Virtual Floorspace

When the day arrives for conducting the interviews, there are many preparations to make to ensure a smooth and successful day of interviews. Many things can go wrong that were unexpected, that put customers on edge or make the sessions less effective than they could be. This is a big problem for customer research because of the expense involved and because it takes time to get funding approval for the research sessions. The more precisely you plan the actual interview logistics, the more likely it is that your interviews will be productive.

In subsequent posts I’ll cover the following topics:

• Prepare the research location
• Review the daily schedule with research team members
• Check recording equipment
• Prepare for refreshments and breaks
• Receive participants

Copyright 2009, Paul Bryan, Usography Corporation (http://www.usography.com)

Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/uxexperts

Uncategorized e-commerce design strategy, research methods, user research

Asking customers to prioritize features and content that they would like to see offered on a web site is similar to card-sorting, but is different because the emphasis is more on overall user experience than site structure. The researcher creates a set of cards or a table with existing content and features and presents them to the customer to re-sort in prioritized order, based on some criteria. For example, “Place these cards on the table and order them according to the features that are most important to you when shopping for a vacation stay.” Depending on the goals of the research, the research team may create cards with existing content and features, future content and features, or a mixture of the two. These two types of explorations are discussed below.

Current features and content

If the content and features to be offered on the site are relatively closed, without much chance of adding completely different features, then the research team may choose to focus on prioritization of existing site elements. In this case, researchers would ask participants to prioritize potential features according to importance and/or anticipated frequency of use.

Future features and content

When asking participants about preferences for future functionality and content, one approach is to present them with cards, a list, or a table of possible features and content, and ask them to rank them based on their importance or their anticipated frequency of usage. Another method is to ask participants to develop such a list unprompted. If the feature set and content is well understood and somewhat closed, then the first method is most appropriate. If there is some room for invention or the solution set is more open, then the second approach is better. Responses can be compared qualitatively across participants to find trends according to user type.

When asking about future functionality, the researcher should also ask participants how they expect to access it and how they expect it to work. Their expected task path can be used to support the mental model and current or proposed interaction model.

Copyright 2009, Paul Bryan, Usography Corporation (http://www.usography.com)

Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/uxexperts

Uncategorized content prioritization, design strategy, e-commerce strategy, feature prioritization, interview techniques, user research

The last post talked about capturing a customer’s ideal experience. This post gives a brief example of how to do that.

Objective: Explore the ideal guest information system experience for resort visitors with young children who spend an average of $200 per day at the resort beyond room fees. Determine gaps between the actual and ideal. Prioritize the gaps based on cost to implement and business value.

Script:
“I would like to ask you about the perfect mobile guest information system. You mentioned earlier that some of the features you would like to see incorporated into our guest information system include…”

“But now I’d like to take it a step further and discuss the ideal system. Don’t be concerned about the impossibility of it, or the cost. Let me worry about that. For now I’d like to ask you to think with me about the best system you can imagine. Think back upon your stay so far at the resort. When would you have liked to pull out a mobile device and use it to get information or order something, regardless of your location.”

Allow participant to describe scenarios. If participant needs help, probe gently first with locations, such as, “What about when you were at the pool? What about when you were in your room?…” Then probe with features that are currently under consideration: “Have you ever considered what it would be like if you could request dinner recommendations and make reservations no matter where you were at the resort?”

This is different from blue sky thinking or brainstorming. This exercise elicits the normal task process, but without constraints of what currently exists. There may be a simple solution for providing what the customer is asking for that doesn’t break the scope bank.

Copyright 2009, Paul Bryan, Usography Corporation (http://www.usography.com)

Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/uxexperts

Uncategorized customer interviews, e-commerce design strategy, research methods, research protocol, user research

Customers access business web sites to achieve a goal or specific purpose. They are rarely there just to look around, unless they are looking for a job and want to understand the company better. Customer goals can often be grouped into distinct modes, such as reading content, finding products or documents, purchasing products or services, learning new processes or procedures, etc. Understanding these modes is important when designing the interactive space, to enable customers to easily enter a mode that clearly facilitates the activity and presents options related to that mode in a consistent way.

