Class 4: Understanding Stakeholders &

MAkers

Instructor: Abby Covert

Last Class we...

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Last Class we...

• Shared our findings from exploring our problem space’s complexity

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Last Class we...

• Shared our findings from exploring our problem space’s complexity

• Learned about understanding people and their needs as users

2

Last Class we...

• Shared our findings from exploring our problem space’s complexity

• Learned about understanding people and their needs as users

• Admitted our assumptions

2

Last Class we...

• Shared our findings from exploring our problem space’s complexity

• Learned about understanding people and their needs as users

• Admitted our assumptions• Mapped our potential users and prioritized

them to do further research

2

Last Class we...

• Shared our findings from exploring our problem space’s complexity

• Learned about understanding people and their needs as users

• Admitted our assumptions• Mapped our potential users and prioritized

them to do further research• Assigned some homework, due today!

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Homework Share

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Homework Share

• Each team will have the next 15 minutes to share with each other the results of their homework assignment

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Homework Share

• Each team will have the next 15 minutes to share with each other the results of their homework assignment

• Make a list as a group of all the things you would like to do as research.

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Homework Share

• Each team will have the next 15 minutes to share with each other the results of their homework assignment

• Make a list as a group of all the things you would like to do as research.

• Place a * next to the ones you could do in the next week if I asked you to

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Homework Share

• Each team will have the next 15 minutes to share with each other the results of their homework assignment

• Make a list as a group of all the things you would like to do as research.

• Place a * next to the ones you could do in the next week if I asked you to

• Place a ** next to those that would take more time than a week but you feel you could do with what you have

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4

everything is complex

I intend to because I believe

facilitate understanding organize meaning, create clarity and establish truth

put the what before the how

make the unclear clear

information architect

understanding is always good but it is equally important to not understand

clarity is a prerequisite of truth

I am an

by: Abby Covert & Dan Klyn

architecture frames problems, design solves them

support goals, makers and users

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everything is complex

I intend to because I believe

facilitate understanding organize meaning, create clarity and establish truth

put the what before the how

make the unclear clear

information architect

understanding is always good but it is equally important to not understand

clarity is a prerequisite of truth

I am an

by: Abby Covert & Dan Klyn

architecture frames problems, design solves them

support goals, makers and users

What does it mean to

have Stake?

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Stake: an interest or share in an undertaking or enterprise

Stakeholder: one who is involved in or affected by a course of action

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Who makes the Stake?

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Make:

1. to cause to happen to or be experienced by someone

2. to cause to exist, occur, or appear

Maker: a person, company or machine who makes something

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What do you need to make stake?

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MAkers Need:

- to understand goals- To have a clear sense of scope- To know what is next

Stakeholders Need:

- To set measurable goals- to understand the implications of scope- To plan for the future

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Scope: The extent of the area or subject matter

that something deals with or to which it is relevant.

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Why is scope important?

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nasty truth #1 The more progress made, the more

expensive changing your mind becomes

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Cost to Ch

ange

Your

Mind

Progress Made

@ Idea

@ Concepting

@ Design

@ Development

@ post Launch

$

$$

$$$

$$$$

$$$$$

nasty truth #2 Great makers care about their work

not just money is at stake

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Impa

ct to Ch

ange

Your

Mind

Time and effort spent

$

$$

$$$

$$$$

$$$$$

nasty truth #3 The more you operate on assumption, the more likely you are to change your mind

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Like

lihood of n

eeding

to ch

ange

mind

# of assumptions operated on

Low

High

NONE ALL

Assumptions that are common

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Assumptions that are common

• Complexity Involved: “This is simple...”

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Assumptions that are common

• Complexity Involved: “This is simple...”• User Needs: “What they need is...”

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Assumptions that are common

• Complexity Involved: “This is simple...”• User Needs: “What they need is...”• Resources: “So-n-so knows how to do that...”

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Assumptions that are common

• Complexity Involved: “This is simple...”• User Needs: “What they need is...”• Resources: “So-n-so knows how to do that...”• Money: “Yea, a week should be enough...”

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What eliminates assumptions so progress can be

productive?

