2. Media has become portable - Continuing with the music industry example, the reason for the constant change in the format of the media is likely due to the consumer demand for portability. The Sony Walkman introduced the concept of taking music with you. That trend has continued to evolve with mp3 players, iPods, and now, smart phones. The demand for portability has forced technology to shrink the size of media formats so that the consumer can travel with his/her media.

3. Devices are connected to the cloud - Portability underwent a dramatic shift when media playing devices were able to wirelessly connect to the cloud. Not only did physical formats become digital files (eg - CD to mp3), but digital files are now becoming obsolete as well! There is no longer a need for storage of digital files when digital media can be stored in the cloud. Streaming media has been around for years, but the prevalence of wireless access will surely bring this method of media delivery into its maturity.

4. Consumers are hyper-social - MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter have connected people and ignited conversations in unprecedented ways. With this "hyper-connectedness" comes sharing of information, recommendations, and multimedia. New applications such as Pandora, Miso, Tunerfish and GetGlue, all enable end-users to broadcast and recommend multimedia content to peers of their social graph. As devices are increasingly connected to the cloud, it is easy to see how social discovery of content will affect multimedia content consumption overall. Entertainment industries such as Music, TV, and Video Gaming are beginning to understand the importance of connecting to existing social networks to generate content recommendations to consumers.

5. Fidelity and portability are no longer mutually exclusive - A few years ago, the world was introduced to High Definition Television. Back then, HDTV existed in a world of 42 to 60 inch flat panel televisions that were anchored onto the walls of media enthusiasts' living rooms. Again, the demand for portability of media has made HD and near-HD quality viewing experiences possible on hand-held monitors. Personal viewers in the form of eyewear monitors can now deliver HD and even 3D video content while immersing the viewer in a theater-like environment, even when he/she is on an airplane.

10 Tips for Conducting Better User Research

2010-08-19T18:46:00.000-07:00

When considering enhancements, optimizations, or planning new content development, a business should aim to better understand the informational needs, tasks, and behaviors of its consumers across all digital channels. Here are 10 tips to keep in mind when designing a behavioral research study:

1. Recruit active information-seekers - Market research panels have databases of willing test participants that match demographic profiles, however, these participants are likely "professional test takers." When conducting research on a given subject, it is better to recruit subjects in the act of actively seeking information related to a relevant topic to the research study. This type of recruitment can be accomplished by launching a Google cost-per-click advertisement that solicits participation and is triggered when relevant keywords queries to the research topic are used. A list of customers who have opted into receiving email communications is also a great platform for recruiting participants to a research study.

2. Analyze existing consumer research - Nothing is worse than spending money on research that yields little to no useful results. Look to the marketing or the customer service department of a business to understand what is already known about target consumer segments. Identify gaps in knowledge about consumers, or seek to update outdated research.

3. Formulate hypotheses - Business stakeholders will volunteer hypotheses about their target customer segments. Secondary research may also suggest certain motivations, tasks, and behaviors. Designing a study with some informed hypotheses may help make lines of questioning more relevant from the get-go.

4. Develop a comprehensive list of questions - It is always a good policy to be over-prepared when conducting an interview. A research study is often commissioned by a client paying for the time the researcher is spending with the end-user. Think through and document every possible line-of-questioning and probing follow-up question. The study guide isn't a script but it should assist the research facilitator in case a line of questioning reaches a dead-end. The idea is to keep the subject talking about the subject and maintaining a calm and natural atmosphere.

5. Ask open-ended questions - Questions that naturally result in a "yes" or "no" response do not lend themselves to a dialogue. Ask questions that require subjects to be descriptive and engage in a conversation.

6. Do not ask participants to speculate - The goal of behavioral research is to understand and observe behavior. Asking a participant what they might do in a given situation or what they think they might want on a web site leads them to speculate on their behavior. Speculation leads to false and biased data.

7. Perform research in context - Behavior is best observed in the context of where it naturally occurs. Bring participants into a conference room only as a last resort. It is better to observe participants' natural behavior wherever they come into contact with relevant brands or perform actions relevant to brands. Empathy Lab believes better data is gathered when interviews with participants are conducted in homes, stores, and offices. Performing a study in the context of which a task is normally performed aids end-user recall of the task in question.

8. Videotape, record audio, and/or photograph participants as well as their environment - It may feel awkward for participants at first, but nothing proves a point like a video clip of participants performing relevant tasks. Use an external microphone or a video camera with great audio capture so that the audio is clear when making clips for a highlight reel. Additionally, researchers must obtain participants' consent prior to videotaping them.

9. Bring a research assistant - Facilitating a research study requires concentration and focus. The interviewer must make sure that all important lines-of-questioning are brought up in the interview, the conversation is natural, and questions are not "leading" the participant to a biased result. Therefore, the facilitator should not be the one taking notes or handling the technical equipment (such as a video camera or audio recording device).

10. Have a designer, copywriter, or strategist assist with the research - True collaboration in Design requires the Information Architect and Visual Designer to both understand and empathize with end-user needs. Rather than relay this information via presentation of findings, it is advantageous to have the collaborating partner accompany the researcher when the research is conducted. Similarly, a project may benefit from having a strategist or copywriter accompany the Information Architect in the research study. The right research partner depends on the type of project for which the research is being conducted.

How to measure the success of digital design

2010-08-16T18:45:00.000-07:00

Art may be subjective, but there are definite objective measures for digital design. As is the case with any type of success criteria for digital tactics, goals must be set prior to measurement. Defining benchmarks and projections are paramount to evaluating success.

Success Metrics - Defining key performance indicators for a business is a most important first step in projecting the growth of the business. Success means different things to different types of businesses and across various industries. Of course, most businesses set out to make money; however, the pathway to profit isn't always a straight line. That means there are other measures to consider other than direct revenue from a digital platform. A fledgling business may consider traffic growth, repeat visits, or membership over time to be key performance indicators of success. Success may mean duration of visit or engagement with interactive content.

Video platforms - Advertising-based revenue on a broadband video platform requires video ad views. In general, on an advertising-supported digital experience, the longer users stay engaged, the more likely they are to be exposed to advertisements.

