User-Centered Design Stories (eBook)

Front cover 1
User-Centered Design Stories 4
Copyright page 5
Table of contents 6
Foreword 16
Preface 20
Acknowledgments 22
PART I: Promoting, Establishing, and Administering a User-Centered Design Program 24
CASE 1: Changing Products Means Changing Behaviors 26
The Advocate 27
Analyzing the Situation 28
The Compromise 34
Creating Feedback Mechanisms 35
The Presentation 39
Thank You Mr. Gantt 40
Doing It Right—Iterative Design Based on User Feedback 42
Summary 45
Further Reading 46
CASE 2: Managing Politics in the Workplace 48
The Cleveland Company: Evolving From Old to New Economy 48
Sibling Rivalry 52
The Team Meeting 53
A New Leader Comes to New York City 56
No, You Come to Me 58
Bait and Switch 60
Trench Buddies 62
Finally, Success 64
Summary 64
Further Reading 65
CASE 3: Raising Awareness at the Company Level 68
Introduction 68
Understanding and Integrating Into the Company 70
Creating a Plan 73
Facilitating the Integration of UE 82
Summary 94
Further Reading 95
CASE 4: Usability Step by Step: Small Steps to a More Successful Site 96
Stealth Usability 97
Site Structure, Search Engine, and Search Results 98
Value Versus Viewing Success 99
Revising Sites and Redeeming Relationships 100
The Plan and How to Work It 102
Planning and Preparing the Test 103
Project Logistics 105
Team Structure and Deliverables 105
Session Length and Activities 107
Recruiting Participants 108
Success with Sessions 108
Initial Analysis 109
Presenting Results 110
Recommendations for the ADP Site 115
“Selling” the Recommendations 116
Long-Term Results 117
Summary 119
Further Reading 120
CASE 5: Growing a Business by Meeting (Real) Customer Needs 122
Evaluating the Current State of RevPhoto 122
Developing an Action Plan 126
Evaluating the Research Data With the Cross-Functional Leadership Team 126
Summary 132
Further Reading 133
CASE 6: But the Usability People Said It Was Okay . . . Or, How Not to “Do Usability” 134
Ellen Has a Problem 134
The Usability Group at Fourier Software 135
Ellen Remembers How She Got into This Mess 135
Nancy’s Side of the Story 136
And, Tom’s Version 137
Fixing the Problem for Good 138
Taking on a Project the Right Way 140
How to Say No Gracefully 141
Summary 142
Further Reading 143
PART II: Research, Evaluation, and Design 144
CASE 7: Estimating a User-Centered Design Effort 146
Tell Us What You Think It Will Take 146
The Detailed Estimate 150
What About Project Management and External Duties? 152
What About the Development Timeline? 153
Let’s Redefine and Get Started 158
Now Is the Time for Course Correction 161
Good Plans Shape Good Decisions 163
Summary 165
Further Reading 167
CASE 8: A Case Study in Card Sorting 168
Determining the Need for a Card Sort 168
Planning the Card Sort 171
Implementing the Card Sort Study 175
Summary 183
Further Reading 184
CASE 9: The HURIE Method: A Case Study Combining Requirements Gathering and User Interface Evaluation 186
The Context 186
The Study 193
Summary 203
Further Reading 205
CASE 10: Two Contrasting Case Studies in Integrating Business Analysis with Usability Requirements Analysis and User Interface Design 208
Case 1: The Thompson Institute: No Business Analysis 208
Case 2: The City Police Department: Business Analysis Already Completed 221
Summary 228
Further Reading 229
CASE 11: A Case Study in Personas 232
Introducing the Idea of Personas 232
Planning the Field Research 238
Conducting the Field Research 244
Developing the Personas 248
Living With the Personas 259
Summary 262
Further Reading 263
CASE 12: User-Centered Design for Middleware 264
In Need of an Interface 264
The Interaction Designer 267
The Contextual Inquiry 269
Designing VirtualCenter 2.0 277
The First Usability Study 285
Summary 289
Further Reading 290
CASE 13: Isis Mobile: A Case Study in Heuristic Evaluation 292
Isis Mobile’s History and Direction 292
Determining the Need for a Heuristic Evaluation 294
Planning and Performing a Heuristic Evaluation 296