For example, in a resort web site or kiosk, guests may be looking for leisure activities, finding products they forgot, reading about the history of the area, etc. Each of these modes should be simple and straightforward to find in terms of access points, make it easy to achieve the most common and most valuable goals, and represent the task using design components that appear especially suited to the activity (i.e. high affordance). The modes should not be cluttered with lots of options that are unrelated to the mode customers have indicated they want to work in. Marketers often want to surround and interject this experience with lots of selling options, but many times this is interpreted by users as visual noise that damages the perception of the experience and isn’t effective. Looking at the analytics for such off-task design elements, I’ve nearly always found clicktrhroughs to be near zero. If they have to be there, make sure they are not obstructing progress in the primary activity. Billboards are okay, but on the side of the road, not in the middle of the road. And spaced apart so that the visual signal to noise ratio is at a reasonable level.

Copyright 2009, Paul Bryan, Usography Corporation (http://www.usography.com)

Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/uxexperts

Uncategorized analytics, customer interviews, e-commerce design strategy, e-retail, in-depth interviews, interview protocol, methodology, planning user research, qualitative research, task analysis, user research, web design

A task analysis is a representation of user tasks, related to the web site in question, that are performed to achieve one or more goals. The task analysis defines key tasks, priorities, sequences, and relationships between data sources or entities involved in the tasks. Researchers hopefully have an idea about the most important tasks from previous interviews, web analytics, stakeholder meetings, the development team, or the project sponsor.

The task model resulting from the task analysis contains a prioritized list of tasks, grouped according to user type or site function. The task model usually includes relevant information outside the specific task steps, such as motivations for action, business value, pain points and gaps that represent opportunities. A detailed task models shows dependencies among related tasks, subdivides tasks into individual steps, and may indicate data types and other supporting information required to complete the steps. Task analysiss and user types are interdependent; each evolves as the other is better understood.

A task model shows how people accomplish their goals using a series of online and offline supports. The model should:

• Focus on tasks with the highest associated business value
• Prioritize tasks
• Note dependencies and relationships between tasks
• Capture category-specific purchase patterns
• Note differences between user types
• Note opportunities that can be exploited by the new system
• Include enough detail about sub-tasks to suggest a technical solution

Uncategorized customer interviews, e-commerce design strategy, e-retail, task analysis, user research

The previous blog entries described an interview module for obtaining detailed site usage case histories from customers (http://www.virtualfloorspace.com/2009/11/in-depth-customer-interviews-site-usage-case-history/ and http://www.virtualfloorspace.com/2009/11/site-usage-case-history/). This post gives some practical example questions for obtaining case histories.

Case history for a resort web site:

When you’ve been on these vacations you described, how did you find information each day about what to do, where to find things, amenities, etc.? Please describe all of your information activities regarding:

-       Food

-       Games or other fun day activities

-       Water sports

-       Sight-seeing

-       Night time entertainment

For each item on the list, create a table of responses to the following:

• Please tell me more about it.
• Were you satisfied with the information resources you found?
• Did you end up doing less than you had hoped to do?
• How much did you spend?

Specific purchase process

Select one item from actual. Probe for details of purchase process using the following questions:

• Let’s talk for a minute about one of the items you purchased online.
• When did you first start looking for this item?
• What did you do first?
• How did you get background information?
• What stores did you visit?
• Which web sites did you visit?
• What other options did you consider for this purchase (retailer, brand, or model)?
• How did you finally decide between these options?
• What were some of the challenges you encountered along the way?
• What prompted you to finally complete the purchase where you did?
• Could any of the web sites have done something that would have encouraged you to purchase this item from them?

