User Experience is not just about the user interface, it's about understanding customer needs and creating a solution that addresses their needs. Software product managers have a huge, and often understated role, in the creation of a great user experience for customers. At the heart of User Experience is the ability to creatively solve customer problems, which is a key responsibility of a product manager.
19. Hits the gym 3x a week
Doesn’t trust online
sites
Has almost zero time
for new things
Worships his Android
tablet
Workout Will
20. Works for a financial
firm
Power user
Loves trying new things
but easily frustrated
Overworked – 10hr days
The fastest texter in the
Blackberry galaxy
Analyst Amy
30. We believe that ___________
will ___________ ______________.
(who)
(what)
Hypothesis Template
(because)
31. Hypothesis Example 1
We believe that consumers will
record notes on their tablets
because if they lose their tablet,
the notes are still accessible online.
32. How do we arrive at this?
Insert homework from the
Discover stage
33. Problem Example 1
According to our online survey,
40% of consumers have lost
important notes in the past
accidentally.
34. Hits the gym 3x a week
Doesn’t trust online
sites
Has almost zero time
for new things
Worships his Android
tablet
Workout Will
36. Hypothesis Example 2
We believe business users will use
the Blackberry app more than once
because they will be able to find
their notes easily.
37. Problem Example 2
According to mobile app analytics,
85% of business users are using
the Blackberry app once.
38. Works for a financial
firm
Power user
Loves trying new things
but easily frustrated
Overworked – 10hr days
The fastest texter in the
Blackberry galaxy
Analyst Amy
42. How do we address
Hypothesis Example 1?
We believe that consumers will
record notes on their tablets
because if they lose their tablet,
the notes are still accessible online.
50. Produce low or high fidelity interactive prototypes. The software will
produce the necessary HTML, CSS & JavaScript for your prototype.
51. How do we address
Hypothesis Example 2?
We believe business users will use
the Blackberry app more than once
because they will be able find their
notes easily.
58. Interactions
(clicks, input, drag, swipe, etc.)
Facial expressions
(looks of confusion, excitement,
ambivalence, nervousness,
anger, etc.)
Good & bad opinions
Information about how
they do things
currently or in the past
Capture
explicit & implicit
feedback
59. CREATE by…
1. Stating the Hypothesis
2. Generating Ideas
Collaboratively
3. Prototyping
4. Talking to Customers
66. Ensure feedback is collected,
prioritized and traced.
Respond to customers (ideally
on an individual basis)
Produce the necessary web or
mobile analytics reports
Duties of the Beta
Program Manager
68. How many? 50? 100?
It depends on the size of your
customer base
h:p://www.newempirebuilders.com/2012/10/11/lots-‐of-‐people-‐lots-‐of-‐ideas-‐lots-‐of-‐innovaBon/
69. How many weeks? 4? 8?
It depends on when you get
conclusive results.
Give the program time
71. Tips on what can you measure:
FOR SALES
FOR USAGE
FOR MESSAGING
FOR DISCOVERABILITY
FOR EFFICIENCY
➜ CONVERSION RATE
➜ SINGLE USE RATIO
➜ BOUNCE RATE
➜ HEAT MAPS
➜ TASK TIMES
72. How do we measure for
Hypothesis Example 1?
We believe that consumers will
record notes on their tablets
because if they lose their tablet,
the notes are still accessible online.
74. How do we measure for
Hypothesis Example 2?
We believe business users will use
the Blackberry app more than once
because they will be able to find
their notes easily.
75. Metrics for Hypothesis 2
Beta
Customer
Logins
Search
Inquiries
...Visiting
More than
Once
76. Acquire Supporting Data Points
Online
Forums
Trouble
Tickets
Web
Analytics
Split
Testing
Surveys
The framework is called Solution Design.This framework will allow you to CREATE GOOD EXPERIENCES for your customer. It’s a blend of the SCIENTIIFC METHOD, LEAN METHODS and from past experiences.
It can work in either waterfall or agile software development or a combination of both methodologies. From a DISCOVERY & RESEARCH standpoint, this framework seems to fit really well with waterfall. From a “WORKING SOFTWARE” perspective this framework matches well with Agile. I will highlight GAPS and OVERLAPS as I run through the framework.
Let’s pause for a moment and take a look at Evernote. They entered a highly competitive market, and are now the leader in note taking software with 34M customers, 1.4 of which are paying $45/year. In essence, they are raking in 60M in annual revenue. So what are they doing right? They have a systematic approach to creative problem solving.
