Day 3
Information Design: First, know your users
Get your mobile phones out!
Forum Nokia
http://research.nokia.com/research/index.html
Rob Mansperger, Senior Information Architect at PixelMEDIA How we work
http://www.vimeo.com/17376562 Users
http://www.vimeo.com/3698453
Objectives
Learn how to gather ideas to help formulate goals for the system
Learn how to create personas to represent different user types
Learn how contextual enquiry is used to gain insight into an employee’s work
Critical tasks of Information Design
Define the goals of the product
Understand your users
Assess the users’ needs and desires
Create a content list
Organise the content
Produce a content flowchart
Setting goals Nothing gets the design process off the ground
like having goals defined on a piece of paper
Goals should be the tool you use to evaluate every design decision Continually ask yourself “Does this solution move the
design closer to or further away from the goal?”
Some companies will have very well thought-out goals, while others may have only vague goals
You will need to make sure you understand the client’s goals, perhaps even help the client recognise their own goals more clearly
Goal statements
The goal statements should define the results you are after and give you specific design objectives to work towards Some examples
To provide incentives for customers to purchase products online
To create an interactive catalogue that can be updated weekly
To create a DVD about meteorology that will engage users so that they learn and have fun
To create a DVD on calculus that will motivate students to learn
Notice that these goals define the result you are after
Understand your client
Understand (or help to define) your client’s goals
Understand the client’s budget
Understand the client’s time constraints
Understand your users
Interviews
Contextual enquiries
Create personas
Interview potential users
You could ask questions their background
You could ask them about their computing environment
You could tell them the goals of your product and find out what they would like to see in such a product
You could ask them if they could think of ways you could achieve your goals
The interview process
Choose a few people who represent your target audience
Begin each interview by clearly describing the project’s goals
Read each question and record each answer
Ask follow up questions if necessary
Contextual Enquiry
Observe people performing tasks in the real world that they will be performing with your product (remember the nurses)
Perhaps you are implementing software for workers in a company, try observing them at work, perhaps asking questions as they work
Perhaps you are developing a DVD for grade 3 maths, try visiting a grade 3 maths class
Perhaps you are developing a website for selling pet accessories, try visiting a pet store
Create personas
A persona is an imaginary person whose characteristics match a particular type of user
You can create personas to represent different types of users
Create the personas after you have already used other techniques to get to know your users
The personas are representative of the type of users you have encountered
Using the personas Mount the personas on a poster board and display
them where the design team can easily see them
Surround them with objects that represent the persona’s needs and wants
The design team can discuss these personas as though they were real potential users throughout the design process
Thinking about these personas might help you think of more answers people might give to a survey or more issues for your product
Thinking about these personas might help in brainstorming sessions
Analyse possible tasks
What tasks need to be performed?
How often are these tasks performed?
Which tasks are possibly the hardest to perform?
Which might be the hardest to learn?
In what environment will the tasks be performed?
How will the user learn to perform the task?
Think about system tasks … e.g. keeping passwords secure, keeping data secure
Yahoo: keeping personas alive
http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2006/05/18/yahoos-approach-to-keeping-personas-alive/
Unleash the users
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KsFrkxjtj8
More companies
Aivea http://www.aivea.com/user-interface-design.htm
Viewfarm http://www.viewfarm.com/the_work/ui_design.html
About today’s lab
Applying the techniques
2 marks for today’s lab
Make sure to read the suggestions on the website regarding things you could do by the next class