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Consensusgroup Solidarity

in sentiment and belief

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ClarityThe quality of coherence and intelligibility

&

Our focus for the next few weeks will be

Clarity and Consensus

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Our focus for the next few weeks will be

Clarity and Consensus

• 10/1: Stakeholder alignment thru directional goals

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Our focus for the next few weeks will be

Clarity and Consensus

• 10/1: Stakeholder alignment thru directional goals • 10/8: Measurable Goals & Requirements

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Our focus for the next few weeks will be

Clarity and Consensus

• 10/1: Stakeholder alignment thru directional goals • 10/8: Measurable Goals & Requirements • 10/15: Features & Roadmaps

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Pop Quiz: What do we

remember from class 2 about continuums?

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Performance Continuumsspectrums that can be used to

discuss and align on direction

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What is a Continuum?

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5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5

This THATGoalToday

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Examples of Continuums

² Challenge the old with the new

² Define success differently

² Manage priority and scope

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Example

Rules of Continuums

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Rules of Continuums

– Create the scales as a group, but rate where you are at and the goal individually

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Rules of Continuums

– Create the scales as a group, but rate where you are at and the goal individually

– Avoid negative scales and judgmental language

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Rules of Continuums

– Create the scales as a group, but rate where you are at and the goal individually

– Avoid negative scales and judgmental language

– Try to be timeless, not trendy

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Rules of Continuums

– Create the scales as a group, but rate where you are at and the goal individually

– Avoid negative scales and judgmental language

– Try to be timeless, not trendy– Document the goals you agree to and set up

regular measurement against them

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Attaching measurementto make specify goals

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Specific Goals should be S.M.A.R.T so you know if you are going in the right direction

q Specificq Measurableq Achievableq Relevantq Time bound

Finding the right measures

If you have a question about Examples to be looking at…

If something is effective Completion rates

Whether something is findable Speed to find

People’s Expectations Bounce Rates & Time on Site

Satisfaction Interviews, Surveys, Ask Sales and CSRs

Is enough Information provided? Are people clicking to further information consistently?

Are people using the path as designed? Click path data

(Courtesy of Richard Dalton)

The Big Questions Planning to measure

Awareness: How do people find out about us?

User interviews and Surveys

Acquisition: Where will our loyal users be coming from?

Surveys, Analytics: Traffic Sources for Repeat Users

Conversion: What is the average time on site for us? What is normal?

Analytics: Time on site compared to industry averages and for loyalty users vs single article users

Action: Will people interact with the content we suggest they interact with after reading the entry article?

Analytics: Click rates on items suggested on article pages

Loyalty: How will loyalty users differ from new users?

Analytics: Compare variety of points across loyalty users and single article users

Other: How should sharing work? What do people share?

Surveys, Interviews, Analytics: Track social sharing behavior to establish baselines for types of events

Examples

Two Goal Mad Libs:

<Increase, Decrease or Establish> _______ by ____% over the next _______ as measured by ______.

<Increase, Decrease or Establish> _______ with <audience> over the next _______ as measured by ______.

Example: Specific Goals

Our Goals for the next 6 months– Establish an average time on site with our loyalty

users of 2+ minutes (matching industry standards for news sites)

– Produce an average of 100+ unique social media impressions per month for the news organization brand

– Increase the likelihood of loyalty users to click of secondary materials from 10% to 20% through better content tagging and human curation

Common QuestionWhat if we don’t

have enough data?

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AnswerYour goal if you have no data is to get data And establish what

is called a baseline.

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Other questions?

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Workshop:Consensus on goals

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Consensus Workshop

• Step 1: Quiet time, everyone write ideas for continuums you could use to come to consensus on what to make

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² Challenge the old with the new

² Define success differently

² Manage priority and scope

Consensus Workshop

• Step 2: Share what you came up with. Decide on the ones you like. Choose 3 to 5 and agree where you are today

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5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5

This THATToday

Consensus Workshop

• Step 3: Quiet time, individually decide where you think you should aim for in the future

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5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5

This THATToday Goal

Consensus Workshop

• Step 4: Discuss your answers, and differences and come to an agreed to goal on each continuum

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Homework

• As a group: Document your directional goals as continuums– What are the continuums and why?– What is your group rating of today’s state?– What is your group’s goal?

• Please submit your group homework by 6 PM Monday October 8 via email

• Each of you should additionally come to the next class with a list of measurable goal ideas to ladder up to the directional goals. We will be using your homework in class to workshop

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Questions?

CovertA@newschool.edu@ Abby_The_IA

www.Abbytheia.com