Let’s break it down. We will discover the problem through data. We will create ideas that will address the problem. And, we will validate our ideas in the market.[Click to highlight Discover] Let’s start with the Discover stage.
The first step in the Discover stage is to find out if there is actually a problem? Do you have DATA POINTS that can support your claim?
How do we acquire the necessary data points to support our claim. Well. they exist in a myriad of places, such as trouble tickets or web analytics.
Once we have our data points, we can then proceed to define the problem statement. Not only do we need to define it, but we need everyone on the team to fully understand it so that they don’t inadvertently solve the WRONG problem. It’s merely a tool to encourage DISCIPLINE.
It’s time for a change.
Let’s pretend that we work at Evernote and based on some data points we acquired, we formulate the following problem statement:
Here’s another example of a problem statement. Again, this is a tool to build shared understanding and to encourage team discipline.
The next step in the Discover stage is to build the personas. What is a persona? It’s a fictitious character that represents a SEGMENT of your customer base. It’s a tool that will allow you to EMPHATHIZE with your customer. What does a persona look like?
It’s time for a change.
Our first example of a persona is Workout Will...Can anyone tell me why I don’t include DEMOGRAPHICS in the persona? The key is EMPATHY. Will is human and we want to feel his priorities, his desires and ultimately his personality. Demographics do not allow us to empathize with our customers nor are they as (NOT) MEMORABLE.
And then there’s Analyst Amy...We want to empathize with our customers and we want them to be MEMORABLE. As you can see, these personas have very DIFFERENT lifestyles and needs, and they are most likely different from you and me
The third step in the Discover stage is Create Scenarios. A scenario is a story line that illustrates what kind of experience a customer may have with or without your product. It can help us empathize even deeper with our customers. Let’s put these personas and show some scenarios.
It’s time for a change.
Okay... Back to reality. Let’s take a look at Workout Will...This paints a very VIVID picture of our PROBLEM STATEMENT.
Here’s analyst Amy. How did we ACQUIRE this information? We do so by interviewing our customers, or in some cases (depending on the product), we may decide to SHADOW them. Along the way, we are asking QUESTIONS, and jotting down our observations. This gives us the best information for solving problems, because it’s real.
It’s time for a change.
This concludes the discover stage. From a Waterfall perspective. This type of discovery should be done before you create your Business Requirements Document. From an agile perspective, you need to get outside of the building before you go into your Sprint planning sessions.
Now we move into the Create stage. This is where we will begin the design of a meaningful solution. And when I say design, I mean crafting something new.
The Create stage consists of 4 steps, including:
The first step in the Create Stage is stating a hypothesis. Like the problem statement, the hypotheses will get your entire team on the same page and provide accountability for the solution you are designing.
Here’s a template we can use...LIKEthe problem statement template, this is a tool to encourage team DISCIPLINE.
Let’s walk through an example...How could we come up with this hypothesis?
It’s time for a change.
Well here’s where our hard work in the Discover stage comes to play. We have our problem statement, which reminds us why we are here in the first place.
We have our persona, which gives a more visual representation of our customer.
And, thanks to our RESEARCH, we have a good scenario to support our PROBLEM STATEMENT.
Here’s our second example...How did we arrive at this one.
Again... we are reminded that people are only using the Blackberry app once.
We have our persona that reminds us that our customers like to try new things.
And, our SCENARIO. Armed with this information, we are now ready to take our hypotheses and begin CREATING SOLUTIONS.
The next step in the Create stage is Generating Ideas. While I can’t tell you how you can improve idea generation on your own, I can share a tip with you that allows you to generate ideas with others. There are actually games that can help you come up with ideas quickly.
How many people have heard of gamestorming? Gamestorming is a COMPENDIUM of collaboration exercises that you and your team can use to come up with solutions for your product.
Let’s look out our first hypothesis. This hypothesis actually has little to do with UI. It’s more about making smart decisions on behalf of the customer. Let’s dive into this further.
...As you can see, our problem statement, persona and scenario are being put into action by coming up with technical solutions to solve the problem.
However, we may run into a problem that does involve UI. Enter the third step in the Create process: Prototyping. A prototype is a workable model that can be tested with your customer. So what are some tools of the trade.
It’s time for a change.
Yes - a sharpie. Don’t be afraid of old school. The back of the napkin sketch is the FASTEST way to communicate your ideas.