Ecommerce - Even on an ecommerce experience, not all success can be directly measured from sales. Conversion percentage from the shopping cart is an extremely important metric, and one that can be optimized through design enhancements to increase the likelihood that end-users can easily checkout their purchases. Additional measurements include average order value (the total average value of all items in the cart prior to checkout). Similar to an advertising-supported platform, however, engagement with an ecommerce platform often translates into increased sales because the longer the end-user stays engaged, the greater the likelihood that the user will make a purchase.

Qualitative Measures of Design- The success measurements above are quantitative analyses of data collected over time. Some of the most important measurements, however, are qualitative. While quantitative data can reveal what is happening on a digital platform, qualitative data can reveal why its happening. Collecting qualitative measurements of a digital design is a matter of interacting and asking questions with end-users as they experience the design itself. Moderated interviews enable facilitators to probe end-users after they make decisions and engage in specific behaviors.

Design Enhancements- The key to optimizing design for success requires an in-depth understanding of what success means, and measuring from baseline to projections over time. As outlined above, these measures should be both quantitative and qualitative to reveal the complete picture of the impact of the design to the end-user. Evaluation should be the starting point to understanding how to increase the effectiveness of design.

How to develop a social media strategy that makes sense

2010-08-13T19:40:00.000-07:00

There are many valid reasons for a business to integrate social media into its' digital strategy. It does not make sense to do so, however, if the reason is "everyone is doing it." As with any content planned for a digital platform, research should be conducted to understand the likely and relevant social behaviors of target end-users. Additionally, the business should identify how social media advances it’s' objectives. The following describes some appropriate motivations for a business to plan for social media integration:

1. Increase Engagement on a Digital Platform with a "Hyper Social" End-User Community - If behavioral research uncovers highly social behavior in target end-user segments, it may be appropriate to incorporate tactics that enable interaction, discussion and sharing of digital content. Providing these "calls-to-action," for this type of audience, facilitate natural behaviors and tasks of a highly "socially connected" user base.

2. Provide Relevant Content Recommendations - Content recommendations are relevant on digital shopping experiences, broadband video experiences, as well as any digital experience where exploration of content is encouraged. Much effort is generally put into developing relevancy algorithms to understand what type of content is relevant for specific end-users based on their previous shopping and/or viewing patterns on the experience. In general, and there are exceptions, people get recommendations for "what to buy" and "what to watch" from their friends. Therefore, it may be easier to understand how to elevate "friends' recommendations" for these types of digital experiences rather than developing a complex, behavior-based, logic for content recommendations.

3. Reduce Friction in End-User Registration and Authentication - Digital consumers have likely created profiles with popular social networks such as Facebook. Rather than have them re-create their profiles, which could be a barrier to adoption, businesses may decide to enable end-users to link their existing profiles for the explicit purpose of making it easier for them to register or sign-in to their digital experience. Additionally, services which enable these connections sometimes provide access to stored preference data as well as the end-users' friends. The additional information about end-users, gleaned from linked social networks, may help to fill gaps in existing customer profiles.

4. Enable Viral Promotion of Digital Content - Making content portable, via RSS/XML feeds, and shareable, via email, add to Facebook, like, and tweet buttons, is the first step to increasing the likelihood that content will be promoted by "word of mouth." These tools are relatively easy to integrate into an existing digital experience, and provide a highly social end-user segment a logical "next step" after consuming digital content.

There are many other "community-oriented" tactics to explore include facilitating connections amongst end-users and providing a platform for "taste-makers" to review and recommend content, but the point is to understand what the business and end-user goals are prior to defining the right social media strategy for a specific business.

How to design for success

2010-08-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

Too many digital initiatives are started in an effort to "stay relevant" or "keep up with what competitors are doing." While these may be goals unto themselves, there is a more stringent framework that a business should use to green-light digital initiatives, resulting in better business results. Whether the goal is to improve conversion on an eCommerce experience or to drive engagement, there should be business-driven or end-user-driven goals for any digital experience. That being said, simply having goals isn't enough. Goals should be measureable. Fortunately, given the nature of the medium, digital design can be measured.

The following is a framework to use when developing an approach to any digital initiative:

Step 1 - Define and document goals and objectives for the business. Understanding how and why an experience can be improved is essential to developing a measurement plan for any additional design or enhancements to an experience. What are the current goals for the business (online or offline)? How will enhancing the digital platform assist in achieving these business goals? Interview key business stakeholders to understand where the business is going and how the interactive medium will play a role in its future.

Step 2 - Define and document goals and objectives for customers. Customers, whether they are consumers or business users, should be at the core of any business. Understanding their needs, behavior, and frustrations is paramount in designing digital interfaces and enhancements to the digital platforms for any business. Conduct qualitative behavioral research interviews with actual end-users to get a better perspective on their needs.

Step 3 - Develop and document a methodology to measure success by understanding how the above business and customer goals translate into measurable performance indicators and optimal behaviors.

Step 4 - Plan for a successful design by "wireframing" an experience before spending time and effort in Photoshop. There are many prototyping tools such as Visio, Axure, and InDesign that enable the designer to focus on meeting business and end-user goals with their design prior to "decorating" an experience.

Step 5 - Measure first, develop and deploy, then measure again! Prior to launching an enhanced or new digital experience, conduct usability and acceptance testing on a planned design to see if it will likely meet customer needs. Revise the design if it seems like there are major usability issues. If and when major issues are solved, deploy the experience and measure it again. Post-deployment issues that are identified should be put on a road map for later enhancements.

Once a road map is constructed, it will become easier to identify WHAT to enhance. Additionally, it will become clearer that the measurement of digital initiatives against business and customer goals should be the primary driver for any future enhancements.

How to enable social discovery of content

2010-07-31T16:04:00.000-07:00

Consumers spend a significant amount of time online building digital profiles and feeding preference engines on web sites that promise an intelligent algorithm to understand their tastes and likely behaviors. While consumer volunteered preferences may seem highly relevant and useful as a means to offer content recommendations on digital experiences, it also seems like an overly complex way to address this simple need.

