This document provides an overview of the topics to be covered in the first week of a UX design course. The week will introduce students to UX principles and processes, and focus on interviewing techniques. Key topics include defining good UX, UX principles like collaboration and understanding users, the UX design process from problem definition to prototyping, and best practices for planning and conducting user interviews. Students will practice interview skills in class and are assigned to interview 3 potential users for their project as homework.

1. Introduction + Process + Interviewing
Session 1 - April 3, 2014
School of Visual Concepts - UX1
http://svc-ux1.leannagingras.com

2. Week 1: Introduction, process and interviewing
what is UX? what does “doing UX” look like?
Week 2: Analysis and workflows
how do we use our interview insights?
Week 3: User-centered design techniques
how do we go from workflows to good designs?
Week 4: Prototyping and guerilla testing
how do we communicate and test design?
Week 5: Measuring UX
how do we measure UX impact and make UX actionable?

3. Class: Lecture, discussion, exercises, and studio
Homework: Readings - articles, blogs, books
Project: Apply what you learn as we go
Questions? Need help?
Website: http://svc-ux1.leannagingras.com
Email: gingras.leanna@gmail.com
Twitter: @leegoesplaces

4. Agenda
Week 1: Introduction, process and interviewing
● Introduction, review syllabus
● What does good UX mean?
● Core principles of UX
● What does UX in action look like?
● Interviewing!

5. WHAT DOES GOOD UX MEAN?

7. iPhone Wethar app vs Dark Sky app

9. http://semanticstudios.com/publications/semantics/000029.php

10. every facet means something different to
different people in different contexts.

11. To create a good user experience, first you have to understand what “bad” means.

12. THE DEFINITION OF “USEFUL” DEPENDS ON THE USER

14. “When creating great experiences, it’s not so much about doing
what users expect. Instead, it’s about creating a design that
clearly meets their needs at the instant they need it.” – Jared
Spool

15. CORE PRINCIPLES OF UX

16. COLLABORATION

18. https://www.flickr.com/photos/kjb727/5711194174/
LEARNING FAST

19. We dig sketching because it’s fast, easy and disposable

21. http://uxdesign.smashingmagazine.com/2010/10/05/what-is-user-experience-design-overview-tools-and-resources/
UNDERSTANDING USERS

25. UNDERSTANDING
CONTEXT

27. Context totally changes how users approach the problem “I want to share my thoughts”.

28. NEEDS, NOT FEATURES
http://blog.1000memories.com/94-number-of-photos-ever-taken-digital-and-analog-in-shoebox

29. ALIGNING PERSPECTIVES

30. Squarespace’s target user here is the website’s audience: the casual browser. My users!

31. Squarespace’s target user here is the website’s administrator or content creator. ME!!!

32. WHAT DOES UX IN ACTION LOOK
LIKE?

33. Source: UX for Lean Startups

34. http://www.jjg.net/elements/pdf/elements_simpleplanes.pdf

35. http://www.discoverdesign.org/design/process

37. http://www.discoverdesign.org/design/process

39. http://www.discoverdesign.org/design/process

41. http://www.discoverdesign.org/design/process

42. UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM

43. https://people.musc.edu/~paggis/WebMakers/pix/UseSidewalks.jpg

45. A problem can have multiple solutions, but the correct design depends on what the user
needs.

46. GOOD PROBLEM DEFINITIONS
BAD: People forget to take their pills
EHH: People with complicated pill schedules forget to take their pills
GOOD: Tom needs to take his antibiotics every 12 hours
GOOD: Young, busy professionals forget their pills
GOOD: Chronically ill people need to take specific pill combinations multiple times a day

47. Define your problem.
tell us about the project you’ll be working on.
what problem are you trying to solve?
who are you trying to solve it for?

48. INTERVIEWING

49. UX DETECTIVE WORK
Competitive analysis
Market analysis
Google trends
Tweets and Facebook comments
Support calls
Metrics
Interviewing

50. IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE COMPLICATED
1. Decide what you want to learn
2. Decide who you want to learn about
3. Decide where you will learn it
4. Decide how you will learn it

51. “Please show me how you organize your primary source material”
GET THEM TO SHOW, NOT TELL

52. Here, student drew a picture of her studying setup. She arranges all her materials into
different piles by time, and then re-arranges them by usefulness as needed.

53. DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO LEARN
Goal: Create an app that helps personal trainers and their clients work
together better
Interview objectives:
● learn what information PTs and clients are sharing now
● learn how the team keeps track of overall workout program progress
● learn what tools clients use during actual workouts on-site

54. Goal: Create an app that helps personal trainers and their clients work
together better
Interview objectives:
● learn what information PTs and clients are sharing now during sessions
● learn how the team keeps track of overall workout program progress
● learn what tools clients use during actual workouts on-site
DECIDE WHO YOU WANT TO LEARN ABOUT

55. Goal: Create an app that helps personal trainers and their clients work
together better
Interview objectives:
● learn what information PTs and clients are sharing now during sessions
● learn how the team keeps track of overall workout program progress
● learn what tools clients use during actual workouts on-site at the gym
DECIDE WHERE YOU WILL LEARN IT

56. Goal: Create an app that helps personal trainers and their clients work
together better
Interview objectives:
● learn what information PTs and clients are sharing now
“walk me through the history of your working relationship”
observe: what do they talk about during their sessions?
● learn how the team keeps track of overall workout program progress
● learn what tools clients use during actual workouts on-site
DECIDE HOW YOU’LL LEARN IT

57. DOCUMENT IT
Your options:
● Notes
● Audio
● Photos
● Videotape
● Sketches
● Be creative

58. AFTER THE INTERVIEW
● debrief with team as soon as possible!
● scribble down top 5 impressions
● refine interview guide if needed

59. INTERVIEWING TIPS
● Your most powerful tool is show & tell!
● Ask questions that allow for explanations & stories
● Ask why, even if it seems dumb or obvious
● Use silence to your advantage - wait 3 seconds after they finish a sentence
● Listen, listen, listen! Be engaged in your body language & don’t check your phone
● Resist the urge to correct them! their misconceptions are clues to go digging
For more, check out Steve Pordigal’s Interviewing Users

60. Exercise: Interview
Pair up with someone in class.
One of you come see me for your secret objective.

61. Exercise: Get ready to interview
Pair up with someone in class &
brainstorm “show and tell” questions for your project.

62. Homework:
Plan your interview objectives, location, questions.
Interview 3 people who fit your target user.
Bring notes next week!