Depending on time, probe attitudes and behaviors in this category of merchandise:

• Major considerations you have for purchasing this type of item, whether offline or online
• Role Internet plays for purchase in this category?
• Propensity to order items online
• Impression of this company for this category of product
• Purchase urgency
• Ability to evaluate quality online
• Role of supporting information
• Need to compare multiple products, sites
• Tendency to buy from unknown sites
• Need for product details
• Relevance of promotion to trigger purchase
• Perceived complexity of purchasing online

Copyright 2009, Paul Bryan, Usography Corporation (http://www.usography.com)

Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/uxexperts

Uncategorized case history, customer interviews, e-commerce design strategy, user research

In a previous post I gave an overview of the case history module of an in-depth customer interview. Today’s entry explains the approach further. When customers first start describing their usage of web sites, they naturally give a very brief outline. They don’t realize that in order to draw conclusions about design that you will need a detailed understanding of what they did and the decisions they made along the way. Some questions to help probe for details in a case history are:

• Why did you use the site, what goals were you trying to accomplish?
• Describe the situation in detail
• How often did you use this or related sites?
• Which other sites did you use, in what order?
• How successful were you?
• What difficulties did you encounter?
• Which goals did you reach successfully?
• Which features or content did you find most helpful?
• What features or content would you like to see added to the site?
• Where did you access the site? Using what technology?

In terms of research for a resort information system, you could ask participants to tell you about previous resort visits, asking them to describe in detail what they ordered, where they ordered it, how much they spent, how well the customer service matched their expectations, etc.

Specific outcomes of the case history module include:

• Opportunities for improved system design, features or content
• Discovery of expectations regarding organization of information and access points
• Expectations of system response or design at each step of the process
• Interaction design requirements
• Specific system barriers and usability problems to address
• Information needed to overcome barriers or to improve each step of the process
• Discovery of design innovation opportunities
• Details about participant’s preferred interaction style (such as search, navigation, saving results, use of demo tools, etc.)
• Discover modes of interaction

From the site usage case histories, you may find that activities naturally fall into clusters, or modes of interaction. These modes are not defined by technological similarity, but by their relationship to a given user goal, location or set of activities. After a number of interviews, you can begin to generalize about the tasks that belong together in clusters, and the clusters that comprise a given mode of interaction. Design innovation can then be targeted to cohesive interaction modes rather than designing one-off features and functionality. Modes of interaction are discussed further in the Task Analysis section.

Copyright 2009, Paul Bryan, Usography Corporation (http://www.usography.com)

Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/uxexperts

Uncategorized case history, customer interviews, e-commerce design strategy, user research

Case histories are detailed descriptions of real experiences customers have had that are related to the objectives of your web site. The experience may involve both online and offline components. Case histories of customer experiences similar to the one for which you are conducting the research can provide valuable insights about the customer’s mental model of the task, aspects of similar site designs that they like, and aspects they had trouble with.

Objectives of the case history module are:

• Understand in detail the participant’s previous experiences with the system
• Discover barriers and trouble spots inherent in the design of the system
• Discover opportunities for design improvements, new features and content
• Discover supporting information or tools that are needed for successful interaction
• Discover more details about the participant’s mental model

To capture a case history, ask participants to talk about all the times when they have attempted to complete activities online similar to the ones supported by the web site in question. Ask participants to clarify the transaction volume, recency, frequency, and monetary value of the transactions. If the participant recounts an interaction that seems to be part of a larger goal or purchase, then probe regarding the larger context. For example, a participant purchased a hammer, but this could be just one tool within a renovation, or a gift, or a replenishment activity.

The goal is to understand each step in the process of establishing the consideration set, evaluating alternatives, exploring options, and making a decision. Try to discover aspects of the design that facilitated or hindered success at each critical juncture in the process. Later, during analysis, you will use the case histories to design an interaction model that incorporates all of these steps and the factors that are likely to contribute to completion of the transaction or event. Many participants express some frustration during this process of deconstructing a seemingly minor action on their part. They may not remember some or any of the details. However, the more detailed each participant’s stories are, the more likely that you will be able to create a reliable behavior model that will be the basis for design innovation.