Another solution to address the consumer need of useful and relevant content lies in the old metaphor of the “office water cooler.” As a contemporary metaphor, the water cooler represents a consumer’s social network across multiple digital channels. A consumer’s social network, like the water cooler, is an oracle (rather, it is a gathering place for oracles). This metaphor, in its original meaning, suggested that a group of colleagues gather around the water cooler on Monday morning to discuss the TV shows they watched on Sunday evening. The modern translation of this concept is that a consumer’s social graph is his/her most relevant source for entertainment, recommendations, and useful information. While the water cooler scenario described a sphere of influence that was confined to the office, the success of social networks, such as Facebook, proves that a potential sphere of influence for today’s consumer includes his/her family, friends, peers, colleagues, and former classmates.

Considering the tremendous success of Facebook, it is obvious that there is great potential in leveraging a consumer’s social graph to serve relevant content and recommendations. The best application of this strategy on a digital experience is to build a platform for highly connected social networks to generate recommendations to members of the same social graph for the purpose of driving engagement. The tactic works especially well with brands that already have credibility and presence within a particular industry. Stated another way, social discovery of content is most successful on digital platforms that already have large audiences. To further drive engagement on such a platform, it is a matter of “re-tooling” it to support secondary social tasks, such as the ability to create lists and recommendations that can be shared and used by members of the same social graph, to discover new and useful content.

Peer-influenced recommendations have the potential to be more effective than recommendations generated from an algorithm based on a consumer’s own behavior. It is typically assumed that the success of consumer targeted tactics is based on relevancy to the consumer. For example, a web site may offer consumer ratings and reviews. These content recommendations may be more relevant to a consumer visiting a web site than editorially-driven ratings or reviews (given the potential for bias, based on advertising agendas). The tier of relevance described in the above scenario includes all web site visitors, and while that level of relevance may be more influential to consumers than an editor’s perspective, greater relevance may be achieved by utilizing a consumer’s own behavior (viewing content, bookmarking content, shopping, etc.) to generate recommendations. There are, however, challenges associated with the creation of a technology-driven solution to collect, understand, and utilize a consumer’s own behavior to provide more relevant content:

1. It's complicated. A significant investment is needed to build a database and relevancy algorithm that improves over time (based on the collection of consumer behavior over time).

2. It eliminates the element of surprise. For example, on an ecommerce web site, recommendations based on a consumer’s previous purchases will likely result in products that the consumer would normally seek out, via the traditional modes of search and discovery (i.e. - web site search and navigation). Relying on previous purchases and content consumed eliminates surprising discoveries that the consumer’s social sphere of influence might surface based on each peer’s unique preferences. It is a simple principle. People are friends with other people that are similar to them, but not identical. There are always members of a social sphere of influence that are taste-makers to other individuals within the same social network. That’s the primary reason a technology-driven solution that focuses on an audience of one will fail to provide the surprise and “true discovery” that a social network can provide to a consumer.

The mechanics of implementing social discovery of content on a particular digital experience may not be easy; however, there are platforms and design patterns in existence that may be leveraged. Given its popularity, Facebook connections to allow consumers to view their friends' activity relevant to the digital experience, should be considered a primary tactic. If a digital platform already has its own community, it may be a matter of extending this community to include Facebook connections, then adding social functionality to enable the larger community to create shareable lists from the content ("top 10 videos to watch on a Sunday evening," etc.).

As always, understanding what is relevant to consumers requires an in-depth understanding of their likely behaviors, motivations, and preferences. This level of understanding is obtained through customer research, and should be used as a foundation to determine what tactics will likely be successful.

The couch potato moves closer to the monitor

2010-06-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

My first blog post, about 4 years ago, was a reaction to the YouTube craze. I asked the question "do people really need their computers to act like televisions?" My belief was that interactivity, or "active," consumption of multimedia would ultimately win out over "passive" consumption of digital video. I thought the shift from active to passive behavior was strange, especially on an interactive platform. Four years later, people are still all over YouTube, treating their computers like TVs. The "couch potato" has moved even closer to the monitor.

Oddly, a new, hybrid trend in user behavior is emerging that is both active and passive. This trend is enabled by a concept called "TV everywhere." A moderately tech-savvy consumer now has the ability to watch TV on a laptop, iPod, iPhone, iPad, or Android phone. TV "on the go" is available to all three screens (TV, computer, mobile device). It is an active behavior because "on the go" implies the consumer is doing other things, such as travelling for business or visiting friends. It is also a "passive" behavior, however, because the consumer's free time is spent watching video content.

Essentially, TV is far from dead. The maturation of mobile technology with big and bright LCD screens has enabled us to carry our televisions with us, in our pockets. TV is an extension of our own bodies. It travels with us.

And, the reverse trend is coming too. We will soon have internet access on our televisions. It is already a reality on some TVs. How will the introduction of interactivity to an inherently "passive" platform (our TVs) change viewer behavior? Other than calling up photo galleries from Flickr and Picasa on the TV, what else will the couch potato want to do on their TVs?

:: The answer isn't always "a web site"... especially now!

2010-02-20T05:15:00.000-08:00

The image of your customer sitting at a computer to conduct business with you, via your web site, is rapidly becoming an antiquated notion. While it is a given, that to be successful your website must anticipate and reliably facilitate key end-user task completion, it is a sure bet that your audience is looking for your services across multiple, digital channels (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, PS3, their TV, whatever is "connected to the cloud"). In fact, you should be attempting to understand the lifestyle and behavior of your target audience in an effort to deliver your products and services the way THEY expect. The mobile channel, in the past, was considered a complement to a company's web site offering. Now, the mobile platform may be the first point of interaction that customers have with your brand.

The key concept to grasp is that your content can be delivered via the internet to a variety of widely available and utilized platforms. The internet no longer equals a collection of web sites. Almost any appliance or electronic device, these days, is "connected to the cloud." It is a simple matter of understanding the context in which your services might be consumed across these cloud-based service platforms. First, you need to ask, which platforms are widely utilized by my target audience? Next, you'll investigate the trends in usage patterns. What are your end-users doing on their iPhones? Are they utilizing competitor services? Which competitor services? Etc. etc.