Other tools that might not be as quick, but are more EFFICIENT in the long term, and for REMOTE TEAMS are tools such as Balsamiq. Balsamiq comes prebuilt with a slew of COMMON UI patterns and editing capabilities. You can also string the wireframes together into a clickable PDF, which is a great way to simulate the user’s experience.
It’s time for a change.
Another tool that’s gaining a lot of popularity is Axure. This tool, unlike Balsamiq, goes beyond a clickable prototype. Here you can actually produce a SEMI FUNCTIONAL prototype in HTML, CSS and JavaScript without knowing any code.
It’s time for a change.
We’re going to explore our second hypothesis in respect to prototyping.
But we’re not ready to do the visual design, coding and testing yet. We need to go back and talk to the customer, which is the fourth and final step in the Create stage. Assuming you have your prototype built, it’s time to test your ideas and see if they are moving in the right direction. You will want to do this 1on1 with the customer. Don’t shortcut the process by meeting with a group of your customers all at once. The feedback will get skewed.
Remote testing works. You can use WebEx, GoToMeeting and a handful of other screensharing tools to conduct your remote test.
But in person testing is the best. Here the facilitator on the right is playing Computer. She’s holding up a piece of paper which has the UI sketch drawn on it. The person on the left is obviously the tester and is instructed to interact with the interface as if it were the real thing. When the tester makes a selection, the facilitator will present a new screen. Will this validate our hypothesis? Not necessarily, but it’s a very good predictor of your solution’s success or failure. See, Sharpie is still cool.
When we are testing, it’s very important to capture both explicit and implicit feedback. Explicit feedback is what people verbally tell you. They may share their opinions, their mood, their thoughts, etc. Implicit feedback is what you learn by observing. It is the most powerful form of feedback we can get. This can be in the form of what they click, tap, type, drag or any other action. Some times people say one thing and do the complete opposite. It sounds irrational, but it’s just human and based on past experience it happens all too often.
This completes the Create stage.For waterfall, I would encourage you to write hypotheses instead of requirements. You can fill in additional details on your hypotheses that can act as your requirements, but ultimately you are accountable for proving your hypotheses. For agile, take your user stories and have them serve as your hypotheses. If your using pivotal tracker, you may decide to create an epic for your hypothesis, or creating a story for each hypothesis may be the best approach. Aside from that, the process for collaborating and prototyping should coincide with the collaborative nature of agile. Just don’t forget to vet your ideas with your customers.
Now we move onto the last stage of the Solution Design framework: Validate
The Validate stage consists of two final steps:
We’re not ready for a general announcement...
But we can pass our solutions to the team for visual design & buildout. For the AGILE folks, this is when your SPRINT can begin.
The first is the creation of a beta program. The beta program is a PROCESS that solicits the input from a larger group of real people, your customers, in order to validate a hypothesis. The facts lie in the statistically significant data points that support our hypotheses.To have a successful beta program, a couple of things need to ring true...
You need a champion. This person is the voice of the customer. They should manage your beta program, manage customer feedback and report on the insights. You need to listen to this person.
The other thing you want to do is to incent your customers to apply to the programMaybe an incentive is to give them your software for free, but only at the end of the beta program and if they submit feedback – Make it clear. Also, be sure to get them agree to to send feedback and bug reports promptly
The other thing you want to do is to incent your customers to apply to the programMaybe an incentive is to give them your software for free, but only at the end of the beta program and if they submit feedback – Make it clear. Also, be sure to get them agree to to send feedback and bug reports promptly
Give it time. Worldreknown software engineer Joel Spolsky recommends 8-10 weeks for a full beta cycle.It’s not Black Friday where people are going to bust down the door to give you feedback. You may hear crickets at different moments of time during the beta program.
We give our beta program some time, collect the data and analyze.
What are some things you can measure?
Let’s return to one of our hypotheses. We need to make sure that we can prove if this hypothesis will succeed or fail.
Moving onto the second hypothesis.
Again... Go back and acquire the data points. Make sure you are getting both quantitative and qualitative data. We are closing the FEEDBACK LOOP.
Did you validate your hypothesis? Great! Get your product out of beta, and launch it publicly. No? Time to scrap it and go back to the drawing board.
This completes the Validate stage. In it, we...There’s not much change in the waterfall methods, as this theory aligns with the methodology. From an agile perspective, we need to give the beta test time and ensure that we close the feedback loop.
It’s time for a change.
So we stop wasting precious time.
And build solutions that people love.
It’s time for a change.
And we can do it with the Solution Design framework. Thank you!