Copyright 2009, Paul Bryan, Usography Corporation (http://www.usography.com)

Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/uxexperts

Uncategorized customer interviews, design strategy, user experience design, user research

Another exercise that helps discover attributes that pull retailers into the consideration set for a given product type involves filling out a table with a list of the attributes most likely to differentiate retailers in that category and ask customers to rate several retailers on these attributes. As a simple example, you could ask customers to fill out an evaluation of retailer attributes using the following worksheet. (SA: Strongly agree; A: Agree; N: Neutral; D: Disagree; SD: Strongly disagree)

• Convenient
• Simple
• Cost saving
• Easy to find products/services
• Easy to check out
• Easy to get details
• Provides help when needed
• Has the products or services I’m looking for
• Great customer service
• Great online experience

Based on these ratings, the user experience design strategy should include guidance about how to achieve differentiation for a given user type using design components. Most retailers have much more detailed quantitative data about differentiators, but they are usually aggregated such that its difficult to target these findings to a given type of customer or persona. This kind of module helps bridge that gap, although a follow-up quantitative exercise may be needed to drive out more comprehensive findings that are representative or validated to the extent needed to guide user experience design of a high-traffic web site.

Copyright 2009, Paul Bryan, Usography Corporation (http://www.usography.com)

Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/uxexperts

Uncategorized customer interviews, e-commerce, e-retail, selection set, user research

In a retail store, a person walks in and an associate (hopefully) asks, “How can I help you?” The customer then has an opportunity to explain where he or she is in the process of purchasing a product or series of products. The sales associate can step to any point in the sales process, and at any level of detail that the customer indicates they are ready for. They may simply want to know where the nails are, in which case they are looking for directions. They may want to know how to build a deck, in which case they are looking to the associate to provide instructions. Or they may be preparing to remodel their den, in which case they may want an overview about the whole project, or may want advice about how to approach various parts of the project. These three quests involve some of the same products, but are vastly different in the type of support that the associate can offer.

On a web site, the interaction design needs to anticipate and evaluate what the customer is doing and what they need in order to leave with all the products they came to buy. The knowledge that the site has of the customer’s goals may be based on past purchases or recent interactions, or could depend on clickpaths and searches. Or the site can attempt some type of conversation that involves some responses to questions and then a series of product-finding steps. Regardless of the approach, the interaction design of the site needs to take into account the purchase stage and process that the customer is in, as well as the preferences of the customer, in order to provide a higher order of service than the typical search and navigation system have to offer.

Fortunately, most e-commerce customers and sites do not have an infinite number of high value, high frequency interactions. They tend to fall into patterns. Those patterns can be understood through a number of different research methods, and, once understood, can form the basis of high value usage scenarios. These scenarios can then be used to guide interaction design. The scenarios are different from use cases, which consist of every function that the system is capable of carrying out. Scenarios focus on valuable events, whether the value is based on total spend or frequency of occurrence.

So customers often want directions, or instructions, or counsel. What these customers are probably not looking for when they enter the store are lots of advertisements about products unrelated to their quest. And yet, dissect many e-commerce page designs, and you see some space devoted to directions for finding a particular item (navigation), less space devoted to instructions, although that is slowly changing, and precious little space offering practical advice about choosing between one product and another, although that information is well-understood by many of the store associates. Fortunately, social media tools are starting to bridge the advice gap. It’s just a little hard to tell the chaff from the wheat sometimes.

Copyright 2009, Paul Bryan, Usography Corporation (http://www.usography.com)

Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/uxexperts

Uncategorized customer research, design strategy, e-commerce design, online conversations, user experience strategy, user research