ITP 140 Mobile Technologies. User Testing

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1 ITP 140 Mobile Technologies User Testing

2 User Experience 2

3 User Testing Usability and user experience testing is vital to creating a successful app Running your own user tests to find out how users are interacting with your app and where problems might arise is completely possible Can do this throughout the design and development stages 3

4 Wireframe A wireframe is a basic visual guide used in interface design to suggest the structure of an app Describes each element and behavior Focus is on layout, labels, interactions, and relationships between other scenes Finished design elements such as color and photos are not used Use as a prototype for usability testing Focuses on correct and complete content and functionality 4

5 Usability Testing Users test drive a prototype or production system Usually one-on-one With a participant and a moderator Helps one understand what works and what doesn't with the app Helps focus in finding specific interface issues, layout, labeling, and interaction 5

6 Usability Review App team and Read the app definition statement Walk through the screens of the app Wireframes / prototype Ask questions to the reviewers Record comments Create a document of the findings 6

7 App Team Reads the app definition statement Walks through the screens of the app Wireframes / prototype Asks questions to the reviewers Records comments Creates a document of the findings 7

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9 Want to create a good app! 9

10 Personas Personas are archetypal users that represent the needs of larger groups of users in terms of their goals and personal characteristics Create a name, age, and other info with a focus on goals, motivation, and behavior Fictional characters created to represent the different user types within a targeted demographic, attitude and/or behavior set that might use a site, brand or product in a similar way Creates empathy for the specific user and avoids self-referential design The focus on accomplishing specific goals allows the app to satisfy many people with that goal 10

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12 7 Core Ideas about Persona & UX 1. Personas predate UX research It had been around in some form in marketing and advertising for decades. A "user" means different things to different people and is often used generically to describe the average customer, which is not the same as a persona. In UX, personas are employed to define and design interactive products. As Alan Cooper says, personas are "profoundly simple but remarkably powerful." 12

13 7 Core Ideas about Persona & UX 2. A persona is not a hypothetical customer invented by the marketing department "Persona" is frequently used interchangeably with "user" although the two terms differ in meaning when it comes to usability. Personas are not a list of tasks, duties or responsibilities. They are archetypical users whose goals and characteristics represent the needs of a larger group of users. They function as stand-ins for real users to guide decisions about design and functionality. 13

14 7 Core Ideas about Persona & UX 3. A persona is not about customer likes and dislikes Personas concentrate on what a user does, what frustrates the user, and what gives the user satisfaction. A good persona is a narrative that describes a person's typical day and experiences, as well as skills, attitude, background, environment, and goals. 14

15 7 Core Ideas about Persona & UX 4. Personas answer very specific questions Personas are able to provide details to important questions that a "user" cannot define. Examples: Is the user concentrating on only one thing at a time? Does the user have frequent interruptions during their experience? Why is he/she using the product? By using a persona to answer these questions, product design teams can actually be in the user's shoes, and can better meet a real user's needs and wants. 15

16 7 Core Ideas about Persona & UX 5. Personas can provide a very real benefit for user experience research Personas are effective during the design and development stage. They help take focus away from requirements and deliverables so designers can focus on the user's goals. Personas give a name, face, and narrative to the "user" for whom you are designing; they make the concept of the user into an actual person with opinions, feelings and a voice. 16

17 7 Core Ideas about Persona & UX Personas are beneficial for: Defining a specific user's goals and needs Giving design teams a focus with a common understanding Identifying opportunities and product gaps to drive strategy Concentrating on designing for a manageable target who represents a larger group Replacing the need to canvass an entire user community, significantly reducing time and cost needed to obtain user requirements Helping designers empathize with users (designers can actually walk a mile in the persona's shoes) to understand behaviors, motivations and expectations Helping prioritize design elements and resolve design disagreements in an economical way Designs can be continually evaluated and validated based on personas to reduce the frequency of usability testing 17

18 7 Core Ideas about Persona & UX 6. Don't Overdo the Persona Process If a team spends too much effort and thought developing the persona, delving too much into the tiny details of the persona's narrative, it can consume a sizeable amount of time in the development process and create large, cumbersome documents. Creating a good persona requires a composition of qualitative and quantitative research but should be presented in 1-2 pages, no more. 18

19 7 Core Ideas about Persona & UX 7. Opinions are good but motivation is better Many times users do not know exactly what they need but think about what they want. Observation is key when creating and using personas to understand what drives the user (the "whys") so you can build around that. Personas, along with usability testing, identify specific opportunities to improve, innovate on, and bridge the gaps to make sure you are delivering a fully functional and usable product with the most value to the user. 19

20 User Scenario Storytelling approach to design that captures user motivations and actions in short, focused, narrative form Each scenario captures the moment for a particular set of action focused on meeting a specific need for a user Brings users to life while keeping focus on tasks and behavior Scenarios can link together to tell the entire story of an app Easy to explore and iterate Scenarios complement personas and can lead to more detailed use cases 20

21 Finding Reviewers Ask classmates who are in another group You cannot review your own app Ask your roommates Ask other USC students Target people who would be potential users of your app Personas 21

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23 Resources personas-ux.php usability-test-plan.php 23