This document summarizes a presentation by Kaitlan Chu on the topic of whether user experience (UX) designers just make things pretty. The presentation defines UX, distinguishes it from visual design, and provides examples of how UX research leads to actionable results that improve user experiences and challenge assumptions. It discusses how UX follows an iterative design process involving usability testing and how the number of clicks or tendency to scroll are poor metrics for measuring user experience. The presentation argues that the ultimate goal is a natural user interface that is interface-less.

1. “So UX Designers Just Make
Things Pretty, Right?”
User Experience Professionals’ Association - North East Ohio (@neoupa)
Presented by Kaitlan Chu (@KaitlanChu)
linkedin.com/in/KaitlanChu
slideshare.net/KaitlanChu

2. About
•Information Architect for ClevelandClinic.org
•Most-visited hospital website in US
•Thought leadership: User Experience
•Sign off on site changes
•Conduct usability studies
•Spoke at international UX conference
•Academic research, NSF-funded usability projects
•Designed start-up site from ground up
•Big data visualization
•Users: Fortune 500 executives

3. • What is User Experience (UX)? Is it the same as
graphic design?
– Example
• UX in Iterative Design Process
– Example
• Does Usability Research Yield Actionable
Results: Information Architecture, Interaction
Design, Content Strategy
– Examples
• How Does UX Research Challenge Our
Assumption?
– Example
• Ultimate Human Computer Interaction (#hci)
– To discuss

4. • What is User Experience (UX)? Is it the same as
visual design?
– Example
• UX in Iterative Design Process
– Example
• Does Usability Research Yield Actionable
Results: Information Architecture, Interaction
Design, Content Strategy
– Examples
• How Does UX Research Challenge Our
Assumption?
– Example
• Ultimate Human Computer Interaction

5. A: Our company is hiring a user experience
person.
B: So…they just make things pretty, right?
Like a graphic designer?

6. Research
Usability
Information Architecture
The Boersma T-model
Interaction Design
Visual Design
User Experience
Content

7. Definition: User Experience
ISO 9241-210:
“A person's perceptions and User
responses
that result from the use or Context
anticipated use of of use
a product, system or service" System
ISO FDIS 9241-210:2009. Ergonomics of human system interaction - Part 210: Human-centered design for interactive systems (formerly known as 13407).
International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Switzerland.

8. UX ≠ Visual Design
Case Study
Cleveland Clinic
Department Homepage Redesign

9. Before Version

10. Subpage
Users:
Dissociation
homepage vs.
rest of site;
High task failure
rate

11. Before Version

12. After Version

13. Subpage

14. UX ≠ Visual Design
• “You’re not a user experience designer if…” - Whitney Hess http://whitneyhess.com/blog/2011/04/23/youre-not-
a-user-experience-designer-if/
• “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” - Steve Jobs
•“Good design, when it’s done well, becomes invisible. It’s only when it’s done poorly that we notice it. Think of it
like a room’s air conditioning. We only notice it when it’s too hot, too cold, making too much noise, or the unit is
dripping on us. Yet, if the air conditioning is perfect, nobody say anything and we focus, instead, on the task at
hand.” - Jared Spool
•“Design is not primarily supposed to entertain or to be nice or to aesthetically please. It’s supposed to perform.” -
Oliver Reichenstein
• “What designers do is to solve problems by deciding on the look and function of something. This can be writing
text, laying out an interface, planning a chair, or coming up with a better Netflix envelope, lightbulb, or chair.” -
Joshua Porter

15. • What is User Experience (UX)? Is it the same as
graphic design?
– Example
• UX in Iterative Design Process
– Example
• Does Usability Research Yield Actionable
Results: Information Architecture, Interaction
Design, Content Strategy
– Examples
• How Does UX Research Challenge Our
Assumption?
– Example
• Ultimate Human Computer Interaction

16. UX in Iterative Design Process
Iteration
The SAP User-Centered Design Process

17. Case Study
Iterative design process
based on user feedback

18. Lots of Data

19. Users: “search,
aggregate”

20. Low-fidelity Prototype

21. High-fidelity Prototype

22. High-fidelity Prototype

23. Users: “too
overwhelming”

24. Users: “graphs
are helpful”

26. Users: “Too
many graphs,
hard to digest”

28. • What is User Experience (UX)? Is it the same as
graphic design?
– Example
• UX in Iterative Design Process
– Example
• Does Usability Research Yield Actionable
Results: Information Architecture, Interaction
Design, Content Strategy
– Examples
• How Does UX Research Challenge Our
Assumption?
– Example
• Ultimate Human Computer Interaction

29. Before

30. Goal:
Consistent User Experience across ccf.org
Solution:
Standard Institute Sitemap

31. • Conducted a large-scale card sort
• Validated by a follow-up in-person
usability study
• Presented at UXPA International
Conference
• http://www.slideshare.net/kaitlanchu/chu-
kaitlanlargeopencardsortanalysisupa2012-
13232264

32. Standard Sitemap Template
High-level, research-driven

33. After

34. • What is User Experience (UX)? Is it the same as
graphic design?
– Example
• UX in Iterative Design Process
– Example
• Does Usability Research Yield Actionable
Results: Information Architecture, Interaction
Design, Content Strategy
– Examples
• How Does UX Research Challenge Our
Assumption?
– Example
• Ultimate Human Computer Interaction

35. New design triggers plummet in volume
Hypotheses
“Are users clicking on it?”
“Do users even notice it?”

36. Empirical Finding
•Participants clicked on Contact widget, even when they’re not required to.
•So what’s the problem?
Click “Appointments” tab Click “Contact Us” tab Click “Appointments” tab
“Is this working?” again

