Hoe kun je user research inrichten zodat het past binnen het snelle, iteratieve agile proces? Hoe kun je laten zien wat de business value van user research binnen agile is? Wij hebben een manier gevonden om de gebruiker een vaste rol te geven in het agile proces. Inmiddels is gebruiksonderzoek bij IceMobile volledig geïntegreerd in onze agile manier van werken en doen we bij verschillende projecten in elke sprint gebruiksonderzoek. Ik deel graag wat voor ons de grootste uitdagingen waren en wat onze manieren zijn om het te laten werken.

1. UX Research
Agile

2. Anna Witteman
Head of UX Lab
IceMobile

4. Copyright © A. Witteman & R. van den Oever, All Rights Reserved.
• Amsterdam based company (& office in Hong Kong, Toronto)
• 120 employees
• over 30 nationalities
• Either a foodie, code king, design nerd, beer brewer or unicorn
IceMobile Amsterdam

5. Context ChatPulse UX Testing
Cultural
relevant research
Experience
Mapping

6. THE MARSHMALLOW
CHALLENGE

9. Orient Plan Build Ta-da!
Business
(wo)men
Kindergarten
students
0 18
Minutes
Uh-oh!

10. Agile teams
Product
Backlog
Sprint
Backlog
Potentially
Shippable
Product
2-3
weeks
24
hours
Daily Scrum
Meeting
Design
Development
Q/A Testing

11. the problem

12. Ta-da!
Previous
Usability
Testing
Iterative
Usability
Testing
0 Time
Uh-oh!
Involve users

13. Agile teams
Product
Backlog
Sprint
Backlog
Potentially
Shippable
Product
2-3
weeks
24
hours
Daily Scrum
Meeting
Design
Development
Q/A Testing
Usability testing

14. findings do not stick

15. mismatch

16. no visible value

17. Transfer information effective
The team should learn most of the user test, not the UX researcher
Fit the user into the process
Do testing so that it is not ‘extra work’
Make results visible
Value should be clear and measurable
We wanted to find a way to:

18. HOW?

19. Which practice proved its value?
Individuals and interactions
Working software
Customer collaboration
Responding to change
over
over
over
over
processes and tools
comprehensive documentation
contract negotiation
following a plan
Agile Manifesto

20. Source: Nielsen, Jakob, and Landauer, Thomas K.: "A mathematical model of the finding of usability problems," Proceedings of ACM INTERCHI'93 Conference (1993), pp. 206-213.
Usability Testing is an iterative process!

21. Iteration is the heartbeat
of agile & user testing
use it!

22. Product = Prototype
• Write a scenario
• Create a prototype
• Recruit users
• Pilot test
• Conduct Tests
• Edit videos
• Analyze video
• Write report
• Present results
User test = Report

25. Our setup is a combination of simple tools

26. Our setup is a combination of simple tools

27. More evaluators = more issues identified
Source: Herttzum, M., Jacobsen, N. (2001). The evaluator’s effect: A chilling fact about usability evaluation methods. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, vol. 13, pp.421-443.

28. Ratio benefits to costs of # evaluators
4 = ideal
#
evaluators
Source: Herttzum, M., Jacobsen, N. (2001). The evaluator’s effect: A chilling fact about usability evaluation methods. International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, vol. 13, pp.421-443.

29. Chapter title

31. How to keep track of the findings?
# user that
did this task
# user that had
this problem
time stamps
of this issue
on video
description
of issue

32. How to keep track of the findings?

33. Pulse: iterative User Involvement
•Prioritize: test important part(s) most extensive
•Frequent: reliable results, also test improvements
•Empathize: learn what matters to users
•Optimize: learn to test
Allow responding to change
'I have not failed.
I've just found 10000
ways that won't work.’
Sir Thomas Edison

34. Pulse UX TestingTraditional UX testing
Iterative UX testing:
every 2 weeks
UX testing (near)
the end of a project
Continuous testingSingle test
Small sessionsBig session
Performed by the teams:
the team members learn most
Performed by researchers:
the researchers learn most
Changes early in the process;
thus less costly
Changes late in the process;
thus very costly
Rise in ‘first time right’
of features
Few ‘first time right’
of features
120% end-result
in 80% of the time
Difficult to measure success

35. Transfer information effectively
The team learns most of the user test, not the UX researcher
Fit the user into the process
Do testing so that it is not ‘extra work’
Make results visible
Value should be clear and measurable
What we achieved:

36. Thank you!
anna@icemobile.com
linkedin.com/in/annawitteman
@Morise

37. We are hiring.
icemobile.com/jobs

38. IceMobileAmsterdam @icemobile@icemobile