Ultimately, when planning a digital tactic, enhancement, or offering, the starting point does not always have to be your web site. The truth, as always, lies in understanding and anticipating your end-users' behavior. This understanding is the Rosetta Stone for developing and deploying successful digital tactics.

:: Don't try to quantify qualitative responses

2009-05-03T07:26:00.000-07:00

Nothing is more confusing than a qualitative research study that tries to incorporate quantitative measurement. Prior to conducting a usability test, for example, my client questioned why I wasn't planning to record how fast it would take my participants to complete key tasks. There are several reasons why I feel this measurement would not yield useful information:

1. In a test environment, the speed in which a user completes a task is inherently biased due to the fact that the participant knows he/she is conducting a test.

2. The time in which it takes a user to complete a task changes based on the user's familiarity with the system or website. Therefore, "time to task completion" will decrease as the user gains familiarity with the website.

3. (most importantly) I am interested in the participant's "qualitative reaction" when completing the task. I am listening to their words and watching their facial expressions to understand how frustrating the experience is. Finally, I am looking for trends in behavior, rather than trying to quantify participants' speed to task completion.

Qualitative research is meant to uncover trends in behavior, which will yield rich insights to inform interaction design. Behavioral research is conducted with limited numbers of participants, so the data uncovered in this type of research is difficult to quantify. Quantifying behavior (e.g. - "calculating time to task completion") is less informative to design than identifying common behaviors and negative behaviors, anyway.

:: Information Architects Drive Brands Too!

2008-11-24T07:08:00.000-08:00

The word "brand" is naturally associated with concepts such as "look and feel," "graphic design," "logo," "images," and "copy." While it is true that Creative Directors and Brand Managers are the architects and guardians of business brands,Information Architects play a vital role in how digital brands are articulated to the end-user.

It all starts with customer research -
It is generally the Information Architect's responsibility to perform customer investigation to uncover insights that drive asset taxonomies and interaction design. However, the valuable time that IAs have with end-users can provide important insights to the Creative team in charge of defining digital brands, as well. Strict behavioral research often has IAs putting "blinders" on when attitudes and perceptions can also be collected and analyzed. Maximize time spent with end-users. Collect as much data as possible. Do NOT restrict data collection to behavioral data.

Influencing Short and Long-Term Brand Perceptions -
If the brand in question is mature then end-users probably have some preconceptions and feelings that influence their behavior related to the brand. Brand objectives range from reinforcing these perceptions to changing them. While visual design stimulates immediate and emotional responses that form perceptions, lasting brand impressions result from interaction and long-term satisfaction with brand experiences. If this is true, then IA plays a vital role in reducing end-user frustrations. Minimizing frustration often results in greater end-user brand loyalty and trust.

Interaction Design Creates and Influences Brand Perceptions -
As mentioned earlier, the user experience on web sites influences end-users' perceptions of business brands. Therefore, interaction design is the conduit for direct end-user interaction with a brand...and the criteria upon which the brand experience will be judged. Interaction design decisions made by Information Architects will drive these perceptions. It requires an in-depth understanding of what current brand perceptions are, related to a specific business brand, and how Brand Managers want the current brand perception to shift.

Jonathan Lupo VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab

:: Social Networks and Our Need to Belong

2008-10-02T07:07:00.001-07:00

As social networks compete for popularity amongst web users looking to do whatever, the question remains…what are users looking to do? Over the past three years we’ve seen MySpace and Facebook try out applications ranging from uploading music, videos, and photos to giving virtual gifts and becoming fans of celebrities…heck, you can even become a fan of a consumer product! So, what’s the point? Are we that bored?

While the draw to social networks for consumers is, at times, ambiguous, the value proposition for advertisers is obvious. Social networks are a gold mine of consumer eyeballs and personal, behavioral, and demographic data. The holy grail of 1-1 marketing based on behavior and direct communication with consumers is easily achieved on these platforms.

Again, I ask, why do we so readily give up our personal information?

I think the answer is rooted in the very nature of our species. We are a social animal. In fact, the need to belong to a group is magnified when others ASK us to belong to their groups. It is viral. Another reason we are drawn to these networks is our desire to recapture our past. Users are lured by the prospect of reconnecting with past friends, flings, and memories. It is low-impact interaction with the past and a way to relive the “good times.” The clear winner, therefore, will be the network that is best able to provide us that access.

Jonathan Lupo VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab

:: Information Architects Like to Stereotype

2008-09-12T06:24:00.000-07:00

My job is to conduct research on a relatively small sample of a target population and make design decisions based on observed behavioral trends. Thought leaders proclaim that I only need 4-8 representatives of a specific group, and then I can stop conducting research...but, is that enough?

In most cases, "8 is enough" when measuring trends in behavior. The idea is that any new trends observed after that are few and far between...and not worth charging the client for. But, if you want to measure attitudes, brand perceptions, and environmental factors, then larger, more traditional market research sample sizes may be necessary. Otherwise, your stereotype will not be representative of a random sample of the entire population.

The analogue of a stereotype in the world of Information Architecture is called the "persona." A persona is one profile that represents a group of people that behave a certain way, within a population. It is necessary to work from this "stereotype" because Information Architects cannot design for every individual that may stumble across the website. We must prioritize information, elements of design, and interface based on our clients' target audiences as well as the users that are "most likely" to visit the website.

Thus, our mission is to create the best generalizations and stereotypes that our limited exposure to a given population can produce.

Jonathan Lupo VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab

:: Driving an Experience in a Non-Linear Medium

2008-05-19T06:58:00.000-07:00

It is often suggested by Usability professionals that you cannot control who visits your website, and that you cannot force them to have an experience that they did not come to the website to have. It is true that, as a web designer, it is important to design an experience that anticipates and satisfies the informational needs and tasks of end-users, but that does not prevent you from also designing an experience that satisfies the objectives of the business.

Target an Audience that will be Receptive to Your Brand
You can increase the likelihood that a specific population of people visit your website. Doing so, requires a multi-channel marketing strategy that begins by identifying where your target audience spends most of their time. To find out, recruit and interview representative samples of this population. Piece together their daily routines and habits. Understand what TV programs they watch, periodicals they read, and websites they visit. These resources become possible platforms for smart website marketing and sponsorships. Use cross-channel marketing tactics to drive the right traffic to your website.