37. In process of testing redesigned interaction

38. • What is User Experience (UX)? Is it the same as
graphic design?
– Example
• UX in Iterative Design Process
– Example
• Does Usability Research Yield Actionable
Results: Information Architecture, Interaction
Design, Content Strategy
– Examples
• How Does UX Research Challenge Our
Assumption?
– Example
• Ultimate Human Computer Interaction

39. Product: Outcome Book
Hypotheses
•“Consumers don’t know what ‘outcome’ means”
•“Patients don’t read outcome books. It’s too technical”
•“Should place in a section for professionals only”

40. In-person Usability Study
Scenario:
You’re comparing a few hospitals to take your uncle to treat his epilepsy. Avoid
keyword
Where do you go to evaluate the quality of medical services and expertise the “Outcomes”
center provide?
For example,
• How many patients did the epilepsy center successfully treat last year?
• Is the epilepsy center using up-to-date technology for diagnosis and treatments?
• Does the center have leading experts in the field?
Your Task: Where do you go to evaluate the quality of medical services and
expertise the center provide? E.g. Number of successfully treated patients; up-to-
date technology; and leading experts in the field.

41. Diagnosis
Research
4 Outcomes
Outcome Book Outcome Book
1 About Us Outcomes
Empirical Finding
•Users do understand what “outcome” means
•Outcomes is associated with quality of care
•Should be visible to patients. Don’t hide in “Professional” section

42. Outcome Book Strategy
Participant comment:
“The comparison chart with national data is a great chart. Once
you caught my attention with that then I would spend more time
reading the other stuff [charts, data].”
Actionable Recommendation
“Cleveland Clinic provides treatment X% better than national average”

43. • What is User Experience (UX)? Is it the same as
graphic design?
– Example
• UX in Iterative Design Process
– Example
• Does Usability Research Yield Actionable
Results: Information Architecture, Interaction
Design, Content Strategy
– Examples
• How Does UX Research Challenge Our
Assumption?
– Example
• Ultimate Human Computer Interaction

44. UX Research Challenge Assumptions
Hypotheses
“Users don’t scroll”. “Everything has to be above the fold”
“All pages should be accessible in 3 clicks”
“The less clicks, the better the design”

45. “Number of Clicks” Indicate Good/Bad UX?
“Before” version registered less clicks
“After” version registered more clicks
• “After” version has more clicks, higher success rate =>
• More clicks = More exploration

47. Less clicks ≠ Good UX
•On Scrolling:
• Heatmap service provider ClickTale analyzed almost 100.000 pageviews. The result: people used the scrollbar on 76% of the pages, with
22% being scrolled all the way to the bottom regardless of the length of the page. That said, it’s clear that page top is still your most
valuable screen estate. - Unfolding the Fold and ClickTale Scrolling Report and Part 2
•Usability expert Jakob Nielsen’s eye-tracking studies show that while attention is focused above the fold, people do scroll down, especially
if the page is designed to encourage scrolling. - Scrolling and Attention
•Upon reviewing the analytics data of TMZ.com, Milissa Tarquini found that the most clicked link on the homepage is at the very bottom.
She also points out that polls and galleries at the bottom of AOL’s Money & Finance homepage get a lot of clicks in spite of their position. -
Blasting the Myth of the Fold
•Another eye-tracking study conducted by CX Partners confirms that people do scroll if certain design guidelines are followed. -
The myth of the page fold: evidence from user testing
•Usability studies by the Software Usability Research Laboratory’s show that users can read long, scrolling pages faster than paginated
ones. Their studies confirm that people are accustomed to scrolling. - The Impact of Paging vs. Scrolling on Reading Online Text
Passages
•Jared Spool’s usability tests from 1998 tell us that, even though people say they don’t like to scroll, they are willing to do so. Moreover,
longer and scrollable pages even worked better for users. - As the Page Scrolls
•On Number of Clicks:
•UIE’s usability tests showed that people don’t quit after 3 clicks and don’t feel frustrated if they have to click more. -
Testing the Three-Click Rule
•Jakob Nielsen’s usability tests found that “users’ ability to find products on an e-commerce site increased by 600 percent after the design
was changed so that products were 4 clicks from the homepage instead of 3.” from the book Prioritizing Usability, quoted in
Highlights from Prioritizing Web Usability.
•Further UIE usability tests show that it’s not the number of clicks but the well-labeled links with information scent that play a key role in
usability. - Getting Confidence From Lincoln
•A practical advice is to replace the three-click rule with the one-click rule: “Every click or interaction should take the user closer to their
goal while eliminating as much of the non-destination as possible.” - Breaking the Law: The 3 Click Rule
•David Hamill’s thoughts on why the three-click rule is nonsense: Stop Counting Clicks
•An article by CX Partners about the rule: 3 isn’t the magic number.

48. • What is User Experience (UX)? Is it the same as
graphic design?
– Example
• UX in Iterative Design Process
– Example
• Does Usability Research Yield Actionable
Results: Information Architecture, Interaction
Design, Content Strategy
– Examples
• How Does UX Research Challenge Our
Assumption?
– Example
• Ultimate Human Computer Interaction

49. The Ultimate User Experience
is
Interface-less

50. The Ultimate User Experience
is
Interface-less
at least as much as possible

51. The Ultimate User Experience
What is
Interface?

52. The Ultimate User Experience
The most natural
Interface?

53. Natural User Interface (#nui)
• Gesture UI without hardware: Displair
– http://displair.com/#slide[set]/0/
• Touch Interaction: Disney Touche [4:31]
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4tYpXVTjxA
• Voice
– Dragon Naturally Speaking
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbffVqWIKqw
– Siri
– GPS