#idm22

[sarahdoesdigital]

[sarahdoesdigital]

How should you go about collecting data in usability tests? This article examines the data collection process in usability studies and describes some popular data logging solutions.

[sarahdoesdigital]

Core user journey types

Linear

Funnel

Lattice

Linear user journey

Characteristics:  One route – straight through – no deviation – usually a process that needs to be followed step by step in a strict order

Examples:  Payment, registra1on, official forms, turn-by-turn game, adding a recipe to a website

Issues & design considerations:

Can be perceived as boring

Don’t put in early barrier

Might be complicated

Need to pace it well

Keep the momentum up without over-burdening the user

Often form-based

Demands a high level of interaction dictated by the system

Keep the interface consistent

Eliminate distractions and escape routes

Indicate where a user is in the process and how much is still left to go

Use progressive disclosure

Use autosave

Funnel user journey

Characteristics: Many routes to destination – narrowing down of options until you find the right one – browsing & filtering –following an information scent

Examples: Specific goal – e.g. a pair of white, size 8 Converse boots

Issues & design considerations:

Information scent needs to get stronger and stronger

Sign posting needs to be clear

Need good retrieval tools

Design routes based on different contexts of the content

Lattice user journey

Characteristics:

– Exploratory – content is connected by multiple contexts using tags (metadata)

– User may not have a specific goal or not know exactly what they’re looking for until they get there

Examples: Maps, galleries, visual thesaurus

Issues & design considerations:

Avoid creating motion sickness

Use visited link styles

Provide prominent links to the strongest contexts

[sarahdoesdigital]

Labelling

What makes a good label?

It represents content, i.e. it is not complete in itself

It communicates information efficiently; i.e. succinctly, understandably, unambiguously

May be textual and pictorial (iconic)

Speak site user's language

Should support clarification and explanation

Educate about new concepts, allow quick identification of familiar ones

Morville & Rosenfield

[sarahdoesdigital]

Information seeking

Conducted an experience with another course member and undertook the following tasks and recorded their actions. I found it fascinating to see how different my partner went about search and accessing content. Very insightful and really hammers home the need for user testing.

Known-item seeking

Know what you are looking for, how to articulate requirement, where to find it.

TASK: Find the module specification for module IDM22, taught at the University of Brighton.

Exploratory seeking

Not exactly sure what you are looking for, do not know how to articulate requirement (involves learning about the domain).

TASK: How to stop a diesel engine car from smoking on start-up?

Exhaustive research

Requires everything on a particular topic

TASK: What are all the different ways of cooking courgettes?

Re-finding

Relocating previously found information

TASK: Find the description of the last item you purchased online.

[sarahdoesdigital]

Information architecture activities

1.Produce content inventory (who owns it, what is the source, updates, frequency)

2.Establish hierarchical of content and controlled vocabulary (using card sorting)

3.Chunking

4.Diagram site architecture (Jesse James Garrett’s visual site vocabulary)

5.Test organisation interactively with real users; revise as needed.

Based on Lynch and Horton

[sarahdoesdigital]

Information architecture defined

The structural design of shared information environments.

The art and science of organizing and labeling web sites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability and findability.

An emerging community of practice focused on bringing principles of design and architecture to the digital landscape.

The Information Architecture Institute