Create Website Pathways that Satisfy Business Objectives
The second suggestion by "user-advocates," claims that you cannot, and should not, control what end-users do on a website because of the non-linear nature of the web. The fallacy and danger of such statements lies in the premise that business objectives and user objectives are mutually exclusive. I propose that business objectives are generally met when end-user objectives are met. A healthy business is dependent on satisfied customers. Understanding what customers are coming to the website to do enables web designers to create pathways for customers to satisfy their needs. Prioritize navigational elements and elevate contextual links accordingly.

Jonathan Lupo VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab

:: "Quants and Quals"

2008-04-18T15:58:00.000-07:00

Researchers have a variety of research techniques to choose from when achieving online objectives. Each technique includes a specific methodology, guidelines for population size, and techniques for soliciting feedback from participants.

Qualitative research calls for open-ended responses to questions with a limited sample size. Researchers use this technique when multiple-choice and close-ended questions don't yield data that is precise enough to achieve research goals. Qualitative research works well when objectives require 1st-hand observation of user behavior and contextual inquiry (live, 1-on-1 interviews in end-user environment).

Quantitative research solicits close-ended responses from end-users, such as on a multiple-choice survey, or requires observation of usage statistics, such as in an Omniture report, to understand and document data trends. Researchers use this technique when the quantity of the data is more important than the data detail, and the range of responses/observable phenomena are limited (a web analytics report merely documents trends of specific data points moving up or down; increasing or decreasing over time). Quantitative research generally results in studies that are deployed via survey, or by observing click-stream data via analytics reporting tools.

Depending on online business objectives, study types can also be combined. Quantitative studies can be used to support observed, qualitative research trends. Conversely, theories made to justify quantitative data trends may be proven or disproven during qualitative research interviews. It is most important to understand what problems you, as a researcher, are solving for, in order to select the right technique to yield the proper insights.

Jonathan Lupo VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab

:: Converting user research participants into brand evangelists

2008-03-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

User research has many benefits. Obviously, qualitative behavioral research is intended to yield insights to aid design of intuitive applications. However, many overlook the possible marketing applications of user research studies. Consider, your client is paying you to learn about the brand so that you can effectively market the brand. These two objectives do not have to be siloed. As long as research studies are unbiased, positive results can be turned into marketing opportunities for your client. Research provides opportunities and a platform to reach customers and potential customers. Here are three ways to maximize this reach to convert participants into "brand evangelists:"

1. Carefully screen and target research participants - In order to ensure reliable research studies, participants must be screened to be relevant to client business objectives and likely consumers of your client's business and services. If participants meet target demographics, and are particularly receptive to client brand messages, there is potential to convert these participants into customers. (Note: ethical boundaries should prohibit researchers from biasing or disguising a study as a marketing ploy...however, researchers often hear enthusiastic responses to the brand in conducted studies, and may pursue opportunities to market to participants after studies have concluded)

2. Create a "Beta Test" population for community applications - One effective means of observing user behavior is watching actual community interaction over time. When testing
and launching a "community" it is possible to use research dollars to recruit a "beta community." In essence, you are paying participant to "jump-start" a community (for observational study, at first). Community "uptake" generally starts "grassroots." If you create a compelling and intuitive suite of tools, and community makes sense for your client's brand and business, your beta test population (of carefully screened and targeted test participants) may help the community to succeed.

3. Always ask study participants about their impressions of the brand- It is important to observe how a participant's impressions of a client's brand change pre and post-exposure to the application being tested. A research study provides you, the researcher, a valuable audience to proposed ideas and expression of your client's brand. You must use this platform to inspire your participants to give thoughtful consideration of the brand. This act of "putting brand X into mind" may have the effect of shifting your participant's thinking and changing your participant's behavior "outside of the laboratory."

Jonathan Lupo
VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab

:: Interaction and Usability in Asia

2008-02-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

Greetings from Asia! It is the 2008 Chinese New Year...the year of the rat. This year, my visit to Japan and Taiwan has allowed me to experience innovative, industrial design that focuses on usability and accessibility.

1. Audio feedback - As a musician, I was delighted to hear music being utilized as an indicator of various "environmental states." In Kyoto and Tokyo, a musical melody played when pedestrians had "the right of way," alerting the blind that it was safe to cross the street. A melody also played as a subway train paused to accept passengers, signaling the length of time before the train departed. In Taiwan, the garbage trucks played music similar to U.S. ice cream trucks, to alert residents to take out their trash. Audio cues in the form of vocal instruction are also ubiquitous in Asia. It seems as though every ATM, train ticket machine, elevator, and kiosk has a multi-lingual voice, to provide instruction the user.

2. Maps - On my flight to Asia, I was able to access an interactive map that showed the current location, distance to final destination, flight speed, altitude, as well as temperature. Japan's high-speed trains and subways were also equipped with maps that lit up current locations and stops along the way.

3. Tactile cues - The streets of Japan were literally lined with strips of bumps to enable blind pedestrians to walk safely, in the correct direction.

As an information architect, it was great to experience Asian industrial and urban design. It is evident that much thought and planning goes into how products and objects will be used by all types of people.

Jonathan Lupo
VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab

:: Wii vs. PS3 - Part 2 of the 2007 Holiday Blog Special

2008-01-18T06:33:00.001-08:00

At the beginning of the 2007 winter holiday season, I had my mind set on acquiring a Nintendo Wii, the video game console with the revolutionary, motion-sensitive gameplay. I am an interaction designer who focuses on designing intuitive interfaces for interactive applications. That being said, the Wii seemed to be an appropriate, electronic accessory for me to own. As I stated in my earlier blog entry, I joined the masses in trying to track down my own Wii console. In fact, I became obsessed with the pursuit of this machine, and was willing to pay double its market value to own it.

Like so many others, I was unsuccessful in my efforts to purchase a Wii. I grew weary of the chase. Having grown up a believer in Sony technology (after all, the Sony Walkman was one of the most influential gadgets that I ever owned), I decided to purchase a Playstation 3.