Reviewing, Comparing, and Compiling the Findings 303
Validating Design Changes 304
Summary 309
Further Reading 311
CASE 14: Academic Manuscript Submission: A Case Study in Interaction Design 312
Determining an Approach to Design 312
Arriving at a Conceptual Design 322
Evaluating the Conceptual Design 328
Moving to Detailed Design and Project Completion 335
Summary 337
Further Reading 339
CASE 15: The Mulkey Corporation: A Case Study in Information Architecture 340
Gathering Requirements 340
Designing the User Experience Using Information Architecture 350
Keeping the Integrity of the Information Architecture 362
Summary 373
Further Reading 376
CASE 16: Incorporating Web Accessibility Into the Design Process 378
Travelers By Design 378
Learning About Accessibility 380
Accessibility and the TBD Products 384
Putting the Accessibility Compliance Process in Place 386
Implementing and Verification 394
Ongoing Compliance 400
Summary 400
Further Reading 402
CASE 17: From .com to .com.cn: A Case Study of Website Internationalization 404
The Evolution and Expansion of a Website 404
Solving the Site-Speed Puzzle 411
Summary 415
Further Reading 416
CASE 18: Designing for a Worldwide Product 418
Flexibility: Too Much of a Good Thing Can Be Bad 418
Where Did We Go Wrong? 423
Let’s Start Again 426
Lessons Shared 430
Summary 443
Further Reading 444
CASE 19: Inspecting a User Interface 446
Prometheus Bound 446
Choosing a Method 448
Establishing Context 450
Refining the Study Design 452
The Inspection 455
Editing 456
Analysis 457
Reporting 463
Summary 469
Further Reading 469
CASE 20: Billingsly: A Case Study in Managing Project Risks and Client Expectations 472
Dissension in the Ranks 472
Selling Paper Prototyping 476
The Project Unfolds 480
The Farmer and the Cowman Must Be Friends 486
Summary 489
Further Reading 490
CASE 21: Aikot Corporation: A Case Study in Qualitative/Quantitative Remote Evaluation 492
Decline of a Strong Brand 492
The Nature of Quantitative/Qualitative Remote Website Visitor Research 498
Planning and Conducting the Quantitative/Qualitative Remote Study 504
Analysis of the Data 508
Summary 517
Further Reading 519
CASE 22: Using Technology to Automate Summative Usability Testing 520
The Call That Started It All 520
What’s Out There? 524
Test Drive 529
The Epiphany 532
Execution 534
Summary 536
Further Reading 538
Answers 540
Case 1: Changing Products Means Changing Behaviors 540
Case 2: Managing Politics in the Workplace 544
Case 3: Raising Awareness at the Company Level 548
Case 4: Usability Step by Step: Small Steps to a More Successful Site 556
Case 5: Growing a Business by Meeting (Real) Customer Needs 561
Case 6: But the Usability People Said It Was Okay . . . Or, How Not to “Do Usability” 563
Case 7: Estimating a User-Centered Design Effort 567
Case 8: A Case Study in Card Sorting 569
Case 9: The HURIE Method: A Case Study Combining Requirements Gathering and User Interface Evaluation 574
Case 10: Two Contrasting Case Studies in Integrating Business Analysis With Usability Requirements Analysis and User Interface Design 578
Case 11: A Case Study in Personas 593
Case 12: User-Centered Design for Middleware 600
Case 13: Isis Mobile: A Case Study in Heuristic Evaluation 605
Case 14: Academic Manuscript Submission: A Case Study in Interaction Design 606
Case 15: The Mulkey Corporation: A Case Study in Information Architecture 608
Case 16: Incorporating Web Accessibility Into the Design Process 620
Case 17: From .com to .com.cn: A Case Study of Website Internationalization 630
Case 18: Designing for a Worldwide Product 644
Case 19: Inspecting a User Interface 648
Case 20: Billingsly: A Case Study in Managing Project Risks and Client Expectations 653
Case 21: Aikot Corporation: A Case Study in Qualitative/Quantitative Remote Evaluation 661
Case 22: Using Technology to Automate Summative Usability Testing 666
Index 670
About the Editors 678
About the Contributors 680