UCD: Discovery



Like Driving a Car
Users & Approaches
Achieving UCD
Centric Not Exclusive
Discovery
Do's and Don'ts
Sites Seeing

Discovery
Investigation Aspect
Discovery is actually part of a larger inception effort to uncover real users with real needs. This investigative stage identifies and confirms users through a set strategy placed on persona development. Personas will drive and focus business requirements to the most relative solution.

Composites Personas
After extensive interviewing of 50-100 users (there’s no such thing as too much information) the discovery team assembles as many user “types” as possible. Composites are created from different levels within purchasing, engineering, designing, business management, etc. Even a generic photo can generalize the type of individual (gender, age, race, etc.). A composite persona index card or file can then be created for each user group. Let us say that on completion you have identified six groups resulting in six personas. These become the targeted users you will design and build for.

During the discovery stage, business and user requirements (including strategic development needs) are addressed and folded into product requirements document as a prelude to the Use Case document. Remember this is still discovery. No formal project exists at this juncture.

The requirements set is deliberately built around identified user needs, with project elements constantly referring to actual needs and experiences of users interviewed during this investigative process.

Scheduling User Acceptance Testing (UAT) within product cycles is the first step to embracing a user centric approach to development. When done consistently, field personnel may later be encouraged to work with user data to further develop persona “groups” and begin to work with the User Experience department to manage and review testing and survey criteria.

Design Doc and Prototype
The next step is the development of a working prototype and, if required, design documentation. Although the User Experience Group is responsible for this deliverable, the technology group may be involved in proof of engineering and possibly some prototype involvement during the development of the Use Case documentation. The intention of the prototype is to put something in front of interviewed users spanning the persona composites. The prototype should represent an acceptable user flow with limited branding. At this early stage technology resources should be used as sparingly as possible. The figure below illustrates where the prototyping is placed within the overall project cycle.

Initially, feedback can be had directly from those interviewed in the field. This is especially important during pre-development and early development stages. More formal focus group testing can be conducted when a beta stage is being approached. It’s a good idea to include board members, founders, and close business partners in initial user tests. This can become part of a regular User Acceptance Test plan and can be combined with online surveys and click-through reporting.

Traditionally, focus groups conducted by third parties require significant expenditures (a single session can easily exceed $10k) and impact scheduling. However, at Cordiem we had a close relationship with our client/investors. They realized there was everything to gain from close cooperation and product feedback. When these sessions are properly mediated and documented, they can be a valuable resource for intelligent non-bias views and direction.

Client involvement in focus groups conducted during the development cycle by Cordiem gauged receptivity and guided the refinement of the development effort. Although this is usually handled in a group environment, individual interviews qualify user flow, navigation, and overall interface design. Innovative interface concepts and major GUI overhauls should include PRS (Perception Research Services) eye-tracking research. This can often times be handled cost-effectively through higher education/university facilities that specialize in technology and/or cognitive research.

UAT deliverables should include necessary and recommended changes based on likes and dislikes. It is imperative that testing occurs and corresponds correctly to conception and development cycles. There are additional qualitative and quantitative initiatives that can occur after product release. Marketing can follow-up with visitor surveys to grade user satisfaction, endorsing findings and discover post release issues that may need resolution.

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Eyeballs
In the extremely visual world of the web “Eyeballs” and “Focus Groups” are terms used rather loosely today. Usability experts and industry analysts are often times in disagreement as to what it is that should happen in a review session. The reality is there are three different testing formats:

Function Tasking: Where users perform tasks and success is gauged

Cognitive Studies:
Where logic and eye movement (Perceptive Research) is observed and recommendations are made

Market Impact:
Where the overall business value is surveyed along with general look-and-feel

Analysis
During the inception stage of pre-development, business and marketing people work together with the usability group to determine what needs to be developed to solve defined business problems. Instead of a wouldn’t-it-be-wonderful approach, the discovery process provides parameters for personnel to more accurately search for the “pain” or real needs. A sample persona may be a similar to the following example.

Discovery Process
Persona development is the shaping of business requirements into a unique solution from real users via interviews and attaching them to composite profiles that would use the solution once deployed in the workplace. For example, these individuals may be composites of a type of buyer, a type of manager, even a member of senior management. A composite approach following multiple interviews is critical since a discussion limited to only one or two individuals within a group or department will not translate to the broadest audience. You can never obtain too much user information!

Prototyping
The intention of the prototype is to put something in front of interviewed users spanning the persona composites.

Third Party Focus Groups
Caution: Third party focus group providers can return unintentionally bias feedback. This can be true even when a good cross-section of industry users is assembled. The problem occurs when the mediator (usually provided by and outside research group) is non-industry related in their experiences and training. I once witnessed a session (through one-way glass) where the mediator actually led an assembly on a one-hour thread that wasn’t product relevant or industry specific.

Much of this happens because most testing groups are geared towards consumer products with generic user flows. A professional solution or interface may seem an extreme for someone used to mediating consumer products.
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