The Playstation 3 targets a completely different audience than the Wii. The PS3 persona is the hardcore gamer, the technophile, the multimedia enthusiast, the early adopter, etc. The Wii targets "everyman"....and "everywoman." (That is, after all the secret to its mass market appeal) I happen to fit into both companies' behavioral target profiles. I like videogames, yes, but I certainly can't hang with the Halo 3, Worlds of Warcraft, Gears of War crowd. I am a novice, at best.

Was the PS3 the right decision for me? Absolutely. Here's why:

1. I love to watch movies - The PS3 has a Blu-Ray DVD player that also up-converts regular DVDs to better resolution (if you have a high-definition TV).

2. I love to listen to music - Like the Xbox 360, and the Wii, actually, you can set up a remote media server using Windows Media Player, Orb, or TVersity, and stream your media files directly to your console.

3. I enjoy eye-popping graphics - Like the Xbox 360, again, PS3 games usually have stunning graphics, suited for high-definition televisions.

4. I'm a "twitch" "arcade" gamer - Like most novice gamers, I gravitate to "button mashing" affairs that require the gamer to merely "hammer" one or two buttons in order to execute beautiful fighting moves, or blast away 3-D rendered asteroids.

5. I'm an ex-"goth" - Sony, thankfully, has no problem licensing games that can be dark, violent, and cinematic. I designed the initial user experience of FEARnet.com, the internet's premiere, online horor portal, and the PS3 has plenty of games that satisfy my craving for this type of entertainment.

My current, guilty pleasure, is a game called "Heavenly Sword." Heavenly Sword is a gorgeous, sword-fighting game that fills my plasma tv with stunning, high-definition beauty. It also requires the user to understand a few, basic, controls....and even utilizes the Playstation 3's "Sixaxis" motion controller...making those of us who didn't get a Wii feel a little better about our Playstation 3 purchase!

Jonathan Lupo
VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab

:: Three Ways to Gather End User Insights When Primary Research Isn't Possible

2008-01-07T10:12:00.000-08:00

Web design is always better when informed by primary research. First-hand exposure to end-user behavior, visited websites, and target audience lifestyle always produce insightful "nuggets" that make for more meaningful, online experiences. That being said, anyone who has ever worked on a real-world web project will tell you that primary research is not always possible. Timelines and project budgets are often prohibitive. Clients are also, often convinced that they know all there is to know about their target audience.

What is an information architect supposed to do when he/she is not able to gain first-hand exposure to end-users?

Here are three ways to gather insights about a target audience when primary research is "out-of-the-question":

1. Google Keyword Tool - The folks at Google have a great keyword association tool that they offer for free, because they want advertisers to use their service to launch "pay-per-click" advertising campaigns. The Google Keyword Tool is also terrific for research purposes, however, because it enables users to enter a topic, keyword, or URL, and get back the most relevant and popular keyword queries related to the search term that was entered. Why is this information useful? Let's say you are designing a healthcare-related website about the general topic of "pregnancy." You'd probably like to know what type of information is most sought, related to the topic. That's exactly what you'd find if you entered the word "pregnancy," into Google's tool. Imagine developing a taxonomy that facilitates access to the most commonly searched for topics related to the topic of "pregnancy." You'd also be one-step closer to optimizing your website for likely Google searches related to the topic.

2. Internal Search Logs - Web analysts often overlook internal search (site search) logs, when performing site analytics. Often, the types of keyword searches entered on an existing website can give clues about difficulties that end-users are having locating information. Try looking at the top 100, internal, site searches for a typical 3-month period of time. Categorize the types of searches being performed in a spreadsheet. Once you can generalize about the most popular types of searches (e.g. - "contact," "product," "service," etc.), you will better be able to design a taxonomy and architecture that facilitates access to the things that users are looking for via site search.

3. Competitive Research - You don't always have to reinvent the wheel. Your client may be so focused on innovation or internal processes, that they forget to look over their shoulder at what the competition is doing. In any given industry, there are taxonomy and UI (user interface) patterns that emerge as a result of SOMEONE's research or through conventions established from years of offering a particular online service. It is ok to leverage these patterns as a starting point...it isn't cheating.

The above techniques can help you get started desiging an intuitive user interface when research isn't possible. I still recommend performing usability testing, however, to ensure that your "informed assumptions" hold true.

Jonathan Lupo
VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab

:: Successful Social Networks Must be Relevant to End-User Goals

2007-12-07T06:05:00.000-08:00

The concept of "social networking," "online communities," and "user generated content" has been around for years. It is nothing new. We've had newsgroups, bulletin boards, chat rooms, and multi-user-dimensions (MUDs). There was "Friendster" before "My Space," or even "Facebook"...so why even try to compete in this crowded landscape?

Companies add community-based tools to their websites for various reasons. The worst reason for doing it, however, is because "social networking" is trendy.

Social networks should be created to further business objectives, such as connecting individuals for site-specific purposes...or showcasing user contributions where these contributions will be advantageous to end-users. For example, dating websites should introduce community content to give participants a better understanding of each other prior to setting up dates. Artist portals should provide talent the means to upload and showcase their content. Discussion boards should be implemented in conjunction with content that normally inspires discussion.

The creation of a community for the sake of creating a community is a risky proposition. First of all, generic communities are ubiquitous on the internet. "My Space" and "Facebook" are major players in this space, and provide robust tools for social networking. Competing in the "generic community" category would require massive promotion, viral marketing, and/or richer community tools. Basically, you'd have to convince existing "My Space" and "Facebook" users who have invested time and effort into maintaining their existing profiles, that they should spend even more time and effort creating a new profile on a new, generic community. It is a fickle landscape, too. In 2005, it was tough to find individuals who didn't have a "My Space" profile. Now, it is tough to find people who aren't on "Facebook."

It seems as though long-term success of social networks rely upon their relevance to end-users. Consider "LinkedIn." Networking in a professional context is always important, and makes perfect sense via the online medium. Searching for colleagues, businesses, and professional opportunities makes the perfect platform for a rich community. "LinkedIn" got the formula right, and early enough to gain enough loyalty to make it difficult for existing users to waste time and effort re-creating their profiles on other professional networks. This is the perfect model for successful social networking online.

Jonathan Lupo - VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab

:: Wii Woes - a 2007 Holiday Blog Special

2007-11-22T05:48:00.000-08:00

Being a marketer as well as an interaction designer, I got sucked into the emotional maelstrom caused by the "Wii shortage of 2007."

I mean, c'mon, the damn console changed the way we fundamentally interact with video games! I deserve to own that thing. Unfortunately, like thousands (could it be millions?) of people worldwide, I will have to wait until Nintendo grows tired of "playing me."

To say that Nintendo pulled off a marketing miracle this year, is an understatement. With the "Wii" campaign, formerly the Nintendo "Revoultion," Nintendo focused on innovative gameplay...not what their competitors were doing. It worked. While Sony and Microsoft served up "all-in-one," high-tech, utility knives, Nintendo just made games fun to play. So, they had a really good product. Focusing on one core element also allowed them to make the product inexpensive to consumers (until the Christmas shopping crunch forced prices higher). Add to this magic potion, a sleek and clean piece of hardware reminiscent of an overgrown ipod, and you have a product that shows promise in the next generation console war.

Being a Sony loyalist, and up until I realized who I was...I struggled with the idea of purchasing a Sony PS3. But the fact is, I'm 36 years old, I work 70 hour weeks, and I just don't have time to get sucked into a sweeping RPG epic...I just want to unwind, after work, with a few rounds of virtual golf!

The console choice for me became obvious, and my hunger for the Wii grew stronger.

Excited about the finality of my decision, I trotted off to my local Best Buy to purchase a Wii. To this point, I had no idea about the global supply drought caused by the Wii hunger that was shared by people all over the world. Looking for the coveted console, I approached the sales guy walking the floor, and was met with the most condescending smirk and reply that I've ever received. Of course they didn't have the Wii. It was like I had missed the fact that the U.S. had waged a war on Iraq. I work online, spend most of my waking hours on the internet, how could I have missed that "Top Headline."

So, the hunt began...soon I was conducting epic Google, Froogle, eBay, and Link Crawler searches to get my hands on a Wii. EBay was the worst, man. I spent hours scanning all auctions with "buy it now" options. I even considered paying up to double the actual $250 price tag for the Wii.

I was up at all hours of the night, in the "Wii" hours you might say, to get my hands on the thing. Finally, my wife came into my office. She saw the dozen or so windows open on my PC desktop. She knew it was time for an intervention. Luckily, she stopped me from pulling the trigger on a shady auction listing on EBay. I was grounded...

I still have no Wii. But my wife's intervention may make the wait easier for me. I now only skim the EBay auctions on the weekend. It is merely a past-time. Of course, I probably won't get my hands on my own, shiny console until after the new year.

(reposted on Technorati Profile)

Jonathan Lupo - VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab

:: How to Increase Utilization of an Intranet

2007-10-12T16:27:00.000-07:00

It's not difficult to figure out how to increase the utilization of a corporate intranet. It's simply a matter of understanding the daily workflow of its intended end-users.

An important point to keep in mind, is that employees don't go to an intranet solely for the purpose of reading corporate press releases...they go to perform useful tasks. Consultants simply need to ask employees what they do on a day-to-day basis, illustrate routines as end-user workflow diagrams, and create opportunities in taxonomy, design and architecture that facilitate employees' primary tasks.

Information Architects use a form of behavioral research called "contextual inquiry" to better understand the daily work routines of corporate end-users. Contextual inquiry involves interviewing end-users in their place of work. That doesn't mean a conference room...it means at their desks, in their cubicles, and in their offices.

What are some benefits of contextual inquiry?

1. Contextual inquiry enables IAs to take notice of their end-users' files, folders, and email "inboxes," in order to document trends in information organization (ultimately informing intranet taxonomies).

2. Participants feel more at ease, and are able to better recall daily work routines, when they are interviewed in familiar work environments. Usability labs and conference rooms often make participants nervous and disoriented, causing them to speculate rather than recall specific information and tasks.

3. Participants can walk their researchers through previous intranet and web interactions, exposing issues and potential opportunities.

Luckily, corporate intranets are intended to satisfy specific needs. That makes them easily engineered to achieve those needs. Whether it is facilitating primary, work-related tasks, educating and training staff, or providing vital documents, engineering a better user experience on a corporate intranet can be achieved through primary research.

Jonathan Lupo - VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab

:: Defending Your Position Through Usability Testing

2007-10-07T11:14:00.000-07:00

Contrary to what your colleagues and clients might think, information architecture and interaction design are not exact sciences. If your client believes that there is only one solution to a design or interface challenge, there is a potential for a bottleneck when you don't see eye-to-eye.

So, we have to make decisions. IAs must decide when to take a stand, from a purist, ideological stance, and when to "give a little." Does having to make these decisions violate the idealistic nature of our profession?

Absolutely not.

The beauty of our discipline, is that we are able to "try out" new ideas before we dismiss them as "unusable." Usability testing is our way of auditioning different design approaches to determine which are intuitive to end-users.

You may be able to use one of these "stand-offs" as a way to secure funding for your usability tests.

Jonathan Lupo - VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab

:: Two-minute taxonomies

2007-09-28T20:09:00.000-07:00

Did you ever need to develop an information architecture or taxonomy, but had no budget or time for primary research? I'm sure this is your situation in over half of your projects.

There are some really "down and dirty" tricks to develop meaningful taxonomies for a given topic or concept...check it out:

1. Let's say you need to develop an information architecture for a disease awareness website. Use the Overture keyword tool to find the most popular, related searches to the disease. These popular searches represent what active information seekers are actually looking for related to your topic! Use these topic modifiers as primary or secondary level category headers in your IA.

2. Cheat. If you are designing an e-commerce experience related to music, or other products, use "E-bay categories." E-bay's taxonomies are honed through community submission of auction items. You can bet that these organizational schemes represent the most commonly thought-of subdivisions of any given consumer-goods category.

There is no replacing primary research, but you don't always have to start from scratch. Remember, you can always push for taxonomy validation tests prior to design.

Jonathan Lupo - VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab

:: Issues with Focus Group Testing

2007-09-27T17:42:00.000-07:00

Conducting focus groups can be a great way to generate ideas, but don't use this technique as a way to document trends in behavior or end-user tasks.

Why?

It's simple. We are social animals. People, in a group setting, have a tendency to influence one another. Whether it is to impress, to encourage, or to blend in, people will act differently in front of others, than they do in isolation.

In a situation where a researcher wants to validate trends in behavior, he/she should study individual behavior, in isolation, and then compare this behavior with data from other 1-on-1 interviews. 1-on-1 interviews ensure that participant responses are not influenced by environmental bias...in other words, other people in the room!

Once again, focus groups ARE a legitimate method of conducting research.

When?

Use focus groups when YOU WANT other people to influence each other. The best use of a focus group is for a creative brainstorm, or to generate ideas.

Jonathan Lupo - VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab

:: Experience Architecture and Design: The Next Phase

2007-06-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

Most, so-called, "Usability engineers" cling to a narrow definition of the concept of “Usability,” and miss the point when engaging in activities aimed at understanding what is really important to visitors. Empathy Lab has a unique and forward thinking approach to Experience Architecture, Design, and Usability Testing. The following describes our beliefs and approach to the design and measurement of compelling digital experiences:

Re-evaluate the metric of Usability

When pressed to define the metric of “Usability,” most define it as a measurement of a system’s “ease-of-use.” Web agencies generally dedicate a team to this measurement, and to the pursuit of an engineered, easy-to-use experience. Empathy Lab agrees that easy-to-use experiences can be engineered, but disagrees that “ease-of-use,” in of itself, is an important metric. An easy-to-use experience is only important if it is used (i.e. – has a high rate of adoption). Empathy Lab believes that “Usability” and “Usage” are equally important. Furthermore, we feel that an easy-to-use experience does not guarantee a high rate of adoption. Therefore, we aim to create usable experiences that are also compelling to your visitors. We understand that emotional connections with your brand and content, as well as intuitive information architecture, will drive usage and repeat visits. Creating these types of connections requires a deeper insight into the individuals who will likely engage with your Web site

Re-evaluate the notion of a web “user”

Because we strive to design compelling experiences as well as easy-to-use experiences, we are forced to re-evaluate the concept of a web “user.” The term “user” implies a focus on behavior. If Empathy Lab limited its focus to “user” behavior, we would only be able to engineer easy-to-use experiences. The creation of compelling experiences requires Empathy Lab to conduct extensive research aimed at understanding the personalities, lifestyle, attitudes and motivators of your potential visitors (as well as their onsite behavior). Our research and Usability testing tactics take into account all facets of the individual.

Re-evaluate the approach to Research

It all begins with contextual inquiry. Empathy Lab studies individuals where they live, work, and play. Our initial research may take us to homes, schools, conferences, or places of employment. We immerse ourselves in the daily lives and important rituals of those who will likely be your web visitors. We learn what is important to people when they are most likely to interact with your brand. Armed with this research data, your visitors’ needs are documented in the form of personas, and made relevant within the context of their daily lives

Test early and often

Concept Validation - Concept testing does not have to start in the design phase, but may be conducted earlier to validate a conceptual model for an information taxonomy, workflow, or architectural prototype. Conducting tests early in the requirements gathering process will ensure that the right conceptual models are constructed prior to costly design and development. Empathy Lab utilizes contextual card sorting, flowcharting, and categorization exercises as early methods of concept validation. We try to perform these activities “out in the field."
Design Validation - We also differ from our competitors in our approach to “low-fi” design validation (paper prototyping). When conducting paper prototype testing on a design, Empathy Lab believes that it is more valuable to use an actual comp, or mock-up, rather than a wireframe (interaction design schematic). Because of the level of abstraction, wireframes and interaction design documentation are best used as internal tools to guide design and development, and not to put in front of test participants. Results of primary task completion exercises on a wireframe can never be trusted. Design validation can be performed anywhere, but must be performed in a comfortable environment, where the test subject feels at ease, and documented on video. Another point of differentiation is Empathy Lab’s use of design validation to measure visitor acceptance of the design, as well as success or failure in critical task completion (where our competitors limit their focus)
Performance Analysis & Analytics - Measuring performance through ongoing quantitative analysis, surveys and analytics is important in making incremental changes and enhancements to content, architecture, interaction design, and visual design. Your site is constantly being monitored and measured according to the Key Performance Indicators that we identify with at the onset of our engagement with you.

Jonathan Lupo - VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab

:: How to market effectively in an Interactive Space

2006-09-11T07:16:00.000-07:00

Marketers insist on using the internet as a broadcast medium. They use marketing messages and marketing jargon for website navigation, splashy intro. movies, and expect that users will follow conversion paths to purchase the products/services that are being sold.

What marketers need to realize, is that the interactive space is largely a "pull" medium. That is, users are free to make choices in order to retrieve information that they are looking for. Unlike television, where advertisers can broadcast their "pitch" (although Tivo is changing this dynamic), marketers will do better if they endeavor to understand users needs, and not hinder their pathways to the information that they are seeking.

Jonathan Lupo - VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab

:: Social networking in the information age

2006-09-05T07:38:00.000-07:00

When we think about relationships, generally we think about "human relationships" such as:

> Professional associations
> Romantic relationships
> Familial relationships

Technologists, database developers, and web designers have shown us that there are many other relationships to be drawn based on data relationships, meta information, and other interesting anecdotal information.

Here are some examples of "data driven" relationships:

1. The tactic of "rating" products, services, and items, has extended to the rating of people (on dating sites, etc.). Individuals may now be grouped together through a shared, subjective, community rating.

2. Sites like MySpace solicit pieces of information from members such as: interests, favorite movies, favorite music, etc. When a visitor to a MySpace profile clicks on one of these "favorite items" of an individual, he/she is presented an index of all MySpace members who have also presented the selected item as a favorite on their respective profiles.

3. Broadband video networks such as YouTube enable members to create their own channels and playlists that are publicly accessible. Additionally, users may "tag" content with subjectively-based keywords. These community driven means of "flagging" information serve to organize information in new ways, and become methods in which to encounter relationships amongst individuals.